OFWs choose to stay in Syria

MANILA, Philippines - Most of the 17,000 Filipino workers in Syria have opted to remain in the strife-torn country and ignore the Philippine government’s call for them to leave, Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz said yesterday.

“The number of OFWs requesting for immediate repatriation remained at four and has not increased even after our government already raised the alert level to three,” Cruz said.

He said the Philippine government has already deployed a team to Syria to assess the condition of Filipinos particularly in known hotspots like Latakia, Homs and Daraa. He said the team also hopes to determine the actual number of OFWs as well as their whereabouts.

He said the OFWs are reluctant to leave probably because most of them are staying in Damascus, which is far from the sites of clashes between protesters and security forces.

At Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said repatriation would be done by air because the airports in Damascus and Aleppo are open.

“We can take commercial planes and there is funding for that, to bring them back to Manila,” Lacierda said in a press briefing.

He said the OFWs should “not wait until the last minute before they decide to accede to the request from the government to evacuate.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the government is prepared to shoulder the evacuation costs for Filipinos wanting to leave Syria.

“I have directed our Philippine embassy in Damascus to intensify its efforts to reach out to Filipinos and convince them that now is the time to consider leaving Syria,” Del Rosario said.

In ‘safe areas’

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Carmelita Dimzon noted that a majority of OFWs in Syria, including the undocumented ones, work for rich employers and are mostly in areas considered safe.

Dimzon also noted that the situation in Syria is not as alarming as that in Libya, where close to 2,000 OFWs have ignored the government’s mandatory repatriation.

“Unlike in Libya, the prevailing hostilities are not as widespread that we think not many workers would avail of the government’s repatriation,” Dimzon said.

She said the government’s offer to repatriate OFWs from Syria is not mandatory.

But Dimzon stressed that the government is ready to evacuate and repatriate those OFWs who would want to leave Libya and Syria.

“Everything will depend on the recommendation of our people from the ground. But we have sufficient budget to repatriate our workers from Libya and Syria to ensure their safety,” Dimzon explained.

Migrante said repatriation of abused Filipinos taking refuge at a Philippine government-run center in Damascus should be done immediately before the situation turns for the worse.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said most of the distressed OFWs at the center had fled from their abusive employers.

“Many of them have been staying for three to six months, others a year already,” Monterona said. 

Meanwhile, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center said it is ready to help in the repatriation of Filipinos from Syria.

“We are ready to help OFWs and we will readily coordinate with the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) or DOLE,” said Susan Ople, daughter of the late senator Ople after whom the center was named. The late senator was the author of the Philippine Labor Code.

She said relatives of OFWs trapped in Syria and Libya may call the center at (02) 833-5337 or email at [email protected]

“If they are having hard time getting in touch with Philippine government representatives there, they can contact us and we will help them through our links at the DFA or DOLE,” she said.

In Bulacan, the provincial government led by Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado announced that it has extended P50,000 to P100,000 loans to 115 OFWs from Bulacan repatriated from Libya.

Extended stay

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 OFWs in Afghanistan want a “definitive answer” from the DFA to their request for an extension of their stay in the war-torn Central Asian country.

“On behalf of the 6,000 plus OFWs in Afghanistan who are anxious to know from your office what will be their fate in the last few months of 2011, I am writing this letter to please give our OFWs a definitive answer to their petition that they may be granted another extension to stay in Afghanistan until the departure of US Military Command presence in Afghanistan,” said Emmanuel Geslani, spokesman for the Filipinos in Afghanistan.

Geslani said the past weeks have been very stressful to the OFWs as their companies have started issuing letters of termination effective Dec. 31, 2011.

“Unless the Philippine government makes move or issues a letter from the Philippine embassy in Islamabad which has jurisdiction over Philippine nationals in Afghanistan allowing the OFWs to remain past the deadline imposed by the DFA of Dec. 31, 2011, their termination will be effective,” Geslani said.

“It will be a pity if these Filipino workers were not given a chance to continue working in the very safe and secure conditions inside the giant US bases in Kandahar and Bagram as their families are depending on them to provide the funds for their daily expenses, the schooling of their children, household bills, home mortgages and the like,” Geslani said. With Aurea Calica, Rodel Clapano, and Dino Balabo