Province holding off offer to fly 23 OFWs back here

CEBU - The offer of the Cebu Provincial Government to shoulder the airfare of 23 Overseas Filipino Workers detained in Trinidad and Tobago is temporarily on hold until the Department of Labor and Employment confirms it can afford this. 

Yesterday morning, the wives and relatives of the detained Cebuanos meet with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and reported that their husbands and relatives want to come home but cannot afford the fare.

The airfare from Trinidad and Tobago to Cebu will cost P93,000 each.

Garcia told the relatives that the offer of the province to shoulder the airfare will be put on hold pending DOLE’s confirmation it has enough funds to do this themselves.

“My hands are tied. They better make a definite stand,” Garcia said, referring to the statement relayed to her by Labor attaché Florenda Herrera after DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion said that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration have funds for their fare.

In their conversation, it was reportedly said Brion told Herrera to thank the governor for her kindness but it is no longer necessary because the POEA already has funds for them.

But Garcia told Herrera that nobody from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, POEA, DOLE and the Department of Foreign Affairs extended their assistance.

The 23 OFWs were detained in Trinidad and Tobago last Sept. 19 after they were arrested by immigration officials for carrying dubious working papers.

The overseas Filipino Workers were reportedly hired last June through the Cebu City-based Glad Worldwide Placement Agency.

Honorary Consul to Trinidad and Tobago Marie Magno Advani said that “because of my stand with immigration here that our OFWs are victims, they are willing to let them leave Trinidad with no deported stamp on their passports, as long as they arranged for their own air tickets to return to the Philippines.”

“Should I be the one to face them? It should be the POEA. Do they have the funds? I want to know because nobody is dealing with them,” Garcia said.

“I don’t want to come in unya kita na unya ang ma-accuse nga malubog,” the governor told the relatives after her conversation with Herrera.

Most of Cebuanos detained are from the Mandaue City, San Francisco and Poro in Camotes, Danao City and from barangays Mambaling and Pasil in Cebu City.

Mirasol Fortuna, whose sister Jacqueline Ann is one of the OFWs, said that they have been going to the POEA, OWWA and DFA but their concerns were not acted upon.

“Kami pa ang naningkamot og sige og panawag sa Trinidad and Tobago sila wala gyud communication namo,” Mirasol said.

Ruth Luchavez, whose husband Vincent is also one of the OFWs, said her husband wants to go home.

“Lisod gyud ang ilang kahimtang sa prisohan kay init kuno kaayo. Miingon pa gyud sila nga ‘one day, one eat’. Bread ra sila kay wala man sila makauyon sa pagkaon nga gihatag sa ilaha,” Ruth said. — Garry B. Lao/BRP (THE FREEMAN)