MIGRANT WATCH
A tale
from a Saudi jail
‘Para Kaming mga Baboy’ (We Were Like Pigs)
Joelito Lesma, one of
a group of 12 OFWs currently confined in their employer’s quarters and set
to be transferred to a Saudi jail, did not wait for President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and ask King
Abdullah to have him pardoned. He found his own way to escape the
kingdom.
BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN
Bulatlat
Joelito Lesma did not
wait for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and ask King Abdullah to have him pardoned.
He found his own way
to escape the kingdom.
“Mas nagtagal
siguro ang hirap ko doon kung lumapit ako sa kanila
(referring to Philippine embassy officials),” he said. (My hardships could
have lasted longer if I asked them to help in my case.)
Like pigs
Lesma was one of 12
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who ran away from and subsequently
charged their employer before a Jeddah court in January 2006 for contract
substitution, non-payment of salaries and benefits, non-issuance of
official receipts of payment, and illegal termination. His companions were
Estanislao Madayag Jr, Mouriel Depra, Jerry Dianala, Levy Defino, Allan
Malate, Jason Paano, Eduardo De Silva, Harrison Suguitan, Ariel Cordova,
Jerry Padua, and Joel Poliwas.
|
ANXIOUS: Wives of OFWs
languishing in Saudi jails
PHOTO
BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN |
In April, the court
ruled in favor of their employer. The 12 OFWs were ordered to pay 5,564
Saudi riyals each to their employer.
Lesma escaped from
the barracks of their employer where they were initially held.
He paid a
Filipino-Muslim to bring him to a “safehouse” where other run-away workers
were waiting to be arrested by the Saudi police. They were later brought
to a Jeddah jail called Jawazat where he stayed for almost a month.
“Kahit na may
umaalis, araw-araw libo-libo ang pumapasok,” narrated Lesma, “Para
kaming nasa kulungan ng baboy.”
(When people leave the jail, thousands more replace them. We felt like
being in a pig sty.)
Each cell could
contain a thousand, Lesma said, but there were too many prisoners that we
sometimes step on one another.
“Marumi, malamig ang
sementong hinihigaan namin.
‘Yung karton na pwede mong
isapin sa likod, minamana sa mga umaalis.
Pero dahil sa liit, paggising mo sa umaga,
nasa semento ka na rin,” (The cement floor where we lied down to sleep was
dirty and cold. The piece of box we used to lie down on was given by
fellow prisoners who were released earlier. But the piece of box was too
small that when you woke up in the morning, you almost always ended up on
the cement floor.) he recalled.
He only had one pair
of pants, two underwears and two T-shirts. “’Pag hinubad mo ‘yung
pantaloon mo, tatayo mag-isa ‘yun mamaya,” (If you removed your pants,
it was so stiff with dirt that it could stand on its own.) he said, adding
that others would steal your clothes once you removed them.
Even if there was
sufficient food, it was not properly given to them, he said. They were fed
at 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and 10 p.m.
“Iiwan lang ng mga
pulis sa gitna ‘yung malalaking lalagyan ng kanin at ulam tapos hahayaan
na nilang magkagulo kami.
Walang disiplina. ‘Yung iba nga,
yung natatapon na lang sa sahig ang kinukuha para makakain.
Parang pagkain ng baboy,”
(The police leaves the big containers of
rice and viands at the middle of the cell and lets us grab our food. There
was no discipline. Others just eat the food that spills on the floor. It
is just like feeding pigs.) said Lesma.
Because of their
condition, Lesma told Bulatlat most of them had colds, fever, and
cough.
“Sa
halos isang buwan akong nandon, isang beses ko lang nakitang nagdala ng
gamot ang (Philippine) embassy sa amin,” he lamented, “Para
makainom kami ng gamot, magpapabili pa kami.
Eh pa’no ‘yung mga walang
pera?” (In the
almost one month I was there, Philippine embassy personnel brought us
medicine just once. To be able to drink the medicine you need, you have to
ask people to buy it for you at your own expense. If you don’t have money,
what will happen to you?)
Backdoor
While in jail, Lesma
contacted a person who helped him process his papers. He identified this
person as an embassy employee who can get you out of the kingdom through
the backdoor.
He said that he was
asked to fill out two forms. On one form he was asked to supply his
personal information for the embassy’s record. For the other form, he used
an assumed Muslim name to facilitate his escape.
“Mas
madali kung wala kang mga dalang papeles,” said Lesma, “’Di
na ako humingi ng tulong sa embassy dahil sa natalo na kami,
matatagalan pa ang kaso namin sa kanila.”
(It is easier if you had no
personal papers on you. I did not ask help from the embassy because we
already lost our case and it will take longer to have them facilitate our
release.)
He said they were
asked to tell the authorities they were there for ‘Umbra’
or Lesser Pilgrimage so that they will be charged only for overstaying.
Lesma was able to
return to the Philippines through the backdoor under the new name of Ali
Ibrahim.
He promised he would
not leave again if the destination is the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
“Kung sana kasya ang
kinikita ko dito, hindi ko naman gustong iwan ang asawa at tatlong anak ko,”
(If only I was earning enough, I never wanted to leave my wife and three
children.) he said.
More are stranded
The families of
abused and stranded OFWs in Saudi
Arabia called on the government to
help in the repatriation of their relatives.
Upon her arrival from a four-day state
visit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 11, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
announced that she was able to convince King Abdullah to pardon 700 OFWs
languishing in Saudi jails. On May 12, 170 repatriated OFWs arrived in
Manila from Jeddah.
“What about the
others left behind?” asked Migrante International and the families of
stranded Filipino migrant workers.
Maita Santiago,
Migrante International Secretary-General said that the 11 OFW companions
of Lesma would be transferred from the barracks of their employer, where
they are currently confined, to a jail in Alkhobar, Saudi, Arabia if they
would not be able to pay their employer the 5,564 Saudi riyals fine
imposed by the court on each of them by May 12. As of press time, Migrante
International has not yet received word regarding the fate of the 11 OFWs.
“Hihintayin pa ba
nilang makulong ang mga ‘yun bago sila umaksyon?” (Will the government
wait until the 11 are imprisoned before acting on their case?) asked De
Silva ‘s wife Lani, who was teary-eyed during the interview with
Bulatlat.
|
Relatives of Jinalyn
Rejano
PHOTO
BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN |
The OFWs and their
families do not have enough money to pay the fine. Lani said that they
were told by officials of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
that the government has no fund to pay the employer.
Lani said that her
husband cries over the phone every time he shares the hardships they
endure. “Isang beses
na lang daw sila kumakain sa isang araw,” (They only eat once a day.) said
Lani.
“Hindi
pa nga ako ulit nakakatawag mula nung May 8 dahil naaawa akong marinig
’yung mga kwento nila,” (I haven’t called him since our last conversation
May 8 because my heart breaks when I hear their stories.) she said.
Lani
also complained that the DFA supplied the 11 with food only three times
during the four months that they were confined at the employer’s quarters.
She added that the DFA even delivered expired food once.
“Wala
ring malinaw na sinasabi ang gobyerno sa kaso nila,” she said, “Hihintayin
pa ba nila ang susunod na amnesty? Kelan, ‘pag patay na sila?” (The
government does not give us a clear response regarding the case of the 11
OFWs. Will the government still wait for another amnesty? Until when will
the government wait? When the 11 are already dead?)
Lani
complained that her husband is suffering from frequent attacks of asthma
and sinusitis. Michel, wife of Madayag Jr., is worried about her husband’s
rising blood pressure.
More
OFWs in distress
“The case of the 11
is just an example of the urgent plight that many Filipino migrants and
their families still face,” said Santiago. “Mrs. Arroyo’s so-called ‘pasalubong’
(take home offering) of even around 300 OFWs repatriated clearly falls
short of our expectations. While its good some are coming home- this
publicity gimmick says nothing about the situation of the many more left
behind,” said Santiago in a statement.
According to a DFA
2004 report, there are around 1,841 Filipino migrants detained or
imprisoned across the Middle East while 4,429, largely women, are in
Philippine government shelters across the region. There are approximately
820,000 OFWs in Saudi Arabia with many of the women working as domestic or
household workers, numbering around 148,500 while the 318,500 men work as
production and construction workers, the report also said.
Migrante is currently handling two other cases, that of abused
Filipina OFWs Jinalyn Rejano and Editha Orea.
Jinalyn was raped on
February 14 by seven men (her employer, his family and a staff member at
her recruitment agency) while Editha was also abused by her employer.
Although both are now at a Philippine government run shelter, their
efforts to obtain justice against their Saudi Arabian employers are
dimming.
”Nangako ang DFA at OWWA na ilalaban ang kaso. Pero nung na-dismiss na e
pauwiin na lang daw si Jinalyn. Sa dami ng nabibiktima ang iba ay walang
lakas loob na ilaban ang kaso kaya tinatago na lang ang nangyari.
Pero si Jinalyn gusto niyang
habulin ang mga nagkasala sa kanya. Marami pang kaso ng rape pero sa
tingin nila hindi nila kaya lumaban kaya nananahimik na lang. Sana bigyan
ng gobyerno ng pansin ang mga kaso at hindi puro drawing.
Gusto sana naming
magkasama-sama na. Okay lang na sa ngayon ay magkalayu-layo pa kami basta
mabigyan ng hustisya,” (The DFA and
OWWA promised that they would pursue the case. But when Jinalyn’s case
was dismissed, they told me to just ask Jinalyn to come home. But Jinalyn
insisted that she wanted to obtain justice by having her rapists punished.
There are a lot of cases of rape of OFWs but some chose to keep silent
because they felt that they had no means to pursue the case. We hope that
the government will be serious in pursuing the cases and is not out only
to put up a show. While we want her to come home soonest to be
together. It is okay that we are still temporarily separated for as long
as we obtain justice.) said Elmer Rejano, her husband.
Long term solution
Meanwhile, Migrante
International chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado said the president’s
“photo-opportunities in Saudi Arabia will do little to genuinely alleviate
the plight of Filipino migrant workers in the Kingdom.”
Bragas-Regalado said among the urgent issues the president
should be taking up with King Abdullah are: “the cases of OFWs on death
row; the Unified Contract, which essentially legitimizes contract
substitution; the formation of a shelter for male OFWs, which is currently
not allowed by Saudi Arabian laws; and the right of OFWs to leave the
country whenever they desire. Currently, OFWs without exit visas granted
by their employer are prevented from leaving the country.”
“Particular to the OFWs in jail, there should also be an independent
investigation as to how legal funds for OFWs are used by the Department of
Foreign Affairs,” she added.
Citing the Migrant
Workers Act of 1995, Bragas-Regalado said that P100 million is supposed to
be allotted by the government annually to help OFWs who get into trouble
with the law. The money is given to the Legal Assistant for Migrant
Affairs, which is under the DFA. In a recent report to the House of
Representatives, the DFA said more than 4,700 OFWs were languishing in
jails in various countries.
”In the long-run, the best interests of Filipino migrants are served if
instead of exporting workers, the Philippine government genuinely
implements policies that create viable livelihood opportunities for its
people in the county,” she said. Bulatlat
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