Ex-Philippine envoy to Syria has his defenders
A ranking Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official on Monday defended former Philippine Ambassador to Syria Wilfredo Cuyugan from accusations he failed to work for the legalization of undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in that country.
The DFA official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said Filipino diplomats could not force their host governments to legalize the status of undocumented OFWs.
“That is not something we can demand of our host governments. That is their call,” said the official in an interview.
The migrants rights group Migrante International had earlier urged the Aquino administration to investigate Cuyugan for the large number of undocumented OFWs in Syria—up to 90 percent of the Filipinos there by some estimates.
No such requirement
Migrante said that under the amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, Philippine diplomatic outposts were mandated to institute a registration program for undocumented OFWs.
“There is no such requirement,” said the DFA source, a senior diplomat.
“What is required is for us to uplift the general welfare of OFWs and to assist them, and that may include efforts to legalize their stay if there should be an amnesty.
“But we cannot force our host governments to declare amnesties for undocumented workers,” he said.
The diplomat said the call to investigate Cuyugan, who has been recalled to Manila, was a “cheap shot.”
“Career officers are a bit concerned about this call because Willy Cuyugan is a very solid officer. We know him to be capable and extremely dedicated to his job,” the official said.
Differences with DFA
“He has been with us for 28 to 29 years. He helped establish our diplomatic post in Damascus. For anyone to be given such a job says something about the capability of that person,” he said.
The diplomat said Cuyugan was recalled because he had “differences” with the DFA leadership and other “higher-ups” regarding the security situation in Syria.
“He may have had differences with the DFA about the situation in Syria but for people to call for a probe is uncalled for,” the official said.
He also belied Migrante’s claim that the government had a “wait and see attitude” that was endangering OFW lives in strife-torn countries.
“That’s not true. Most, if not all, are doing their jobs to find out what is happening on the ground, and they’re doing that in a very, very proactive manner,” the DFA official said.
