More than 150 distressed OFWs return home
MANILA, Philippines - Just as the Philippines celebrated its independence, more than 150 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFW) also broke free from their horrible experiences in the Middle East.
“Sabi nga, it is Independence Day, so paglaya ito sa kanilang pinanggalingan, at nandito na sila sa kanilang inang bayan," said Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Carmelita Dimzon in a report aired over Q’s Balitanghali.
[As they say, it is Independence Day, so it’s like they became free from where they came from and now they’re here in their motherland]
Dimzon said in a previous report that these OFWs were victims of exploitation and abuse who opted to run away from their employers. [See: 150 distressed OFWs to return home Friday]
"They are mostly household service workers who found themselves in situations of hardship and exploitation," she said, adding that most of them complained about non-payment of wages as well as excessive work hours.
Elizabeth Baya, who worked for two years in Kuwait, recounted that she was hit by her employer at the back with such great force that she lost her sanity.
“For two months I stayed at the mental hospital, so I’m happy that I am here now," she said.
Just like Baya, most of the workers came from the Middle East, specifically in Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Prior to their repatriation, they stayed at the OWWA welfare centers of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in the host countries.
The repatriation expenses of the OFWs were shouldered by the San Miguel Corporation, Development Bank of the Philippines, and some anonymous donors.
Last month, a total of 135 distressed OFWs were repatriated by the OWWA, including 57 maids who ran away from their employers in Lebanon, 49 who abandoned their jobs in Poland due to breaches in their contracts, and 14 who were displaced by an earthquake in the Italian city of L’Aquila. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV
“Sabi nga, it is Independence Day, so paglaya ito sa kanilang pinanggalingan, at nandito na sila sa kanilang inang bayan," said Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Carmelita Dimzon in a report aired over Q’s Balitanghali.
[As they say, it is Independence Day, so it’s like they became free from where they came from and now they’re here in their motherland]
Dimzon said in a previous report that these OFWs were victims of exploitation and abuse who opted to run away from their employers. [See: 150 distressed OFWs to return home Friday]
"They are mostly household service workers who found themselves in situations of hardship and exploitation," she said, adding that most of them complained about non-payment of wages as well as excessive work hours.
Elizabeth Baya, who worked for two years in Kuwait, recounted that she was hit by her employer at the back with such great force that she lost her sanity.
“For two months I stayed at the mental hospital, so I’m happy that I am here now," she said.
Just like Baya, most of the workers came from the Middle East, specifically in Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Prior to their repatriation, they stayed at the OWWA welfare centers of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in the host countries.
The repatriation expenses of the OFWs were shouldered by the San Miguel Corporation, Development Bank of the Philippines, and some anonymous donors.
Last month, a total of 135 distressed OFWs were repatriated by the OWWA, including 57 maids who ran away from their employers in Lebanon, 49 who abandoned their jobs in Poland due to breaches in their contracts, and 14 who were displaced by an earthquake in the Italian city of L’Aquila. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV
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