DFA: 15 distressed Pinoy workers brought home from Lebanon 

At least 15 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were repatriated from Lebanon and arrived in Manila on Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.   In a news release, the DFA said the 15 OFWs are the first batch of repatriates from Lebanon for this year.   "Seven of them were given refuge at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) in Beirut while the rest were taken from the country's immigration detention facility," the DFA said. The DFA said almost all of the repatriates went to Lebanon despite the deployment ban imposed on June 18, 2007.   The DFA added that the OFWs left their employers complaining of unpaid salaries, being overworked, and being forced to extend their work contracts.   Those who came from the immigration detention center were caught without valid residence or work permits.   The DFA said it used its assistance-to-nationals funds for the airline tickets of the repatriated OFWs.   Meanwhile, Ruiz  informed the repatriates that the Memorandum of Understanding on Labor Cooperation signed by the Philippines and Lebanon last February 1 is yet to be ratified.   Ruiz renewed the government's call on all Filipinos to respect the total deployment ban to Lebanon due to the high vulnerability particularly of migrant domestic workers to labor and human rights abuses in the country. - VVP, GMA News