Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts

Vol. V, No. 37      October 23 - 29, 2005      Quezon City, Philippines

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MIGRANT WATCH

4,775 Filipinos in Foreign Jails
1,103 are women

At least 4,775 Filipinos were languishing in foreign jails as of end of 2004, based on a report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Of these, 1,103 were women.

Posted by Bulatlat

At least 4,775 Filipinos were languishing in foreign jails as of end of 2004, based on a report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Of the "Prisoner OFWs" (POFWs), 1,103 were Filipinas.

The number of Filipinos behind bars in foreign lands is about ten percent of the current domestic jail population.

"The dispersal of Filipinos worldwide has also resulted in the incarceration of a few of them in diverse places. Some of those who joined the great Filipino Diaspora never found their own Promised Land," Sen. Ralph Recto said in a press release.

Recto said a reading of the 430-page DFA “global situationer” on the OFW "would bring one to places, some with exotic sounding names, where you wouldn't imagine that a Filipino would land in a jail there."

"From places near the Arctic, in Sweden and Denmark, to the
Andes, in Colombia and in Peru, to Libya and Egypt in Africa, to specks of land in the Pacific, and even in the quake-damaged Islamabad, there are Filipinos in jail there," he said.

Of the 82 Philippine diplomatic posts abroad, only 12 reported that there was no Filipino detained or awaiting trial in their area of jurisdiction.

Violation of immigration laws

Most of the Filipinos were hauled off to jail for violation of immigration laws.

The report said at least 1,200 Filipinos – or one-fourth of the POFWs - were in detention in Malaysia, mostly in
Sabah, following the country's crackdown on its undocumented
guest workers.

Next to Malaysia was Israel, with the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv reporting that 1,028 Filipinos there were facing charges in court, and those not out on bail, "detained in jails in Ramle, Hadera, Nazareth, Beersheva and Holon."

Others were caught while trying to sneak into the country without papers, such as the case of 13 Filipinos who were caught in Croatia.

Other countries where there are concentration of OFWs which also harbored Filipinos in their jails last year were Saudi Arabia (213), Kuwait (47), Singapore (192), Hong Kong (77), Japan (314).

But many Filipinos in "five continents were facing charges other than those that pertain to work or immigration concerns," Recto said. "Name it, they allegedly did it."

"One OFW faked checks in Vietnam; a nurse in Ireland was arrested for alleged al-Qaida links, a Filipina physical therapist in Michigan allegedly committed health fraud, and an aircraft engineer was arrested for "smuggling contraband into Nigeria."

In many Muslim countries, Filipinos were arrested and jailed "for drinking alcohol."

Recto also noted the rise in the number of Filipinas arrested for serving as "mules" or couriers of international drug syndicates.

There were Filipinas in jails in Denmark, Brazil,
Hong Kong, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and in many other countries last year, Recto said.

Other cases mentioned in the DFA report involved crimes of passion. "In one South American country, a Filipino Lothario was sent to jail for seducing teenagers."

Because of the rising number of "POFWs", Recto called for the augmentation of the "Assistance to National Fund" component of the DFA budget. Based on a report by the Office of Sen. Ralph Recto / Posted by Bulatlat

 

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