Maids in distress find their ‘hero’

A few days ago, seven female workers returned home from the Middle East, each telling a litany of woes about her cruel and abusive Arabian employer. They were accompanied by Senator Manuel Villar, who paid for their air fare.

It’s not uncommon to see Villar in the company of migrant workers at the airport’s arrival area. To these damsels in distress, Villar is the proverbial knight in Lacoste shirt. The lawmaker has stepped up his campaign to repatriate distressed Filipino workers in a move that his critics branded as a publicity gimmick to boost his political stock.

But Villar, whose family owns one of the biggest real estate companies in the Philippines, insists he is just pursuing his advocacy that dates back to his days as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The job of attending to the plight of migrant workers actually belongs to Vice President Noli de Castro, presidential adviser on migrant workers. De Castro also keeps himself busy as housing czar, so it seems he doesn’t mind if his co-member at Wednesday Club of legislators encroaches on official turf from time to time.

Rising cases of migrant workers’ abuse and mounting calls for assistance from their relatives have prompted this advocacy through the Sagip Help Line, Villar said.

“I thank the thousands of workers and their kin for reporting their predicament to me through my helpline and for seeking my assistance in their distress,” Villar said.

So far, Villar said he has spent P4 million for the assistance to distressed workers including their plane tickets. Since 2008, Villar’s helpline has repatriated 200 workers from the Middle East, each entailing an average of P20,000.

“The money spent for the plane tickets come from my personal fund and not from the Senate or pork barrel,” said Villar, who said he had to work as a fish vendor to send himself to school during his youth.

His Helpline can be reached at 0917-4226800, which is dedicated to calls from workers here and abroad.

It was set up amid increasing number of distressed workers and the maltreatment they receive from government officials including embassy and consular office officials and personnel who display incompetence or refuse assistance to distressed Filipinos, Villar said.

Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, wrote Villar and accused some members of the diplomatic corps of negligence and incompetence in attending to the cases of Filipino migrant workers in distress. –Vito Barcelo, Manila Standard Today