MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 30, 2012) – A Filipino migrants rights group called Migrante-Middle East assailed the Philippine Embassy in Jordan after it imposed hefty charges on distressed and undocumented Filipino workers who are coming home.
It branded as “greedy act” the Philippine embassy’s decision to charged departing Filipinos 50% of the airfare cost and full amount on the processing and so-called overstaying fees, despite Jordan’s amnesty to all overstaying and undocumented migrants.
Because of this, many Filipinos who wanted to avail of the amnesty said they cannot afford what the Philippine embassy is now imposing. They said the embassy should help them avail of the amnesty and return home.
“Around 62 distressed and undocumented OFWs in Jordan conveyed to us that they are supposed to avail the amnesty granted by the host Jordan government. Unfortunately, many of them have yet to file an application to avail for the amnesty,” John Leonard Monterona, Migrante’s regional coordinator, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
He said 32 OFWs have been staying at the Filipino Workers Resource Center since 2011, while 30 of them opted to stay out of FWRC, which is being run and manage by the Philippine Overseas Labor and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration under the supervision of the Philippine embassy.
There are also about two dozen OFWs at a deportation center in Nadara who wanted to avail the amnesty program which would end on January 4, 2013.
“It was so unfortunate that the cause of OFWs failure to avail the amnesty were due to greed and ineptness of Philippine embassy, labor and welfare officials in Jordan as the OFWs complained that they were told to pay 50% of their airfare and pay the corresponding fees for processing of their papers and overstaying penalty,” Monterona said.
Monterona said the OFWs pointed to Sonny Saculdito, who allegedly told them to pay the required fees in order to through the formalities of the amnesty application. The allegations could not be immediately confirmed.
“This is contrary to the information we have received from our Migrante staff in Manila, which the DFA through its case officer Ariel Gatchalian confirming that the fees will be taken from the Assistance to the National. Undocumented at distressed OFWs na nga kinu-kutongan pa. Sana sinagot na ng Aquino government at Department of Foreign Affairs ang mga nasabing bayarin pamasko nila sa mga naturang OFWs. Nasaan ang diwa ng Pasko sa kasong eto?” Monterona asked.
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