Jinggoy Estrada threatens P1 budget for DFA, DOLE over sex scandal

Acting Senate President Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada

MANILA, Philippines—Acting Senate President Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada threatened Thursday to propose a  P1 budget for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) if they fail to resolve with dispatch the “sex-for-flight” ring allegedly run by some overseas Philippine officials.

This as Estrada, who is also chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development and congressional oversight committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, urged the Aquino administration to expel and prosecute the embassy officials and overseas welfare officers in the Middle East who allegedly acted as pimps and molested some distressed Filipinas.

Overseas labor exec denies running sex ring

“I am fuming when I learned that some officials of our embassies and POLO were even able to squeeze money from the misery of our compatriot OFW (overseas Filipino workers),” he said in a statement.

POLO stands for Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

“OFWs go to them for help expecting they would uphold their rights and welfare only to end up being exploited,” he said.

Estrada said the DFA and DOLE  should render justice to distressed migrant Filipinos, who have been allegedly victimized by the Filipino officials.

He also dared the two agencies “to put an end to this exploitative practice, beginning from the expulsion of erring embassy and labor officials from their posts and prosecution with criminal and trafficking offenses.”

If found guilty of this heinous offense, Estrada said, the erring officials must be immediately put behind bars and slapped with administrative sanctions, including perpetual disqualification from public office.