78,000 Filipinos face arrest in Italy

At least 78,000 undocumented Filipinos in Italy are facing arrest and deportation, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

However, a DOLE official said the Italian government has given foreign workers without proper documents until next month to legalize their status.

"There are few Filipino migrants who have submitted to the Italian government the requirements necessary for the legalization process," said the official, who asked not to be named.

Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said Philippine officials in Italy could not yet determine how many Filipinos have availed themselves of the amnesty program.

"We are expecting all of them to avail themselves of regularization program because that is the most logical thing to do to avoid arrest and deportation," she said.

Sto. Tomas said they are confident all illegal Filipino residents in Italy would be able to benefit from the amnesty program because of the speedy procedure.

"They can easily secure working permits and apply for regularization because the majority of illegally staying Filipinos in Italy have passports, unlike those in Malaysia," she said.

Philippine Labor Attaché Ellen Calingasan reported that the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Milan has extended office hours to assist Filipinos without proper papers.

Embassy officials in Italy have also encouraged undocumented Filipinos to avail themselves of the Italian government’s amnesty program.

Under a new Italian immigration law, all foreigners without working permits shall be arrested and deported.

Since Sept. 9, the Italian government has been implementing the new law to flush out the estimated 247,000 foreigners illegally staying in that country.

An estimated 130,000 Filipinos are reportedly working without proper permits in Italy.

Italy is one of the top destinations of Filipino workers, a majority of whom entered the country using tourist visas and found jobs as care-givers and domestic helpers.

The Commission on Filipino Overseas Workers believes that there are about 1.6 million undocumented Filipinos worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Rural Bank of Silang, Cavite has began implementing a program that would provide micro-financing to overseas Filipino workers and their spouses.

Antonio Poblete, Rural Bank of Silang president, said the program was designed to provide a cheap source of additional capital and eliminate the high cost of loan financing.

The program aims to establish a P5 billion lending capability for the 100 rural banks in the CALABARZON area, he added.