OFW Family Stops Beheading of Another OFW in Saudi
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center will offer a thanksgiving mass today (6 pm) at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Pasay City in gratitude for the act of forgiveness and reconciliation between two OFW families that paves the way for the eventual freedom of a Filipino on Saudi Arabia’s death row.
Susan Ople, president of the policy center, noted that three years of pain and anguish were resolved in a ten-minute meeting held this morning at the Coconut Palace with Vice-President Jejomar Binay, DFA OUMWA executive director Eric Endaya, OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon and the Mendoza and Langamin families.
In May 2008, two seafarers aboard a ship located near Saudi Arabia had a serious altercation which resulted in the fatal stabbing of Robertson Mendoza. For the said crime, Jonard Langamin, son of sweet corn vendor Edith Langamin, was thrown in jail for murder, an act punishable by execution through beheading in the said Kingdom. The agreement reached this morning between the two families effectively negates such a possibility, thus saving the life of OFW Jonard Langamin who faces the death sentence early this year.
Edith Langamin’s body shook with shock, relief, and joy as she cried and kneeled in front of Robert Mendoza, father of Robertson, in gratitude for his forgiveness. She also hugged Vice-President Binay while repeatedly expressing her thanks. Ople, who was seated beside Edith and her sister, Rina, had to calm down the highly emotional mother.
“I told her that the first thing she must do is to offer thanks to the Lord because this is a New Year blessing and a miracle. The case has been pending with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi court for more than three years. Time was really no longer on Jonard’s side until today,” Ople who was present during the private meeting said.
“Nanay” Edith brought the case of her son to the attention of the Blas F. Ople Center in April 2011. The Center has been following up on Jonard’s case with the DFA. The blood money being sought for was pegged at the equivalent of Php 5 million, an amount way beyond the financial capabilities of the fishball and sweet corn vendor. On the average, “Nanay” Edith, as she is fondly called by the Ople Center staff, earns Php 300 a day, an amount that is only enough to feed her family.
Last December 16, around 500 overseas Filipino workers and their families who attended the Christmas party of the Ople Center at Philam Life Auditorium were able to chip in Php 5,000 in addition to Php27,000 already raised by the Langamin family. This amount is still a far cry from the blood money required of Jonard Langamin.
“The act of forgiveness that would be converted into a formal letter to be submitted to the Saudi court is the key that would soon lead to Jonard’s freedom. Vice-President Binay handled the meeting with tact and sensitivity to the plight of both families. The victim’s father did not say much but was very humble and receptive. It’s hard not to divine the Lord’s guiding hand in what happened this morning,” Ople said, adding that the Ople Center had also invited the Mendoza family to attend tomorrow’s mass which shall also be offered in memory of their son, Robertson.
Mt. Mattheos I with 14 Filipino Seafarers released from captivity
Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos Salinas made an initial report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that MT Mattheos I, with 14 Filipino seafarers on board, was released from
captivity today and is proceeding to a neutral port.
In the same report, all crew members are well and safe.
MT Mattheos I, a Cyprus-flagged and Norwegian-managed tanker, was seized on September 14, in Lome, Togo in West Africa. The vessel has a total of 23 seafarers of mixed nationalities onboard.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has alerted and instructed concerned Philippine Embassies to provide appropriate assistance and to make arrangements for the immediate repatriation of
the Filipino seafarers to Manila.
The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to
travel along a safety corridor and to adopt best management practices as a deterrence to piracy attacks.
It has likewise taken up the issue of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean before the United Nations and other international organizations. The Philippines is a member of the intergovernmental Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.
(Photo credit: eaglespeak.us)
Hotel jobs, sinigang na hipon waiting for Qaddafi’s kasambahays
A tearful, joyful homecoming, a steaming bowl of “sinigang na hipon”, and assured jobs in a well-known hotel in Cebu await Diana Jill Rivera and Mary Anne Ducos, two domestic workers recently rescued from the residence of Col. Moammar Qaddafy’s niece in Tripoli, Libya when they arrive in Manila within the week.
This was the announcement of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-government organization that has been closely monitoring the case since February 2011. Former labor undersecretary Susan Ople, head of the BFO Center, said that several non-government organizations are also planning to host a thanksgiving dinner in honor of Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa who spearheaded the rescue of the two “kasambahays.”
Ople said she is in touch with Jane Ampeloquio of the Hotel Academy in Cebu which is also in charge of training programs for employees of Days Hotel. James Concepcion, president of Days Hotel, is willing to employ the two women in one of his hotels in Cebu City after they complete the required on-the-job training provided by the Hotel Academy.
When asked whether the two women were open to working locally at Days Hotel in Cebu City, Jenny Rivera, sister of Diana Jill, replied that both OFWs are excited about the job offer.
Diana’s father, Jaime Rivera, said he would no longer allow his daughter to leave the country to work abroad. He said that he almost fell off his seat while watching the evening news when he heard that her daughter was finally rescued. According to Jenny Rivera, the family is eager to treat Diana to her favorite dish of “sinigang na hipon.”
The Ople Center has made arrangements for the family of Mary Anne Ducos to travel from Isabela to Manila as the labor department continues to work on travel arrangement for the returning OFWs and Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa.
Meanwhile, the Ople Center and several other civil society groups like Kakkampi International, Filipino Migrant Workers Group, PSLink and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines have agreed to extend a hero’s welcome to Labor Attache Mustafa.
“He is a hero not only in the eyes of Diana Jill and Mary Anne but also to us in civil society because he practically risked his life just to get these two OFWs out of harm’s way,” Susan Ople explained.
Accompanied by an embassy driver and a Libyan friend, Labor Attache Mustafa was able to identify the residence where the two women were being held against their will by their employer after going back and forth to the area for ten days.
“Just to be sure that they had the right residence, he had to request Mary Jane to climb up the roof of the house and wave. The rescue was done while the rest of the household were still asleep and as soon as Diana and Mary Anne were in his car, labor attache Mustafa instructed the driver to proceed to the border of Tunisia,” Ople said, adding that she hopes that proper recognition can be given by the Office of the President to the courage and heroism demonstrated by the said labor official and his companions.
DFA recalls Phl Ambassador to Syria
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has recalled Philippine Ambassador to Syria Wilfredo Cuyugan and instructed to leave his post immediately amid political heaval in said Middle Eastern country.
In a statement issued to the media, Migrante said that Cuyugan must be recalled due to his failure to read the actual peace and order situation in Syria. He kept on saying publicly that the OFWs have ‘nothing to worry about’ as the situation in Syria is ‘not worst’.
Migrante said in the statement that it has been receiving contracting reports from trapped OFWs who have been seeking to be evacuated and repatriated.
“Ambassador Cuyugan even dilly-dallied and acted too late on the repatriation of about 60 distressed OFWs then temporarily seeking refuge at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) since June 2010 or at the start of the upheaval in Syria in which we have exposed and pressed him hard,” the statement explained.
The ambassador was more of a liability to the DFA, it further said. He failed to provide assistance to trapped OFWs who pleaded to be evacuated and repatriated without further delay, Migrante further said.
“We welcome his recall from the post, while we continue to urge the DFA to clean its ranks from inept and incompetent envoy especially here in the Middle East as the Arab Spring continues,” the organization reiterated.
Migrante likewise said that OFWs need “pro-active and action men” envoys such as Secretary del Rosario and Usec Seguis who have led the the actual evacuation of trapped OFWs in Libya recently.
DFA repatriates OFWs in Libya and Syria
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said today that the teams from the DFA and the Philippine Embassies in Tripoli and Damascus continue to provide assistance to Filipinos in Libya and Syria in light of escalating tensions in said countries.
In Libya, 35 Filipinos were able to board the International Organization for Migration (IOM) chartered vessel, M/V Tasuko, which sailed from the port of Tripoli at 9 p.m. local time (3 a.m. today, Manila time). It is expected to arrive in Benghazi on Saturday at 11 a.m. local time (5 p.m. Manila time).
From Benghazi, the Filipino repatriates will travel by land to the Egyptian border of Al Salom. A team from the Philippine Embassy in Cairo is already in place at the Egyptian border and will receive and assist these Filipinos in their repatriation back to Manila.
In Tripoli, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis and Philippine Ambassador to Libya Alejandrino Vicente, together with the Philippine Embassy personnel, continue to convince Filipinos to leave Libya and to assist Filipinos who have expressed their desire to be repatriated.
In Syria, as of date, some 395 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have already expressed their desire to come home and avail of the voluntary repatriation of the Philippine government. An Embassy team is negotiating and making the appropriate representations with their employers and with the concerned Syrian authorities for the immediate release of their exit visas.
To date, the Philippine Embassy in Damascus has already processed the exit visas of some 108 OFWs and is arranging their immediate repatriation.
Embassy officials and community coordinators in Syria continue to contact Filipinos there to inquire about their condition and to inform them of the Embassy’s voluntary repatriation program. They have also advised Filipinos not to venture outside, especially if tensions are nearby.
Upon the instruction of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos, Jr. went to Syria last week to assist the Embassy in the implementation of its contingency plan and to implement measures for the Syria-wide Alert Level 3. DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) Executive Director Ricardo Endaya also went to Syria to assist the Embassy in the repatriation efforts.
The Embassy has activated the “Task Group on Voluntary Repatriation” wherein three teams were convened to attend to specific assignments. A five-man “outgoing calls” team from the Embassy actively calls OFWs and urges them to leave and avail of the government’s voluntary repatriation program. Another five-man “incoming calls” team receives calls from the OFWs who have decided to avail of the voluntary repatriation program. The third team, called the negotiation team, negotiates and represents the OFWs, who have expressed their desire to come home, with their employers and the concerned Syrian authorities for the immediate release of their exit visas.
Meanwhile, 12 Filipino nationals arrived Thursday, August 25, from Syria via Emirates Airways.
Representatives from the DFA, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Office of the Vice-President (OVP) welcomed the Filipino repatriates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The DFA continues to attend to families of Filipinos in Libya and in Syria, briefing them about the government’s measures being undertaken and in place.
The Philippine Embassy in Damascus’ hotline number is 00-963-116-132626. Families may also e-mail their requests and concerns through the Embassy’s e-mail address pe.damascus@gmail.com.
In Manila, the DFA-OUMWA also activated hotline numbers for families of Filipinos based in Syria and in Libya, at 834-3245 and 834-3240.
OFW accused of stealing a diamond wedding ring to be home soon
A female overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was accused of purportedly stealing her employer’s diamond wedding ring worth 375,000 Saudi rials, roughly equivalent to P4.4-M, will be released and repatriated soon, according to Migrante-Middle East (M-ME), a Filipino migrants rights’ group actively providing assistance to distressed OFWs.
Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona, on a statement, identified the OFW who was given an alias ‘Rosalinda’, 29 years old, a native of Pililla, Rizal province.
OFW Rosalinda managed to call M-ME’s Monterona asking for assistance as she has been accused of stealing her employer’s diamond wedding ring.
“Napagbintangan po akong magnakaw ng wedding ring worth 375,000 rials. Di ko po talaga ginawa iyon,” Rosalinda told Monterona during the conversation.
Monterona said that he was convinced that OFW Rosalinda did not commit the crime hurled against her.
“We gathered more information from POLO-OWWA official handling her case and other individuals who are privy to the accusation and she swearing to us that she did not steal her employer’s wedding ring were enough reasons for us to believe that she had indeed never committed the crime,” he averred.
Monterona said his group immediately coordinated with the POLO-OWWA officials in Dammam, eastern part of Saudi Arabia, and with the officers of the Saudi Social Welfare Agency (SSWA) branch in Dammam, where Rosalinda has been temporarily seeking refuge.
Monterona said Rosalinda told him that she was brought to Dammam Central jail only for five days, after which she was transferred to SSWA sometime in July.
On August 17, Monterona said he received a short message (SMS) from OFW Rosalinda stating “Everything is settled Sir John. This week, by God’s will, I’ll be home in the Philippines. Thank you.”
“I immediately called her as I am so glad to read her SMS and eager to talk with her over the phone about the good news. She confirmed to me that the SSWA helped mediate with her employer,” Monterona added.
Monterona quoting OFW Rosalinda who told him that her employer agreed to withdraw the case filed against her after SWWA officials promised that it will arrange to raise an amount as payment for the ‘lost’ wedding ring.
“It’s a lucky break for her! We and her family seem to be hopeless since a formal complaint had already been filed in Court,” Monterona disclosed.
“In behalf of the family of OFW Rosalinda, we would like to convey our sincere appreciation to SSWA officials in Dammam who helped her gain her freedom and her eventual repatriation. After all she never committed a crime, so she must be freed!” Monterona concluded.
Ople Center lauds OWWA’s decision to recall welfare officer from Jordan
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-profit organization that assists distressed overseas Filipino workers, lauded Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Chief Carmelita Dimzon for issuing a recall order for a welfare officer based in Jordan based on individual formal complaints the recently repatriated OFWs lodged.
Aside from five earlier complainants, the Ople Center in partnership with the Sagip OFW Program of Senator Manny Villar, assisted three more complainants in executing sworn affidavits citing Welfare Officer Carmelita Mag-uyon for neglect of duty and gross misconduct.
“The stories of eight repatriated workers were consistent and had a common pattern. They alleged that Welfare Officer Mag-uyon advised them to go back to their abusive employers or pay back the cost of deployment which obviously these women could not afford to do. This goes against the mandate of a welfare officer which is to care for and defend the rights of distressed overseas workers especially those trapped in situations of forced labor trafficking,” Susan Ople, president of the BFO Center, said.
Thea E., one of the three new complainants, said that Mag-uyon sided with her female employer in a meeting to resolve their dispute despite the OFW’s fears for her personal safety after her male employer exposed his private parts to her.
“She (Welfare Officer Mag-uyon) insisted that I go back to work or pay the deployment costs of my employer otherwise I’ll go to prison,” Thea recalled in her affidavit. When she refused, the welfare officer surrendered Thea to the police where she was imprisoned for 11 days. While in prison, Thea was maltreated by members of the Jordanian police and was forced to go back to her employer. Upon her return, she was locked up in a room on the fourth floor of the household.
Thea had to take down the curtains, tie the ends, and use it as a ladder so she could climb down and escape at midnight. She took a cab and headed for the Philippine Embassy at around 1.30 AM. Upon hearing of her plight especially on the hands of the police, the welfare officer treated her more kindly, Thea told the Ople Center.
Another complainant, Wilma S., said she was physically abused by her employers and fed spoiled food and at times, was not allowed to eat at all. This forced her to escape and return to her Jordanian agency. Unfortunately, the agency negotiated with her employers that she would be returned and made to work for one year to pay off the deployment costs. Wilma found a way to escape and seek refuge at OWWA’s Bahay Kalinga in Jordan.
According to the distressed OFW, the welfare officer asked her for $500 as payment for an air ticket to the Philippines. She was also instructed to go to the police station to face charges filed against her by her employers. In the end, the said OWWA officer relented and included Wilma in the list of OFWs whose repatriation costs would be shouldered by her agency.
The Blas F. Ople Center also expressed gratitude to the Office of Senator Manny Villar for providing the eight complainants with a lawyer. “Having a lawyer to guide them and advise them of their rights under the law emboldened these women to file their complaints. Our next step is to help these women get back on their feet again in partnership with the labor department and OWWA,” Ople, a former labor undersecretary, said.
24-hour hotline numbers for OFW families
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in cooperation with SMART Communications, has made available a 24-hour Libreng Tawag for families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who may wish to talk directly to their relatives in Libya.
Starting 9:00 this Saturday, families of OFWs can go to the south wing lobby of the DFA Main Building in Pasay City to avail of the Libreng Tawag joint public service program, according to its press release.
A crisis management center has also been set-up with 24-hour hotline numbers (834-4580, 834-3245, 834-3240, and 834-4646) at the DFA for families of OFWs who may want to get information about the conditions of their relatives in Libya.
The DFA is on a full relocation and repatriation mode in view of the escalating violence and widespread insecurity in Libya, the statement said.
It is also fully committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of the Filipino nationals in Libya, it further assured.
DFA bans travel to Libya, Bahrain and Yemen
Amid political turmoil in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, Filipinos are advised to postpone their travels to said countries until the security situation have stabilized, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said today.
The DFA issued this advisory light of protest actions taking place in those countries.
The Philippine Embassies in Tripoli, Manama and Riyadh reported earlier that they are in heightened alert and assured that Filipinos in those countries are safe. DFA officials said they are also in constant contact with them. The Embassies have also established 24-hour crisis monitoring teams. The Embassy in Riyadh covers Yemen.
As of June 2010, there are around 31,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, while 1,400 are in Yemen and around 26,000 are in Libya.
The Embassies have also advised Filipinos to be alert when in public places or on major roads and to stay well away from large crowds and demonstrations.
The Embassy in Tripoli communicated with the human resources manager of SNC Lavelin Company on the situation of some 1,800 Filipino construction workers at an airport construction site in Benghazi city, and was informed that the Filipinos there are safe within the work site which has its own security complement. The worksite is some 19 kilometers from central Benghazi, where the protests are taking place.
According to SNC Lavelin, the Filipinos have accommodations and ample food and water.
The Embassy added that the Thai, Indonesian, Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi embassies—which also have sizable populations in Libya—have not announced any evacuation at this time. It is also on heightened alert.
In Libya, clashes between protesters and security forces snowballed on Sunday in the northeastern cities. News reports confirmed 173 deaths.
The Embassy in Riyadh said that it communicated with members of the Filipino community in Yemen, who informed them that the Filipinos in the country are relatively safe, and that malls and all transportation facilities are working normally.
In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered to oversee a dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition to defuse the stand-off with protesters.
Meanwhile, the Embassy in Manama has issued an advisory to Filipinos in Bahrain to remain calm and avoid joining or going in places of protest actions. It has also provided a telephone hotline.
Protest actions continued to cool down in Bahrain Sunday as opposition groups working to present protesters’ demands met to coordinate a response to the government’s call for dialogue.
54 distressed OFWs arrive from Jeddah
Some 54 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were among those who camped beside the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last night.
The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) that the repatriated group consisted of 54 Filipinos who were part of many distressed migrant workers from the Khandara overpass area that the Saudi immigration police took into custody on 2-3 February 2011.
Many of the repatriated OFWs suffered maltreatment from their previous employers or had experiences of contractual substitution and non-payment of salaries, according to the DFA press release.
The Consulate, together with the Filipino community, provided food and basic necessities to the OFWs while they were in Jeddah waiting for their exit visas, the DFA noted.
Representatives from the DFA-OUMWA and from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration extended assistance to the repatriates at the airport, the press release claimed.
The Consulate made representations with the Saudi authorities for the issuance of the repatriates’ exit visas, the DFA further said.