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MANILA, Philippines?Sixty-eight of the 137 Filipino drivers who were victims of a massive illegal recruitment scam are still in limbo over stalemate in negotiations between the government and their recruiter on who shoulders their immigration fines, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center said Tuesday.
A day earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying those still in the United Arab Emirates are simply waiting for the processing of their employment papers and the payment of their overstaying penalties.
But Susan Ople detailed the hardships of those left there. She said they face eviction from their desert camp in Ajman and may soon be wandering around the desert in the sweltering heat.
?Two out of the 68 workers fell ill after they scavenged a nearby garbage dumpsite for food. These are the bus drivers who were unable to come home or move out and look for decent work in Dubai because of their unsettled fines as overstaying aliens,? said the daughter of the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople.
?This is not just a case of illegal recruitment but also of human trafficking. We urge the Department of Labor and Department of Foreign Affairs to step in and help these workers,? the former labor undersecretary said.
The Center sounded a distress signal on behalf of the remaining workers who were caught in a web of deceit spun by licensed recruitment agency, CYM International Services and Placement Agency, in connivance with 11 other licensed agencies.
?Hirap na hirap na sila doon. Walang makain, di tiyak ang tirahan, at walang gustong sumagot ng kanilang mga penalties (They are really hard up. No food, uncertain about their lodgings, and no concrete solution to the matter of outstanding penalties for overstaying),? Ople said.
The stalemate ensued when Al Toomoh Technical Services, the counterpart agency of CYM International in Dubai, promised the Philippine consulate that it will shoulder all the fines of the victimized workers on May 31.
Now that the deadline has lapsed, the workers are in limbo particularly since the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said it could not foot the bill as immigration penalties do not fall within its mandate.
Though processed by licensed agencies, the workers entered Dubai on tourist visas. There is also now a gray area on whether these workers are to be considered as documented or undocumented overseas Filipino workers.
?The fines of the remaining 68 workers accumulate daily and have surpassed the P3-million-peso mark. Their living quarters in Ajman have been visited by the police because it violates certain ordinances. Our drivers are in danger of being thrown out into the desert under excruciating heat, without any viable alternatives in sight,? Ople said.
The 68 were among the 137 bus drivers deployed by CYM from January to March of this year for non-existent jobs in Dubai. The 68 continue to remain in Ajman Camp where they were brought by their Dubai-based agent, without a steady supply of electricity, water, and food.
Eighteen out of the 68 workers have ready employment visas from Emirates Airline Catering but are unable to work due to unpaid immigration fines. The rest would like to either come home or work for Quality Mix, a private company in Dubai.
?According to the Philippine Consulate, they don?t have the budget to provide shelter for these stranded bus drivers, According to the Welfare Attache, they cannot shoulder the fines but will continue to supply the drivers with fuel (for the electric generator) and water,? she said.
?The administrator has already explained before the Senate labor committee that this is not within the mandate of OWWA. So if not OWWA, then which agency or department can settle these fines? Or must we wait for the humiliating spectacle of 68 OFWs wandering in the desert of Dubai to scavenge for food and in search of a place to stay??
