Who shall protect our women from themselves?

KUWAIT — Who shall protect our Filipino women who are prone to believe the rosy promises of scheming foreigners who court them while our female OFWs are working abroad? These women are vulnerable to the dubious designs and evil plans of some vultures of men who look at our women as open targets to romantic flings.

Unfortunately, these women are married and they have husbands and children waiting in the Philippines. Perhaps, they just want to escape from a life of extreme difficulty and they would imagine in these scheming vultures some knights in shining armor who could help them go into some promised land of bliss and plenty. But all is unfair in such kinds of relationships.

What happens normally is that after these women become pregnant, they are not even assisted in the hospitals when they deliver their illegitimate children. After delivery, they are often jailed for what they call here as "Love Case".

It is a crime to be pregnant if unmarried. A few lucky ones are given the privilege of being married as second, third or fourth wife. But then again, these Filipinas are just used as maids or slaves to the first wife. And when they complain, they are subjected to verbal abuses, physical injuries and maltreatment.

When they run away and seek refuge at the Embassy, some conventions are forbidding us from helping this Filipinas in distress.

Can we prevent our women from hurting themselves?

It is generally opined, although I don't totally concur, that many of our female OFWs' problems are self-inflicted. People usually think that they brought these miseries upon themselves or at least these woes are the results of other's misdeeds with their own indispensable cooperation.

The question is: Can our Embassy, can our government issue an edict or regulation preventing our women from inflicting on themselves such miseries?

There are two ways to answer the question. The most convenient way is to say no, we cannot prohibit private acts like love, romances or flings. But the most responsible way is to say yes, there are many ways to prevent such problems.

Screen these women strictly and don't allow young, immature and innocent persons like them from going into hazardous countries with bad records of maltreating our women.

Strengthen the PDOS (Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar). Publish the stern warnings and make it very difficult to enter into such countries of dubious reputation.

When Filipinos want to jump into ravines, the State has the police power to prevent them and the duty as Parens Patriae to protect them, even against their own ignorance, naivete or reckless imprudence.

Make no bones about it. The State is not without power to prevent all these. All we need is political will. Do we have it? That, my friends, is the crucial question. Palandongi baya ninyo kini.

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