MANILA, Philippines - Undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) seeking greener pastures in the Middle East are using Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand as entry points, Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.
“They usually pass through Kuala Lumpur because there is no visa required there. And from there they will be fetched by their employers and brought to Syria. They will only tell them that they will go to Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Binay said undocumented OFWs are usually discovered only when there is trouble in the country where they end up working. In Syria, they are usually sent to jail, he added.
“And they will wake up in the middle of a firefight. That’s the problem there. Most of the time, it happened because of illegal recruitment,” he said.
Binay said OFWs experiencing the worst conditions are those in Gaza Strip, which is being pummeled by air strikes from Israel.