Task force vs illegal recruiters in the works

MANILA, Philippines - Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates had been reassured over the weekend that a task force to check illegal recruitment is now in the works in Manila.

Vice President Manuel “Noli" de Castro Jr. made the assurance during a visit to a labor office in Dubai Saturday, according to a report on news site Khaleej Times.

De Castro’s visit came in the wake of reports that 137 drivers were recently brought to Ajman illegally. He visited distressed Filipino workers at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Deira, where a lawyer was hired to defend the victims of illegal recruitment.

He also spoke to the representatives of the 137 drivers, who were hired in Manila for P564,000 (Dh56,400) to decide how they could return to the Philippines.

Also, he heard distressed runaway household helpers, some of whom claimed they were victims of rape, physical and verbal abuse, maltreatment and non-payment of wages. Several of them broke down as they related their stories and asked for assistance to go home, the report said.

De Castro said he would follow up for funds with the Undersecretary of Migrant Workers Affairs (UMWA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

As he prepared to proceed to Damascus in Syria to inaugurate the new Philippine embassy, he said there are 17,000 Filipinos workers in Syria, and the setting up of a Philippine embassy will legitimize their stay.

He also informed the workers the Philippine government is still banning the entry of Filipino workers to Lebanon and Jordan until their governments sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to protect the Filipino workers. - GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more