MANILA, 28 May 2004 — The Philippine ambassador to Lebanon has been recalled to answer allegations that the embassy failed to help three Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who later ended up dead while trying to escape from their abusive employers, it was learned from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Ambassador Ramoncito Mari?o was told to come home for “consultations” amid an outcry over the deaths of the three domestic workers. He arrived last Monday and met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert to discuss the case of the domestic helpers and the situation of the more than 26,000 Filipino workers in Lebanon, according to a high-ranking DFA official.

“Consultation” is a euphemism used by the diplomatic community when an ambassador or consul is called by the home office to answer charges or complaints.

Wanted: Diplomats Who Care

Amid the outrage, Sen. Manuel Villar, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said Philippine ambassadors and consuls should not only concentrate on maintaining good diplomatic relations with host countries but also prioritize issues that concern Filipino workers.

“Being an ambassador or consul should not be considered a glamorous job. The government must select hard-working people who understand the plight of our OFWs,” Villar said.

He said the government must appoint ambassadors and consuls “who have the heart to serve and protect their interests, who have experience or the capacity for dealing with OFW issues, especially in countries with huge OFW populations.”

“Appointing inefficient and irresponsible ambassadors and consuls is a great disservice to our OFWs,” he said.

Foreign Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin said a two-man team sent by the DFA to Lebanon to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of Catherine Bautista had recommended the recall of Labor Attaché Alicia Santos and her staff in Lebanon.

Their replacement would have to be approved first by Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas.

In a letter to the Inquirer, however, Santos clarified she had been transferred to Rome and was replaced by Liddy Ta?edo long before the deaths of three Filipino domestic helpers took place.

Turned Away

Just days before her death, the 22-year-old Bautista went to the embassy in Beirut to seek protection from her abusive employer, but embassy staff told her to go back and inform him of her decision to leave, Ebdalin said.

On May 4, Bautista fell to her death while she tried to escape from her employers’ apartment using bedsheets tied together.

Bautista’s body was repatriated on May 16 and buried Wednesday in her hometown in Pangasinan.

According to the DFA probe team, two other Filipino maids also died under similar circumstances. Relatives of Louella Montenegro had said she approached embassy personnel for help sometime in November to complain of maltreatment by her employers. She was told to return to her employers instead. On Feb. 24, she was found dead after allegedly falling while trying to escape from her employer’s apartment using a rope.

A third case came to light after those of Montenegro and Bautista were reported, but the name of the victim is being withheld upon the request of her relatives.

The non-government organization Migrante International earlier said that in the third case, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) listed the cause of death as a head fracture due to clubbing. This contradicted the findings of a Lebanese pathologist who says her death was caused by a 7-meter fall.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had said that if there was foul play involved, she would demand the maximum penalty for those found guilty.

“I will not stand for any kind of cruelty that drives our workers to such fear and despair,” she said.

Ebdalin said he has requested a meeting with Lebanon’s honorary consul to Manila to discuss the Filipino maids’ cases.

The Philippines has some 1.4 million workers in the Middle East, including more than 20,000 in Lebanon.

Senator Villar said he may visit Beirut himself to look into the three cases and study additional measures that would help protect OFWs from abusive employers.

He said it is high time for the government to review the performance and accomplishments of all ambassadors and consuls. Villar added it is also important for the government to review its criteria in selecting future envoys. (Additional input from Inquirer News Service & AP)