By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Deprived of any compensation for their work as club waitresses in Malaysia, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco has revealed that two Filipina victims were assisted by officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIA-TFAT) for their repatriation.

On Monday (December 25), Tansingco said the two Filipinas who were victims of human trafficking in Malaysia had returned to the Philippines in time for Christmas.

It was learned that the repatriated individuals, whose names were withheld by BI, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on December 20.

The victims said they left the Philippines earlier this year via a boat trip through the Palawan-Kudat route because they were “enticed by promises of employment as waitresses in clubs.”

“One of them even faced further distress when she expressed her desire to return home. Instead of letting her go, her employer reported her to Malaysian authorities for working without a proper visa, resulting in her detention,” Tansingco said.

He underscored the situation of the victims should serve as a reminder of the challenges faced by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were improperly documented and the urgent need for comprehensive measures to prevent human trafficking.

“They find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous employers without the protection of legal contracts. The lack of formal agreements leaves them susceptible to exploitation and abuse,” Tansingco lamented.

(IAmigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

AFTER BARELY SURVIVING the deadly Russian missile attack in the Black Sea that damaged the Liberian-flagged civilian vessel they were boarding, all Filipino seafarers, including three who were hurt, will be repatriated as soon as possible.

This was announced on Sunday by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) which also bared that a Filipino engine trainee had a fracture on his left hand but had a successful operation, while the two others — the ship’s captain and third mate — only suffered minor injuries.

“Isinasaayos ‘yung kanilang pagpapauwi sa ngayon dahil nga lahat sila may pinagdaanan na sitwasyon, na event na hindi pangkaraniwan. ‘Yan ang pag-uusap namin sa manning agency ngayon at hopefully in due time, makakauwi sila,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

According to a Reuters report, the Russian missile hit the crew’s vessel entering a Black Sea port in Odesa region.

Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the Liberian-flagged civilian vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China.

One unidentified person was killed due to the incident while a port employee was also wounded aside from the three Filipino crew members.

The DMW OIC pointed out that the Filipino seafarers had to be sent back home to the Philippines as their ship was already damaged.

“Mainam na pauwiin muna sila at mahagkan nila ang kanilang mga pamilya, makapiling nila ang kanilang pamilya gawa nu’ng pinagdaanan nila. ‘Yan ay sinasagawa na rin ngayon,” Cacdac said. (ai/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

AMID THE FIERCE FIGHTING between the Hamas militants and Israeli forces, around 38 Filipinos have requested to be repatriated following the massive attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed on Tuesday (10 Oct 2023).

But there is still no definite date on the repatriation as DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the Philippine Embassies in Tel-Aviv, Cairo, and Amman “are working on the repatriation of Filipinos from Gaza.”

“It is a complicated process due to the situation in Gaza,” De Vega admitted in his GMA News Online interview.

He confirmed that “about 38 persons” wanted to be repatriated from Gaza.

Gaza is a Palestinian exclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

During the so-called Six-Day-War in 1967, Israel captured Gaza.

In 2006, Hamas won local elections in Gaza then took sole control of it in 2007.

But despite Hamas’ electoral victory, Gaza has been under a strict Israeli blockade, dependent on the Israeli government for electricity, water and telecommunications.

The Hamas militants launched the “surprise attack” last Saturday in response to what they claimed mounting Palestinian suffering under Israel’s occupation and blockade of Gaza.

Meanwhile, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said repatriation and evacuation of Filipinos from Israel will be done “at the proper time.”

“Sa tamang oras, sa tamang panahon, in coordination with the Israeli authorities, ay tayo ay magsasagawa evacuation-repatriation doon sa mga nagnanais umuwi. Kapag dumating sa punto ng mandatory repatriation, ay isasagawa rin natin ito,” Cacdac said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (ai/mnm)