Amid the criticisms the Philippines has
received for being silent on the atrocities in Syria, the Overseas Workers’
Welfare Administration (OWWA) revealed yesterday that the government has been
trying to bring home 1,300 Filipinos from that strife-torn country.
OWWA
chief Carmelita Dimzon said the government has been negotiating with the
employers of 1,342 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Syria so that they could
return safely to Manila.
"There
are about 1,342 who are under negotiation for repatriation. Their release from
their employers is being negotiated by the Philippine embassy in Damascus,”
Dimzon said during a press conference at the government’s celebration of
National Migrant Workers Day at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay
City in Metro Manila.
"We
also have 90 wards in the Filipino Workers Resource Centre there and hopefully
they may be able to fly home in a few days’ time,” she added.
Dimzon
said the government had been able to bring home 1,614 overseas Filipino workers
from Syria but only around 200 of them were documented or OWWA members. Most of
them were female domestic helpers.
However,
Dimzon said many of the returning workers from Syria had availed of the
government’s fund assistance being taken from the P2-billion reintegration programme.
"Suffice
it to say, we have a big number of (applicants) because they want to be
self-employed. They have taken the mindset that they no longer want to leave
because they want to start they own business here,” Dimzon said.
On the
other hand, the government has filed cases against illegal recruiters who sent
Filipinos to Syria to work illegally.
Last
month, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) filed illegal
recruitment cases against nine individuals and recruitment violation cases
against 12 recruitment agencies that recruited Filipino workers for Syria.
In a
report to Labour Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, POEA Administrator Hans
Leo J. Cacdac said the POEA assisted 26 OFWs in filing cases against the
recruiters.
The
deployment of OFWs to Syria was stopped in April 2011 due to the deteriorating
political situation in that country.
POEA
has also endorsed nine illegal recruitment cases to the Provincial Prosecution
Offices of Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Norte, Sarangani, Camarines
Norte, Batangas, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Davao City.
The
victims identified their alleged recruiters as Aida Pinagayan , Zoraida Salem,
Nora Valadi, Fatima Sabulawan, Marlyn dela Cruz, Crislyn Noble, Juliet dela
Fuente, Jake Munib, and Olivia Dayao.
The
recruitment agencies—most of them either with expired, suspended or cancelled
licenses—were identified as HRHA Manpower International, Inc.; Miss Diamond
Star International Manpower Services, Inc.; MMM International Placement Corp.;
Multi-System Conexions International, Inc.; LFC International Human Resources;
RCS Promotions and Overseas Placement, Inc.; MSS Talent Management Services, Inc.; Greengate Manpower Services
Co.; and RCS Promotion and Overseas Placement, Inc.
Cacdac
has urged other victims who were recruited for jobs in Syria during the ban
period to come forward and file appropriate cases against their respective
agents.
Philip
C. Tubeza
Philippine
Daily Inquirer
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment