Estrada neglected OFWs, says Migrante

The busted Estrada administration left not only the Philippine economy in shambles but also an estimated 5,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) languishing in various jails abroad.

Migrante, an organization of Filipino migrant workers, made the revelation yesterday as it called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to intervene for the immediate release and repatriation of unjustly imprisoned OFWs.

At a press conference, Migrante reported that about 5,000 OFWs are currently detained in different prisons worldwide, whose cases were neglected by the two-year Estrada administration. "Thousands of OFWs are rotting in jails abroad simply because the Estrada administration did not look into their cases despite the fact that the government should protect their own citizens," Migrante chairman Leo Legaspi said.

According to Legaspi, the detained OFWs are in countries in the Middle East, Europe and Asia-Pacific with a significant number of them, unjustly languishing in jail.

Legaspi said that of the 5,000 detained OFWs, about 20 percent or 1,000 of them were unjustly jailed. He cited the cases of Sarah Dematera and Joselito Alejo who were both innocent of the murder charges filed against them in Saudi courts.

Migrante then urged Arroyo to undertake decisive actions and diplomatic intervention for the immediate release and repatriation of the unjustly imprisoned workers. "The new President must immediately work for their immediate release, repatriation and compensation for the damages brought about by their unjust imprisonment," Legaspi stressed.

Migrante also asked Arroyo to order the immediate repatriation of over 1,000 OFWs stranded in the Middle East and full compensation of Filipino Gulf war victims.

Meanwhile, the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) strongly urged Arroyo to junk the globalization policies which the group said hastens the destruction of the country’s economy.

"Globalization is the bane of all economies and all working people," KMU chair Crispin Beltran said while insisting that the policy has resulted in the displacement of thousands of Filipino workers.

Beltran also cautioned local business people from being too enthusiastic about the country’s chances of economic recovery.

The labor leader explained that the economic crisis was not only caused by the corrupt Estrada presidency but also by the implementation of globalization polices that made the economy vulnerable to plunder by big foreign firms.

"The protests will be starting up again soon if the livelihood of Filipinos continue to plummet along with the value of the peso," Beltran said.