RP protests Israeli discrimination against Pinoy workers

The Philippines has lodged a formal protest with Israel for allegedly segregating Filipina travelers at the back of aircraft on flights to Tel Aviv, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Filipinos boarding flights to Israel’s main Ben Gurion International Airport are reportedly made to undergo "overly strict scrutiny and assigned seats at the rear of the aircraft," the DFA said in a statement, citing a report by Ambassador to Israel Antonio Modena to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.

Cellular phones of Filipino workers are also confiscated, preventing them from seeking help from the Philippine consulate, it alleged.

Modena has filed a complaint with Israel’s Interior Minister Ophir Paz-Pines, who promised he would meet with airport operatives to improve the treatment of Filipinos, the statement said.

"The Philippine ambassador took exception to the segregation of incoming Filipinos from other passengers by personnel of the interior ministry posted at Israeli airports," it added.

The practice was in violation of an international convention on consular relations, the statement said.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel estimates there are some 30,000 Filipino workers in Israel, most of them maids and caregivers based in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa.

According to Modena, ambassadors of other countries have echoed similar concerns regarding Israeli airport security personnel treatment of their own nationals and "have supported the representations made by the Philippine Embassy." — With AFP