3,000 Filipinos in jail overseas—DFA

About 70 percent of the detainees have been facing immigration-related charges and would be “deported after serving their brief sentences,” said DFA spokesman Ed Malaya on Tuesday.

“The rest are in custody for committing common crimes, including theft and drug trafficking,” Malaya also said.

In the Middle East alone, 62 overseas Filipino workers are detained on drug-related charges. Of that number, 43, mostly women, are in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

But Migrante-Middle East, an alliance of OFWs, doubted the integrity of the number and said there could be more than 3,000 Filipinos in jail abroad.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, also said 70 percent of the 3,000 cases are actually cases of OFWs abused or maltreated by their employers. He said these are usually women domestic helpers who run away from their employers.

“The DFA failed to include the rising numbers of OFWs temporarily seeking refuge at the embassy-run Filipino Workers Resource Centers (FWRCs), Bahay Kalingas, and safe houses maintained by the regional offices of Philippine Overseas Labor Offices and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Polo-Owwa),” he added.

Personnel of Philippine embassies and consulates abroad “conduct monthly jail visits to look after the welfare of Filipinos in jail,” the DFA said. “Approval of jail visitation in some countries, however, depends on the host government,” according to Malaya.

The country’s diplomatic missions abroad “also maintain workers resource centers in countries where there are large concentration of Filipinos in cooperation with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.”

In Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment maintains four Philippine Overseas Labor Offices. They are located in Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Buraida. Contrary to some published reports, both DFA and DoLE “regularly report (to Congress) the inventory of overseas Filipinos,” Malaya pointed out.

On Monday, the non-government Blas Ople Center and Training Institute asked the foreign office to “conduct an inventory of OFWs in jail and set more frequent visits to monitor their situation and ensure their protection.”

The Pasay City-based center made the call as it also cited the case of an OFW who “has been jailed in Saudi Arabia on a drug-related case without a court ruling.”

“Jason Pineda, a 36-year-old OFW, wrote to the center to seek legal assistance after being jailed for one year and nine months on a drug-related charge without a sentence on his case. He has appeared before the court four times without a lawyer because he does not have the money to pay for one,” said the center.

According to the Philippine embassy in Riyadh, Pineda was “detained at the Dammam jail in March 2008 for allegedly receiving 21.2 grams of methamphetamine (or shabu) and selling them to his fellow OFWs.”

Pineda “allegedly confessed to the commission of the crime,” said the mission, quoting Saudi authorities.

“His case was endorsed by the General Prosecutor to the Grand Court of Dammam. The presiding judge said the case is still under the court’s study and review. Mr. Pineda remains in detention since under Saudi laws, bail is not granted to persons involved in drug-related cases,” the embassy reported to the home office.

In a related development, the DFA’s Migrant Workers Affairs office is making arrangements for the repatriation of Jose Jonathan Bigas, also imprisoned for a drug-related offense in Saudi Arabia.

“Mr. Bigas finished serving his term in Aug. 2008, but due to administrative procedures involving the Saudi court and the Governor’s Office, he remains in jail,” the DFA said. –Jerry E. Esplanada, Philippine Daily Inquirer