IOM vows to help keep protecting Pinoys worldwide

Published December 15, 2011 5:20pm

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) which has helped repatriate Filipinos from conflict-stricken countries through the years, vowed to keep protecting Philippine nationals “wherever they may be.”

On its 60th founding anniversary, the Geneva-based organization reaffirmed its commitment to help the Philippine government ensure the safety of all Filipino workers abroad.

The IOM had been the Philippines’ partner in assisting Filipino victims of armed conflicts, disasters, and unrest worldwide.

During the commemoration rites of the IOM anniversary in Geneva last week, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario expressed appreciation to IOM Director General William Lacy Swing for the assistance extended to Filipinos, especially those in Libya.

Lacy, on the other hand, noted the Philippine government's effort to bring home thousands of Filipinos caught in political tensions in the Middle East and North Africa this year.

Del Rosario also mentioned Swing of Manila’s support for the establishment of a new IOM emergency funding mechanism to help in rescuing migrants in crisis situations.

Del Rosario also said countries must "acknowledge and respect the human dignity and contribution of migrants to their host and destination societies."

"Ultimately, migration must put people first,” he said. “We need more international dialogue and cooperation aimed at securing the protection and welfare of migrants, as well as on harnessing the positive benefits of migration for human development."

Some 10 million Filipinos are working in the skilled and unskilled sectors all over the world. In Southeast Asia alone, about 1.5 million are deployed in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. - VVP, GMA News

Tags: migration, internationalorganizationformigration, overseasfilipinoworkers