Repatriation of OFWs harder in Syria than in Libya

MANILA, Philippines—The repatriation of overseas Filipino workers from Syria will be harder compared to those coming from Libya, former Labor Undersecretary Susan Ople said Tuesday.

Speaking at a Church-organized media forum in Intramuros, Ople said that 90 percent of the estimated 17,000 OFWs in Syria were domestic workers and only around 800 of them are documented or members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

“Our Embassy does not know their location. They know some but I’m sure it’s not 100 percent. Ninety-five percent of them are also women so they really need our prayers,” Ople said.

She said officials would also have to negotiate with the employers of these domestic workers so that they would be allowed to go home.

“For example, if you have 10,000 who want o go home, then you’ll have 10,000 negotiations. They’re at the mercy of their employers,” Ople said.

“In Libya, our OFWs are empowered because they are medical workers, engineers, or teachers,” she added.

Ople said local government leaders should seek out relatives of OFWs in Syria to get their address and telephone numbers so that the embassy in Damascus could find them.

She also urged local government units and private companies who profit from OFWs to assist or provide financial assistance to returning OFWs.

“The salary of domestic workers in Syria is US$200 but that’s not given every month according to some Filipinos I talked to. What happens if the workers returns and she’s not paid?” Ople said.