Palace to embassy officials: Look after OFWs, don’t party

MANILA, Philippines - Amid allegations that some embassy personnel in the Middle East were operating a prostitution ring victimizing distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Malacañang reminded foreign affairs and labor officials that they were assigned not to party but to look after OFWs.

“Wherever you are assigned, it’s not all party, not only invitations,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

Valte assured the victims of justice and protection, adding that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is “open” and “waiting” for the victims to contact them.

She earlier called on the victims to file complaints. “Sadly, there are really instances when news will circulate but nobody files a complaint or nobody steps forward to actually give an account,” she said.

On the proposal of Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, who exposed the alleged sex ring, to form an independent investigating body, Valte said the matter has not been discussed with President Aquino yet.

“We’ll raise that to him. A presidential task force of sorts, I suppose, but at this point, both the Department of Labor and the Department of Foreign Affairs are conducting separate investigations,” Valte said.

Another labor official faces probe

Meanwhile, another labor official assigned in the Middle East faces investigation for reported involvement in the alleged prostitution ring, Labor Undersecretary Rebecca Chato yesterday said.

Chato said they decided to include a labor officer in Saudi Arabia, who was mentioned in media reports on the alleged-sex-for-repatriation anomaly.

“We are expanding our probe… the investigation team, which Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz created, is also flying to Riyadh to gather information and interview workers awaiting repatriation from our center there,” Chato said.

The labor department investigation initially covers the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Kuwait and Jordan.

DFA chief to meet with Phl ambassadors

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario will meet today with the country’s ambassadors in the Middle East in connection with allegations of sexual exploitation of OFWs.

Del Rosario said he instructed the 11 ambassadors to come home immediately for consultation and discussion on the allegations and related issues.

“We want to make sure that the incidents are being reported, that we are on top of the situation and we hope to have a few meetings with them over the weekend,” he said.

“We all want to find out what the truth is and we are all in search of that,” he added.

The DFA has formed a fact-finding team to look into the allegations.

Chato said the fact-finding team of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is also closely working with Bello. “At this time, we are still in the process of gathering evidence,” she said.

She called on the victims to come out and testify so that administrative and criminal cases could be filed against the erring officers. She said DOLE is ready to provide them protection.

Safeguards at embassy-run shelters

As this developed, Blas Ople Center head and former DOLE undersecretary Susan Ople urged the government to create a team that would look into safeguards in embassy-run shelters for distressed OFWs. – With Jess Diaz, Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago