BY RECTO MERCENE, Businesssmirror, 28 Jun 2021
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) repatriated at the weekend 22 survivors of trafficking in persons (TIP) and illegal recruitment scams, following a lengthy stay in Syria.
This historic repatriation, DFA said, is part of its commitment, as an Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) member agency, “to arrest, investigate, and prosecute all human traffickers and illegal recruiters, combat the heinous crime of trafficking in persons, and assist the trafficking survivors in granting opportunities for a new life and a new hope, upon their arrival in the Philippines.”
The Philippine embassy in Syria said in a statement, “For the first time in history, the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) Shelter of Philippine embassy in Syria shall be fully emptied out of all the wards.”
The 22 Filipinos arrived in the Sunday morning (June 27), after lengthy diplomatic negotiations with the Syrian Arab Republic and filing cases against illegal recruiters and human traffickers, under the helm of Philippine Chargé d’affaires, (CDA) to Syria, Vida Soraya S. Verzosa.
One of the FWRC wards said: “Sa wakas, uuwi na po kami. Akala namin wala na kaming pag-asa makauwi pero salamat po sa DFA at sa Philippine Embassy sa Syria [Finally, we are coming home. We had already lost hope that we can go home, but we are thankful to DFA and the Philippine Embassy in Syria].”
The ward recalled that they were in the shelter for nearly three years due to the difficulties in securing their exit visas from the employers and the recruitment agencies.
Before boarding their flight, the wards tearfully expressed their gratitude through CDA Verzosa, for all the help of the DFA Philippines Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), Sarah Lou Arriola and the Embassy for assisting them.
The DFA, meanwhile, said the difficult repatriation was made possible “through the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and the Office of the Presidential Advisor of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
The DFA has referred the cases of the trafficked Filipinas to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) head, Hans Leo J. Cacdac, as part of the community reintegration program once they arrive at their local government units after their quarantine period.
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
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Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
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July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
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