DFA: No crackdown on Pinoys in Jordan

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday there is no crackdown on undocumented Filipino workers in Jordan. The DFA belied the local reports about 28 Filipinos being arrested in a government crackdown on illegal aliens in Jordan. The DFA asked the media to be responsible in their reporting and to verify with the DFA similar reports to avoid misinformation. “Major Bakr Al Khatawneh of the Public Security Directorate denied allegations which appeared in news reports in the Philippines that there is an alleged on-going crackdown on illegally staying migrant workers in Jordan, as well as claims that at least 28 Filipino nationals were apprehended during the crackdown," Ambassador Julius Torres said in his report to the DFA. As of October 3, only two Filipinos were staying at the Nadara Immigration Retention Center while 11 Filipinos were at the Juawayda Women's Correctional Facility, Torres said. The embassy said it will compel illegally staying Filipinos to make their stay in Jordan legal, especially after the host government announced in June this year a general amnesty for overstaying foreigners there. “With the general amnesty, any illegally staying foreigner has the option to leave Jordan by only paying overstay fees accumulated since June 1, or look for a sponsor that would legally employ them," Torres said. “Despite the general amnesty, still a number of illegally staying OFWs in Jordan refuse to take action to correct their residence and deliberately continue to violate Jordanian immigration laws," he added. - VVP, GMA News