Meeting between PH, Qatari labor chiefs eyed to discuss OFW rights

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

DOHA, Qatar—A meeting between Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and his Qatari counterpart, Isa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuami, was being arranged as Manila pushes for more protection for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) here, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Alan Timbayan said.

Timbayan said during the proposed meeting, Bello was expected to raise such issues as maltreatment, delayed or non-payment of salaries and contract violation.

Timbayan said there were also the issues on non-issuance of residence ID or Iqama, confiscation of passports, and contract violation or substitution.

The problems hounding Filipinos here were basically the same all over the Middle East, he said.

Loida Singh, a leader of an OFW group here, said there were also other issues they wanted to take with President Rodrigo Duterte when he faces them at 6 p.m. Saturday (11 p.m., Manila time).

Singh said among them was the number of Filipinos being falsely accused by their Qatari employers and the lack of lawyers to defend them.

Timbayan admitted that some Filipinos in jail had claimed they had been falsely accused with such crimes as immorality because they ran away from their employers.

He said these and other legal problems hounding some Filipinos here were expected to be discussed between Philippine and Qatari officials during bilateral meetings scheduled on Sunday.