OFWs allege abuse in Saudi immigration crackdown

 News
Nov 032013
 
OFWs allege abuse in Saudi immigration crackdown

Filipina domestic helper Amor Roxas (C), 46, weeps upon arriving at the Philippines’ main international airport on Nov 4, 2013 as she recounts her ordeal after being expelled from Saudi Arabia, where an amnesty for illegal workers expired at the weekend. She is among 30 Filipinos who were deported from Riyadh a day after the amnesty ended, while thousands more without proper working permits remained trapped there, officials say. AFP MANILA, Philippines – Thirty Filipino workers expelled from Saudi Arabia returned home Monday and alleged they were abused amid a crackdown on illegal migrants there. They were among an estimated 6,700 Filipino workers stranded in parts of the oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdom where an amnesty for undocumented foreigners ended over the weekend. “They treated us like animals,” said domestic helper Amor Roxas, 46, who burst in tears while narrating her ordeal. She claimed Saudi police rounded them up and placed them in a crowded cell for four days before they were paraded from the immigration center to the airport. “Our feet were chained,” added Yvonne Montefeo, 32, in between sobs. Saudi Arabian embassy officials in Manila did not want to comment on the allegation of abuse. Migrante International, a support group for Filipino overseas workers, said 1,700 other workers remained stranded in Jeddah waiting for their documents to be processed so they can return home while about 5,000 more were scattered in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Dammam and also needing consular assistance. It warned that the Filipinos “are in danger Read More …

Remittances grow fastest in seven months – Bangko Sentral

 Entertainment
Oct 222013
 
Remittances grow fastest in seven months – Bangko Sentral

A man arranges his peso bills inside a currency exchange shop Friday, Nov. 9, 2007, in Manila, Philippines. The dollar closed Friday at 42.795 pesos, where the peso rose to a new seven-year high on prospects of further U.S. interest rate cuts and likely increases in remittances from Filipinos overseas. (AP Photo/Pat Roque) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Money sent home by Filipinos who live and work overseas quickened to its fastest pace in seven months last August, fueled by sustained deployment of workers abroad, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Wednesday. Cash remittances – money sent through banks and transfer agents – grew at annual rate of 6.8 percent to $1.918 billion in August, preliminary central bank data showed. This is the fastest growth rate since January’s revised 8 percent increase, according to central bank records. Total cash transfers grew by 5.9 percent to $14.545 billion in the first eight months of the year, above a Bangko Sentral forecast of 5 percent for 2013. “The steady deployment of OF (overseas Filipino) workers remained one of the key drivers of the growth in remittance flows,”  Bangko Sentral noted in a statement. According to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration data, approved job orders in January to August rose 39 percent annually, primarily in services, production and technical jobs in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Qatar. Listed Bank of the Philippine Islands’ (BPI) lead economist Emilio Neri Jr. gave a bank’s perspective to remittances. “August was disaster ridden, and we Read More …

Filipino Muslims fly to Mecca for Hajj on Saudi tab

 News
Oct 122013
 
Filipino Muslims fly to Mecca for Hajj on Saudi tab

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:19 am | Sunday, October 13th, 2013 The sun sets behind the minarets of Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Everybody flies for the Hajj, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Going on a pilgrimage to Mecca has been a lifelong dream for lawyer Samina Macabando but the hefty price of the journey—up to P200,000—was always a barrier. This year, the Marawi City native is finally making the sojourn that Muslims around the world make their life’s mission. The 31-year-old lawyer is among 47 Filipinos the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is flying to and billeting for free in Mecca this month for the Hajj, in Islam a defining expression of devotion to the faith. “I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was young,” said Macabando. “It’s very important. It’s one of the five pillars of Islam. If you go on the pilgrimage, your faith is complete,” she told the Inquirer. Officials of the Saudi Embassy in Manila and the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) feted the pilgrims at the embassy in Makati City on Saturday where they were handed their plane tickets, the Ihraam (the sacred white clothing that Muslims wear for the Hajj) and other gifts. The group, selected from around the Philippines through a stringent process, will be provided “luxurious accommodations and other services that befit them as guests” during their 10-day trip, said the embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Abdullelah Aljebreen, in remarks Read More …

Pardoned Lanuza flying home a free man

 News
Sep 172013
 
Pardoned Lanuza flying home a free man

Rodelio Celestino Lanuza. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—After 13 years of imprisonment in Saudi Arabia, pardoned Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza is now on his way home, Vice President Jejomar Binay  announced on  Wednesday. Binay, also presidential  adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) Concerns, said  Lanuza will arrive from Dammam Thursday, September 19. “I would like to announce that tomorrow afternoon, our compatriot who have long been jailed , who was sentenced to death in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is arriving. He is Dondon Lanuza,” he said during an interview on the sidelines of the Regional Scouts Summit in Leyte. Lanuza was sentenced to death in 2001 for killing a Saudi national, who had allegedly tried to   rape him the year before. He was pardoned after paying the victim’s family 3 million Saudi Riyal or about P35 million in blood money. The Philippine government and supporters of Lanuza raised the equivalent of 700,000 Saudi Riyal while King Abdullah paid the remaining amount. Binay then reiterated his thanks to the government of Saudi Arabia, especially to King Abdullah, for shouldering 2.3 million Saudi Riyal of Lanuza’s blood money. “This is a rare instance where the king of Saudi Arabia contributed millions of pesos to save someone’s life,” said the  Vice President. “We would like to again extend our thanks to the king of Saudi Arabia, to private groups, and to our Embassy for their effort,”  he said. Binay also commended Ambassador Ezzedin Tago and the staff of the Philippine Embassy-Riyadh for their role Read More …

Senate resumes probe into ‘sex-for-flight’ scandal

 News
Aug 292013
 
Senate resumes probe into ‘sex-for-flight’ scandal

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 2:55 pm | Thursday, August 29th, 2013 Sec. Del Rosario and Sec. Baldoz during Senate Hearing. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Thursday continued its investigation on the “sex-for-flight” scheme involving Philippine labor officials in the Middle East. Among those present is Jojo Casicas, driver and employee at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Saudi Arabia, who was accused by  28-year-old Grace Victoria  Sales of allegedly  trying to rape her sometime  in March 2012 while  they were left alone at their office  in POLO. The joint hearing of the Senate blue ribbon and labor committees resumed almost a week after the Department of Labor and Employment filed administrative cases against Saudi Arabia assistant labor attaché Antonio Villafuerte, former Jordan Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) attaché Mario Antonio and labor attaché Adam Musa. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz also recommended the agency’s investigation on Villanueva’s involvement on the “sex-for-flight” scandal. During the August 15 hearing, senators berated Villafuerte after an overseas Filipino worker narrated how she was treated by the labor official. The OFW and two others faced Villafuerte who they accused of sexual harassment. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags:

Laments on the Filipino Diaspora

 News
Aug 102013
 
Laments on the Filipino Diaspora

By Ricardo B. RamosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:47 pm | Saturday, August 10th, 2013 MAPPING of overseas Filipinos (SOURCE: Commission on Filipinos Overseas, cfo.gov.ph) My older sister, a retired doctor, recently passed away unexpectedly in Cardiff, Wales, in  the United Kingdom where she had resided for the past 25 years. She was 67 years old. Her sudden demise happened two weeks after our youngest sister, a registered nurse, was run over by a car whose driver was texting in Sydney, Australia. The saying must really be true that “when it rains, it pours.”  Our family was devastated by the tragedy. Fortunately, our “baby” sister survived the auto accident, although she was badly injured. It will take months before her spine heals. In the meantime, she cannot work and will therefore not receive any compensation from her employer. My older brother, who petitioned my sister’s migration “Down Under” more than two decades ago, took two weeks off from work to take care of her. She is a widow. The tragedy that struck our family in a span of two weeks reminded me of what happened 40 years ago in the early 1970s. Our eldest sister, who was working in Manhattan and at the same time taking her master’s degree in Columbia University,  nearly died when she was run over by a car in New York City. While she received some compensation from the insurance of the driver who nearly killed her, she was never the same again. Now at almost 70 years Read More …

Suspected Abu Sayyaf sub-leader-turned-OFW nabbed in Quezon City

 News
Jul 292013
 
Suspected Abu Sayyaf sub-leader-turned-OFW nabbed in Quezon City

By Marlon RamosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:53 pm | Monday, July 29th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — Intelligence operatives of the police and the military have arrested a suspected sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf who had allegedly found a new life as an overseas Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia. Sali Basal Taib, alias Gong-gong Sali and Abu Husni, was among the Abu Sayyaf bandits involved in the Lamitan, Basilan, siege in 2001, Director Francisco Uyami, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said Monday. Uyami said Taib was arrested by CIDG and Army personnel in Payatas, Quezon City, on July 25 after he brought his son to school. Taib was facing a string of kidnapping cases in Basilan and carried a P5.3-million reward for his arrest, he added. “He was able to leave the country using (fake documents) and worked as electrician in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” Uyami said in a news briefing at Camp Crame. “Like other Abu Sayyaf bandits, (Taib) left Basilan and lived a normal life. He had just returned to the country for a vacation and to observe Ramadan. Fortunately, we were able to get information about his whereabouts,” he said. Taib’s arrest was covered by arrest warrants separately issued by Isabela City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 1 Judge Leo Jay Principe and Isabela RTC Branch 2 Judge Danilo Bucoy. According to Uyami, Taib was one of the heavily-armed bandits who ran over the town of Lamitan and occupied the Don Jose Torres Memorial Hospital in 2001. Read More …

Nov. 3 is new deadline for illegals in Saudi

 News
Jul 022013
 
Nov. 3 is new deadline for illegals in Saudi

By Tarra Quismundo and Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:21 am | Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013 Foreign illegal laborers wait in a queue at the Saudi immigration offices at al-Isha quarter in al-Khazan district west of Riyadh, on June 30, 2013. Some 1.5 million illegal foreign workers in Saudi Arabia were in a race against time to take advantage of an amnesty ending July 3—but which was extended to Nov. 3—that would allow them to stay or return home without prosecution. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE MANILA, Philippines—A massive relief for thousands of undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who fear expulsion from Saudi Arabia. That was how ordinary Filipinos as well as officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) described the announcement in Riyadh that Saudi Arabia had given foreign workers four months to obtain a legal status in that country. Illegal foreign workers will now have until the end of the Islamic year on Nov. 3 to regularize their status or return home without prosecution, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. According to the Saudi labor ministry, more than 1.5 million illegal foreign workers have come forward so far. Of these, some 180,000 have left the kingdom in addition to more than 200,000 unregistered workers expelled at the start of the year under new regulations to stamp out illegal immigration. The Saudi announcement provides relief for thousands of undocumented Filipinos cramming to fix their Read More …

PH labor exec recalled from Saudi for sex probe

 News
Jun 212013
 
PH labor exec recalled from Saudi for sex probe

By Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:33 am | Saturday, June 22nd, 2013 Labor officers in Saudi Arabia will be included in the investigation being conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on the alleged sexual exploitation of distressed Filipino workers in the Middle East, Assistant Labor Secretary Rebecca Chato said. Aside from Kuwait and Jordan, the DOLE fact-finding body will now include Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh, in its investigation, following accusations from an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) that a labor officer in Saudi had asked her to sleep with him in his home instead of in a temporary shelter when she sought help from Philippine authorities there. The OFW, identified only as a certain “Michelle,” said that she was also offered to an Egyptian client, but that the man took pity on her instead and bought her a plane ticket to Manila. “Michelle” went to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) office on Friday to seek assistance, Owwa head Carmelita Dimzon said, and was referred to the investigative panel. But the labor department has yet to get her official statement, she added. Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello this week accused at least three officials in Philippine labor offices and embassies in Jordan, Kuwait and Syria of soliciting sexual favors from distressed OFWs staying in shelters and awaiting repatriation to Manila. ‘Black propaganda’ Labor officer Mario Antonio, whom Bello had named as among the three erring officials, came out to deny the allegations and blamed illegal recruiters and Read More …

138 Filipinos remain in camps in S. Arabia

 News
Jun 142013
 
138 Filipinos remain in camps in S. Arabia

By Dona Z. PazzibuganPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:34 am | Saturday, June 15th, 2013 DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—From about a thousand two months ago, less than 150 Filipinos remain camped outside the Philippine Embassy and a Philippine consular office in Saudi Arabia, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez reported that a total of 414 individuals have so far been repatriated from Saudi Arabia before the July 3 deadline for undocumented workers to either return to their home countries or correct their status. Among those repatriated were mothers and their children. Since June 10, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh reported having repatriated 77 Filipinos, including 16 mothers and 20 children. Fourteen more individuals will arrive in Manila on June 15 at 3:20 p.m. from Riyadh on board Etihad Airways flight EY 424. Hernandez said only four people remain camped outside the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and 134 people outside the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. The rest of the undocumented workers and their families are staying in temporary shelters. “From a high of 77, the number of campers in our embassy in Riyadh is down to four. In Jeddah, from about a thousand several weeks ago, there are now only 134 individuals at the camp site near our consulate,” Hernandez said. “There are also 161 mothers and children seeking shelter at the consulate,” he added. With the deadline approaching, Philippine diplomatic officials have asked Saudi immigration authorities to streamline their procedures to Read More …

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