Pro- and anti-Duterte overseas Filipino workers were reminded to respect the laws and policies of their host countries when conducting protests or similar actions in order to prevent any legal violations and potential imprisonment, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said.
Cacdac issued the call after a number of Filipinos in The Netherlands took part in public protests in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and elsewhere to support former President Rodrigo Duterte who is facing charges of crimes against humanity over his bloody war on drugs.
“OFWs have always been mindful of their role as good citizens and residents of the host country. They should be mindful in complying with the host country’s laws,” he said.
Demonstrations for and against Duterte’s ICC arrest have sprung up in other countries, too.
In his 2016 landslide victory, Duterte took more than 70 percent of absentee ballots—only a small fraction of his total votes, but a testament to his popularity among his compatriots abroad.
“He understood the everyday life of overseas Filipinos,” said Jean Franco, a political scientist at the University of Philippines Diliman.
During his term, Duterte doubled passport validity to 10 years and created the Department of Migrant Workers to streamline bureaucratic tasks.
The former President framed his bloody campaign against drug dealers as a “gift” to overseas workers worried about the safety of their loved ones back home, according to Franco.
“He said, ‘I can protect your children,'” she added. With AFP