DAVAO CITY – Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte said his administration will see to it that undocumented migrant workers will get their proper status.
Duterte also pledged to talk with the Arab leaders to give consideration to overseas Filipino workers.
“We will help them get the proper status. I will ask the Arab countries to be more circumspect in arriving at (a solution). Especially for us because we are a poor country,” Duterte told reporters here in a press conference on Tuesday night, May 31.
“They must understand there are things that they have to respect and that is dignity of the Filipino. That we are not exporting there horse, we’re exporting decent people to earn a living,” Duterte said.
An overseas Filipino workers group welcomed the statement of Duterte.
The United OFW Worldwide (U-OFW), today said they appreciate Duterte’s statement.
John Leonard Monterona, convener of the United OFW Worldwide added that they regarded Duterte’s remark as “equivalent to a policy statement”.
“That was a policy statement. Such assurance we have been waiting from him. We note that President-elect Duterte was just being consistent on his statements in regard to providing assistance to distressed, stranded, and undocumented OFWs,” Monterona said.
Monterona also urged Duterte to study the imposition of a temporary ban on the deployment of OFWs in Saudi Arabia and to push for measures that would ensure the protection of Filipino migrant workers.
Monterona said his group has been monitoring the situation of distressed, stranded, and undocumented OFWs in Saudi Arabia and has recorded that there are: around 800 ‘TNT’ or irregular OFWs in Riyadh living in their own rented houses; 80 distressed and stranded male OFWs with existing labor issues with their employer at the male shelter in Exit 8 villa in Riyadh and 150 female distressed and stranded, 8 with children at the Bahay Kalinga (BK) in Riyadh.
“At least 40 ran away female household service workers are currently enrolled at the Saudi Social Welfare agency (SWA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The group also said that at least 50 OFWs are staying at the FWRC in the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah, while an estimate of 3,000 irregular OFWs are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
“Our group receives an average of eight cases daily involving Filipino domestic workers requesting assistance for repatriation,” Monterona said.
He said the figure does not yet include the request for assistance and repatriation directly sent to the POEA Repatriation Unit and the various Philippine Labor and Welfare offices (POLO-OWWA) in Saudi Arabia.(davaotoday.com)
