Aquino: Welfare of 8M OFWs a priority of PHL govt

The welfare of nearly eight million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in around 200 countries worldwide remains a top priority of the Philippine government, President Benigno Aquino III said. The Aquino administration will keep on “securing the welfare of overseas Filipino workers," the President said at a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, where he presented a Filipino engineer who was freed by Yemeni captors last month. Ramon de Castro, 46, accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, made a courtesy call to Aquino to convey his gratitude to the Philippine government for saving his live and securing his release. De Castro, who used to be an employee of power generation firm Aggreko-Yemen, was on his way to the capital Sana’a for a vacation when he was abducted by a local tribal group on April 18. His kidnapping was reportedly kept under wraps by Philippine authorities to avoid compromising negotiations. Engineer's release Aquino lauded the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for coming up with innovative ways for the engineer’s release. Last April 30, Del Rosario sought the assistance of the Yemeni government for De Castro’s release. In return, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Qirbi told Del Rosario that Yemeni’s security forces will facilitate the Filipino’s release and ensure his safety. The DFA said the Yemeni government, some tribal leaders in Ma’arib, and other provincial leaders helped convince the local tribe to release De Castro. The rebels were pressured in releasing De Castro because Aggreko-Yemen cut off the power supply in the area where they were being held, the President said. De Castro said he was not aware of any ransom asked by the kidnappers but that they had made demands that included government services such as jobs, schools, and electricity supply. Work overseas, again The Filipino engineer pointed out that he will continue to work overseas “pero ngayon sa Dubai na." “I like my job because it involves power generation and there’s always a challenge. I want to learn more. My specialty is electrical [engineering]. Everyday there is trouble shooting. It’s fun," he said. Aquino, however, interjected: “If he’s going back to Yemen, I will object." The President said the political situation in Yemen is “obviously a condition for [Level] 4 or forced repatriation. They are advised to evacuate. Two hundred have been repatriated already." Aquino said that because there is no Philippine diplomatic post in Yemen, the embassy in Saudi Arabia led by Ambassador-designate Ezzedin Tago handled the matter. De Castro recalled that he was given only one bread and a little water every day during his 19-day captivity. He said he felt hopeless at a certain point. — Jesse Edep/VVP, GMA News