Sack negligent RP embassy, consular men abroad - Villar

Philippine embassy and consular officers and staff refusing assistance to distressed overseas Filipino workers ought to be dismissed from the service, Senate President Manuel Villar Jr said Thursday. “The seeming insensitiveness and indifference of a number of our diplomatic and consular officials and personnel have been reported and they are destroying the image and dignity of a larger, more committed, devoted and excellent public servants in the foreign service," said Villar, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee in the previous Congress. In view of complaints that incompetence and negligence of consular officers and staff put distressed OFWs in more difficult situations, Villar suggested a job re-orientation for Philippine government representatives abroad. “The mindset and thinking of our corps of foreign service must be changed to realize that their existence in countries where they are detailed and stationed is a gift to our citizens, particularly the OFWs. They must show compassion that they richly deserve," the senator asserted. Villar urged the Department of Foreign Affairs, non-governmental organizations and OFWs to identify embassy and consular officers and staff who have been the subject of complaints so they could be dealt with appropriately. Distressed OFWs Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrants Advocacy, called the Senate president’s attention to numerous complaints from distressed OFWs who have claimed of receiving bad treatment from officers and staff of Philippine embassy and consulates abroad. In a letter to Villar, Sana had a long list of cases involving Filipino workers who felt neglected at the time they needed assistance. One case involved Teresita Santos, a sewer who was gang raped by three Saudi and two Chad nationals in August 2005 in Jeddah. The men were convicted and sentenced to four years in jail, with 500 lashes each. However, Santos complained that the Philippine consulate in Jeddah deprived her of proper legal advice that almost cause her to lose claim to her private rights. In a letter-complaint submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Santos said it was only through the help of fellow OFWs that she was able to file a case to claim for her private rights and accused Assistance to Nationals personnel of blocking the hearings. Sana also cited the case of Julian Camat, Hermilo Ramos and Rapoleon Fabregas who were given prison terms of one and a half years for theft of computer units in January 2003. The three, who worked for a cargo handling company in Jeddah, ended up spending four years and four months in jail, allegedly because of negligence of the consulate general staff in Jeddah. Esnaira Angin, a Muslim woman from Maguindanao, was one of four OFWs in Dubai whose house was broken into by three Emiratis and an Omani in November 2005. Angin was stabbed on her chest and back while trying to resist her attackers. An undocumented OFW, Angin said before the incident took place, she sought the help of the Assistant Labor Attache in Dubai to be repatriated to the Philippines but was denied help and shelter at the labor office because she had no money to pay for necessary fees. Villar has filed Resolution No. 248 urging the Senate foreign relations committee to investigate the allegations of bad attitude, negligence and incompetence of some Philippine embassy and consular personnel stationed in various countries in handling cases of distressed OFWs. He also pushed for the enactment of Senate Bill 1879, amending Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 to penalize Philippine consular officials and other government personnel for failure to act on complaints of, or to give assistance or render service to migrant workers, their families and overseas Filipinos in distress. “Over a decade after its enactment, RA 8042 has not entirely lived up to its intended purpose. Filipinos abroad continue to suffer under abusive employers, inhuman working conditions and various human rights violations," Villar noted. “Every time a Filipino encounters problems he/she seeks assistance from various posts abroad but some concerned officials fail to extend assistance. Unfortunately, the law does not chastise or penalize any government official in the consular, labor and welfare services who fails or refuses to give assistance to Filipino migrant workers," he said to underscore the urgency of enacting the measure. Under the proposal, officials and personnel who fail or refuse to render service and/or assistance will be punished with suspension from office of not less than 30 days to dismissal from the service with forfeiture of retirement and other benefits depending on the gravity of the offense, and shall be disqualified from holding any other government office in the future. Sana expressed support for the Villar bill. “We join you in upholding the dignity of the Philippine foreign service corps and in upholding government’s commitment to the rights and welfare of our OFWs and their families," she said. Earlier, Villar filed Resolution No. 189, urging the Senate committees on labor and employment and on foreign relations to conduct an urgent inquiry on the plight of detained Filipino workers in various countries in order to formulate remedial measures and devise a package of assistance to protect OFWs. “An assessment of the legal and social remedies being afforded by our embassies and consular offices to our kababayan detained abroad for various offenses is imperative to ascertain sufficiency of assistance for the protection of OFWs," Villar said. - GMANews.TV