DOLE warns OFWs vs running away from abusive employers

MANILA, Philippines – The government yesterday advised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with abusive employers to seek help, not run away from their employers.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) issued the joint advisory amid reports of a rising number of OFWs in the Middle East facing immigration law violations.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries should seek help from the Philippine embassy or Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).

“We advise our workers to seek help by contacting the embassy or consulate at the first sign of problems with employers, and not to run away,” Roque said.

OWWA administrator Carmelita Dimzon said the government is ready to repatriate distressed workers, but it would be better if the workers seek help from proper authorities.

“If they do not run away from their employers or violate immigration laws of a destination country, the government can easily resolve the problem without the workers being deported or repatriated,” she said.

Dimzon noted that an OFW charged with violating immigration laws face deportation.

She said although OWWA will pay for the plane tickets and bring home distressed workers, the Philippine government will have difficulty repatriating the workers if they do not have the exit form clearance from their employers.

Dimzon further warned Filipino workers to be wary of hiring ‘fixers’ who claim they can facilitate the immediate repatriation of distressed workers.

Of the 821 OFWs who sought refuge at the Filipino Resource Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia since January, Dimzon said, 614 have already been repatriated while the rest are “under process.”

About 90 other OFWs who ran away from their employers due to non-payment of their salaries and other abuses are staying under a bridge in Riyadh.

The contact numbers of the embassy at Riyadh are (966-1) 482-3559 and (966-1) 480-1918, while the contact numbers of the consulate in Jeddah are (9662) 667-0925 and (9662) 660-0348. The OWWA e-mail address in Jeddah is owwa_asjeddah@yahoo.com. -– Mayen Jaymalin, Philippine Star