Allegedly abused OFWs will file raps but seek state protection

MANILA, Philippines—The overseas Filipino workers who accused Philippine Embassy officials and personnel in the Middle East of sexual abuse are willing to come out and file complaints if government could guarantee their safety, the Migrante Partylist said.

“An OFW victim along with two others conveyed to us that they will issue an affidavit and will file a complaint if Philippine authorities could assure their safety and provide security upon return to the Philippines,” Migrante vice chairperson John Leonard Monterona said in a statement Wednesday.

Akbayan Representative Walden Bello, chairman of House committee on overseas workers’ affairs, has disclosed that officials of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in Amman, Jordan and in Kuwait were “running a prostitution ring” using Filipino women.

Another official, a member of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) staff in the embassy in Damascus, Syria, had allegedly sexually molested Filipinas in distress and were at the embassy shelters, Bello said.

Prostitution ring

Bello named one of the officials as Polo-Jordan welfare officer Mario Antonio. He claimed that Antonio allowed some of the Filipinas to go with wealthy Palestinian clients for $1,000 a night.

“He is, in effect, running a prostitution ring using distressed OFWs. This man’s activities are so disreputable and illegal that the government of Jordan has requested that he be removed,” Bello said.

He further alleged that some embassy officials were asking for sexual favors in exchange for the repatriation of distressed workers.

Monterona  said “we welcome the calls to probe the sexual abuses allegation against embassy and labor officials.”

“This is not new as we have been reporting this years ago about [Philippine] officials who are taking advantage of the distressed women OFWs at PH halfway shelter by pimping the latter in exchange of money so that they can buy an airplane tickets for their repatriation,” he said.

“It’s a disgrace that the higher ups, [in] the DFA and DoLE and even Malacañang are not seriously acting to stop these criminals occupying positions at various PH posts abroad,” Monterona added.

No formal complaint yet

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM Wednesday morning that there was no formal complaint against the embassy officials yet.

“So far we have not yet received any formal complaint from the victims,” Hernandez said.

“Based on civil service rules, we cannot charge our officials and personnel without a formal complaint. We need to have a basis for our action against the alleged erring officials,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario was already meeting with Bello to get more proofs that will help in the investigation, Hernandez said.

Monterona assured overseas workers that they would be given assistance by Migrante as he urged the government to hold the erring officials accountable.

“We are still urging the victims to formally file complaints while we’re trying to assure them of our assistance. The culprits must be sent to jail,” he said.

“The PH government must put an end to OFWs sexual abuses by some criminal elements working in various PH embassy and labor offices abroad,” Monterona added.