DOLE to provide jobs for Sabah evacuees

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has formed a special action team to facilitate the immediate employment and provide the necessary assistance to Filipinos who are coming home because of the crisis in Sabah, Malaysia.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz yesterday said she directed the special team to formulate and submit an action plan next week, which the government can implement at the soonest possible time.

Baldoz said the special team will coordinate and ensure the responsiveness of strategic and operational thrusts of DOLE programs and services for repatriated workers.

Baldoz also re-activated the DOLE’s one-stop processing center (OSPC) to closely monitor and coordinate, upon request, with all the concerned government agencies the arrival of Filipino repatriates from Sabah to any of the entry points in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and Zamboanga City.

The center will maintain a registry of arriving repatriates and profile and assess their needs for provision of immediate assistance and services, including immediate re-employment and livelihood assistance.

‘Triple treachery’

Meanwhile, hundreds of workers marched to Mendiola yesterday to condemn President Aquino’s alleged “triple treachery” over the Sabah dispute.

The workers, belonging to the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), claimed that Aquino failed to stand up for the country’s territorial claim to Sabah and to protect ordinary civilians being victimized by the Malaysian government’s crackdown.

“We are angry that Aquino has betrayed Filipinos on the Sabah issue thrice over. Because of his treachery, he is responsible for the violence being inflicted on the forces of the Sulu sultanate and Filipinos in Sabah,” KMU chair Elmer Labog said.

The labor union also condemned Aquino for siding with Malaysia on the Sabah conflict in order to defend his family’s economic interests in Malaysia.

Experience documented

The Regional Human Rights Commission in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has started documenting the experiences of Filipino evacuees from Sabah complaining of alleged abuses by Malaysian soldiers and policemen.

Laisa Alamia, ARMM’s regional human rights chief, yesterday said they will prepare the sworn statements of evacuees to corroborate allegations of brutality by Malaysian authorities.

Local officials in Tawi-Tawi said dozens of evacuees have sad stories of how they were maltreated and forced to leave their homes even if they have documents to show they are legally working in Sabah.

About 2,000 evacuees from Sabah have entered Tawi-Tawi and Sulu provinces after hostilities in Sabah’s Lahad Datu area between followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian security forces erupted two weeks ago.

The Tawi-Tawi provincial government and the office of acting ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman have a pool of relief workers attending to the needs of the evacuees, who arrived in Tawi-Tawi on board small vessels.

Free calls

Telecommunications firm Globe Telecom has set up Libreng Tawag (free call) booths in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu for the Filipino evacuees.

“Most of our kababayans who are arriving from Sabah don’t know anyone in the area. We want to give them, at least, some moments of comfort by getting them connected with their loved ones for free through Globe Libreng Tawag,” said Rob Nazal, head of Globe’s corporate social responsibility section.

The Libreng Tawag booths are located at the Red Cross office in the two provinces as well as in the Maharlika Institute of Technology in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. The booths are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for one week.– With John Unson