A Party-list lawmaker on Monday expressed outrage over a Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) report revealing that 27 deaths of overseas Filipino workers in the last 10 years were caused by foul play.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday raised serious concern over the plight of some 2,000 Filipinos who became victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia over the first two months of 2023.
At the same time, Rep. Ron Salo of the Kabayan party-list group called on concerned government agencies, through competent lawyers, to closely monitor the cases and ensure conviction of the perpetrators.
The deaths included eight in Saudi Arabia, five in South Africa, four in Kuwait, and three in Cyprus.
Salo, chair of the House’s Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, lamented that “it has now become more evident that the cases of Jullebee Ranara, Joanna Demafelis, and Jeanelyn Villavende are not isolated, and this is unacceptable.”
“This matter should deeply concern us Filipinos because it tells of the extreme risk to life that our overseas workers find themselves in while trying to make a decent living for their families,” he lamented.
Salo cited the need for government to take a more proactive direction to ensure that justice is swiftly served to the perpetrators, proposing that “we must engage competent lawyers to handle these cases and consistently monitor the process to ensure a successful prosecution and conviction of the perpetrators,” Salo explained.
“I have said this time and again—convictions of these criminals will deter future aggressors against our Kabayans, for they will know that our government is there to protect them,” Salo emphasized.
The DFA currently provides assistance to the families of overseas Filipinos who died of foul play by providing legal assistance in the prosecution of the suspects, as well as providing financial assistance to the families.
Noting these interventions, Salo said that “in addition, their family members must be constantly updated of the progress of these cases in court if only to assure them that the government is very much behind them in their pursuit of justice.”Salo also called on the public to report all incidents of possible abuse or exploitation of overseas Filipinos, including those that are sent in secret to relatives or friends. “We need everyone’s cooperation to put an end to these senseless deaths,” he said.
“An attack on our countrymen overseas is also an attack on our country; we need to do everything in our power to make sure that the perpetrators are punished accordingly,” Salo said.
“It’s very alarming,” Remulla said of the reported about 2,000 cases of Filipinos falling prey to human trafficking.
The Justice Secretary said he got the figures during the meeting held by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) that was held in Malacanang on Monday, attended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“That’s why we are alerting all the agencies including the Bureau of Immigration and other agencies that can help,” he said.
According to him, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) will be heading to Southeast Asian countries to look into the plight of Filipinos.
“This is what we call modern-day slavery. I hope Filipinos will be more careful. You should have a checklist before we desire to work abroad,” Remulla said.