Jordan begins repatriation of ‘nonmarital’ PH kids, parents

Wilfredo Santos —WILFREDO SANTOS FACEBOOK PHOTO

After almost a decade of negotiations, the Philippine Embassy in Jordan has successfully sealed an agreement for the repatriation this year of around 60 “nonmarital” Filipino children born in the Middle Eastern country.

The first batch of 13 children arrived in Manila on Friday, the embassy said.

“This repatriation is a testament of the willingness of our two countries to resolve matters that affect the interests of our Filipino nationals in Jordan. We have proven that, in coordinating closely with our host government, we can get the job done,” Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo Santos said in a statement on Friday.

‘Overstaying’

“Now, our nonmarital Filipino children accompanied by their parents can safely return to the Philippines,” he added.

Premarital sex is considered a form of adultery under Jordanian law, and nonmarital children refer to those born to unmarried couples.

In most cases, such children are separated from the parents shortly after being born. This prevents them from getting a proper birth certificate regardless of whether only one or both parents are Jordanian.

Without an official certificate of live birth or a valid document recognizing their Jordanian nationality, they cannot leave the country and are penalized for overstaying at $2.10, or P120 per day.

According to a 2017 article on the news website Raseef22, there are some cases where the government imprisoned the unmarried parents, especially the mothers, for three to five years in the context of “protecting them from harm’’ since their family members had tried to kill them for supposed violations of virtue. 10-year-long talks

The embassy said it took a decade of negotiations to arrive at an agreement with the host country to repatriate 60 Filipino children this year. It finally secured this concession on Aug. 10, which also waived the penalties incurred by the children for overstaying.

Santos said “our appreciation … extends to the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for their support to this humanitarian undertaking” which “took time and a lot of representations by both sides.”

The ambassador also cited the contribution of the country’s Migrant Workers Office in Jordan, which shouldered the plane fare and other transportation costs of the repatriated children, as well as their temporary lodgings prior to departure.