JEDDAH, 26 November 2007 — A lead member of an advocacy and welfare group of overseas Filipinos is urging a joint review by the Philippine government, together with concerned nongovernment organizations and OFW groups, of the problems encountered by Filipino workers in the Middle East with a view to improving its approach in finding solutions.
Joseph Espiritu, in a list of suggestions posted in Patnubay.com, a newly created website for overseas Filipinos, said a review is necessary since the cases involving OFWs in the region keep cropping up despite intensified preventive and reactive measures being undertaken not just by government agencies but by other sectors.
“Kailangan talagang baguhin ang ating approach (there’s really a need to change our approach),” said Espiritu, a lead member of the SOS-OFW Helpline, which was created early last year to provide distressed OFWs a hotline.
Citing records of SOS-OFW Helpline, Espiritu said the cases of distressed OFWs in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia in particular, are caused or aggravated by either or all of the following: irresponsible employers, irresponsible recruitment agencies, ignorance or stupidity on the part of the worker, and irresponsible Philippine government officials who are supposed to protect the rights and welfare of OFWs.
He said the existence of abusive employers is a “given,” Espiritu said, but this is made possible with the collusion of irresponsible recruitment agencies who engage in contract switching, use of visit visas, hiring of overqualified individuals to work as domestic helpers, and others forms of trickeries to circumvent the laws of both the Philippines and host governments.
He said recruitment agencies cannot escape responsibility because if they don’t facilitate the “deployment” of OFWs through “fake” contracts, there would be fewer distressed cases. Many of these workers have been found to have not actually undergone the PDOS (pre-departure orientation seminars) required before the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) approves their overseas employment certificates.
Revamp of Orientation Seminars
But even the PDOS being undertaken needs to be changed, said Espiritu, noting that many distressed cases are either due to ignorance or stupidity on the part of the worker.
“Obviously, there’s a crying need to revamp the PDOS (pre-departure orientation seminars),” he said, explaining that many Filipino workers who have undergone the PDOS remained ignorant of the laws, culture and traditions of the host country.
“Worse, they don’t even know any contact numbers of any Philippine mission offices in their place of destination. That is why if any problem arises, they don’t know what to do. Many of our domestic helpers who feel abused opt to run away because they have no other option, which would have been a different case had they been able to talk with embassy, consulate or POLO officials,” he said.
He said orientation seminars should be designed in such a way that those leaving for Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries would have lecturers who have actual experience working in these countries. “Workers should be briefed thoroughly on what to do in case they encounter an abusive employer. It is important that lecturers are those who have actually handled distressed cases so that they can provide options that a worker could choose from in case a particular problem arises. Providing our workers all the necessary information enables them to think correctly when they come under fire, so to speak,” Espiritu said.
He said more novel ways of reminding our kababayan to be law-abiding citizens are needed considering that big number of distressed cases arising from “preventable causes,” such as drinking (or even making and peddling of alcoholic drinks), engaging in illicit affairs, gambling, drugs and other forbidden activities in the Kingdom.
“Our tendency is to blame the Saudi justice system for the big number of Filipinos jailed for otherwise preventable violations of local laws. That’s wrong. We are here in their place and we must abide by their rules. The fault is mostly ours and this must be corrected,” he said.
Government Officials
On the government side, Espiritu said there are plenty of cases in which distressed OFWs who seek help from concerned officials at Philippine embassies, consulates or POLOs (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) end up being treated badly. Some even lose their cases either due to gross negligence or outright betrayal by officials concerned.
“We have yet to see government officials being punished for sending our kababayan to jail either due to negligence, laziness or plain refusal to help,” he said.
Espiritu said one of the ills that exist in Philippine missions is the “padrino” system. “If you know somebody in the consulate or the embassy you will be entertained. How about the others?” he asked.
“There are officials whose priorities are to hold parties or socials instead of focusing on helping the distressed OFWs,” he said. “A solution to this is very simple: Assign officials with good track record to key posts such as Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Espiritu noted that the consulate general in Jeddah, for instance, used to have three consuls and vice consuls but it was left with only one for the past four years.
He further said that the consulate or embassy must also ensure that the Law on Criminal Procedure is followed in every criminal cases that involve OFWs.
Call for Volunteers
In the same site, Espiritu urged other OFWs who are better off and who wish to share their blessings to join the various advocacy groups as volunteers.
Among these groups are the V-Team, Pusong Mamon Task Force, Juan! and Pagasa in the Eastern Region.
He was also a co-founder of the OFW Helpline, along with three other volunteer IT professionals.
The help line is open 24 hours every day to all OFWs around the world to report cases of abuse or to request assistance from government or non-government organizations by means of sending SMS or text messages to 00639-2096-39767.
As an action officer of V-Team, a group of OFWs in Riyadh advocating the rights and welfare of Filipinos in the Kingdom, Espiritu is also in close coordination with the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) in Manila.
He also created patnubay.com, which aims to provide an online connection for overseas Filipinos by simply sending an SMS or text message to any or all of the following purposes such as voluntary registration of OFW, polls and surveys, and SOS SMS for help to distressed OFW.
