Press Statement
December 13, 2010
This is a rejoinder to the statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs on December 11 with a heading “Phl Embassy in Riyadh Assisted Fully OFW Repatriated from Riyadh”.
To put the records straight: Migrante-Al Khobar directly provided assistance to OFW “Clarissa” who has been raped and was jailed due to ‘adultery’ case. She was convicted of ‘adultery’ charged against her because there is no legal assistance provided by the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Migrante-Al khobar chapter had in fact sent its welfare officer to attend on her case in Hafer Al Baten jail along with the PHL embassy staff to further investigate her case.
From the very beginning when we handle her case as her parents seek assistance from us, we have formally demanded from the Philippine Embassy to provide legal assistance to her by hiring a local lawyer, but she was not given.
Instead of giving her the needed assistance, including legal, by hiring a local lawyer for her defense, the PH consular team opted to believe that she has not been raped and maintain that she has an illicit relationship with her co-worker.
Migrante-Middle East stands by the plea and statement made by Clarissa that she has been raped. Thus, we have been demanding from the PH embassy to hire local lawyer for her defense, only to found out later that the PH embassy does not have an on-call local lawyer to provide assistance.
Usec Conejos and the PH embassy again missed our point. Clarissa should not be put to jail or she would not be in jail if the facts and the true circumstances of her being a victim of rape have been properly established in court with the help a hired lawyer representing him in court.
Providing legal assistance is mandated by the Migrant Workers Act, but since there is no legal assistance given to Clarissa by the DFA and the PH embassy, then she has been neglected and a victim of government criminal neglect. That’s plain and simple.
The PH embassy in Riyadh admitted during several case dialogs that there is no lawyer hired on a retention basis. Providing legal assistance is on “as the need arises” basis.
We are calling President Aquino to sack, without any hesitation, inept DFA officials abroad who could not provide better services and assistance to distress OFWs.
If Pres. Aquino is true to his word of reforming the inefficient bureaucracy, then he must sack inept government officials who could not deliver the most basic service to the public including to OFWs and their families.
Reference:
John Leonard Monterona
Migrante-ME regional coordinator
Napakalungkot naman! Bakit hindi mabigyan ng tulong ang mga kabayan natin na Middle East. VP Binay. Ano ba naman ito? Simpleng bagay lang na meron tulong sa batas, katulad ng abogado, ang mga kababayan natin, hindi pa magawa?. Ang daming hinihingi ng gobyerno sa mga OFW, bago pa makaalis patungo sa ibang bansa. Napalungkot ang malayo sa pamilya, alam niyo ba? SILA ANG BUMUBUHAY SA MGA KAPWA NATIN AT SA PILIPINAS!!! Tumulong naman sana ang gobyerno! B.S.