Palace exec: Repatriating OFWs from Syria more tedious than in Libya

Repatriating Filipino workers from Syria is turning out to be more tedious than in Libya despite the lower alert level in the Arab republic, a Malacañang official said Saturday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that since many Filipino workers in Syria are domestic helpers, Philippine officials have to ask employers one by one to “release" them. “Mas tedious ang pag-repatriate ng kababayan sa Syria dahil marami sa kanila domestic worker. Sa Libya, skilled workers are hired by big multinational companies that have their own evacuation plans. Dito [sa Syria] since household ang employer ng kababayan natin, iniisa-isa pinupuntahan ang tinatrabahuhan at hinihingan ng exit visa sa employer," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. Last Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said at least 562 Filipinos in Syria have expressed interest in being repatriated to the Philippines. Meanwhile, Sen. Manny Villar had asked veteran labor attaches to negotiate with the Syrian employers who refuse to release over 250 OFWs, most of them domestic helpers. The Filipino migrant workers are required to pay $3, 000 to $4, 000 in exchange for their exit clearance, which is payment for the “unserved portion" of their contracts, according to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Carmelita Dimzon. Dimzon admitted that DFA and the Department of Labor and Employment do not have funds for the estimated P43 million demanded by employers, but said the embassy is negotiating with the employers to let the OFWs come home. The DFA considers Syria under Crisis Alert Level 3, which entails voluntary repatriation. The Foreign Affairs department, meanwhile, places Libya under Crisis Alert Level 4, which calls for mandatory evacuation and repatriation. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said the government will send to Syria a 10-member rapid response team that will help out in the repatriation. The team will leave on September 6, he said. He said the team was deployed by the Overseas Preparedness Response Team headed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. — RJMD/LBG, GMA News