The Philippine Embassy in Syria will resume the repatriation of the remaining trafficked Filipino migrants on February 4, 2021 following the assumption of human rights lawyer Vida Soraya Verzosa as the country’s new Chargè d’Affaires in that country.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced the designation of Verzosa when the influential Washington Post published a story on January 25, 2021, exposing the travails of dozens of trafficked Filipina migrant workers in war-torn Syria.
Upon her arrival in Damascus, Verzosa immediately activated the Embassy’s Anti-Trafficking In Person (TIP) Action Plan for the prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnership to end TIP in Syria.
According to the information posted by the Philippine Embassy, Verzoa reportedly engaged the services of Syrian lawyers to file cases against those behind the trafficking of Filipino nationals into Syria.
On January 19, Verzosa paid a courtesy call on Judge Tayseer Smadi, assistant minister of the Syrian Ministry of Justice, to discuss ways on ensuring the protection of Filipino workers and their immediate repatriation.
Verzosa raised the Embassy's concern on several issues related to the repatriation of Filipino trafficking victims, specifically in securing an exit visa from the ‘kafeel’ or employer even while they have already paid for their flight and fines imposed by the Syrian immigration office.
During her meeting with the Syrian Justice official, Verzosa followed up on the latest draft of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Manila and Damascus on how to jointly combat Transnational Crime and Trafficking in Persons.
In a statement, the Embassy said it has already prepared the complaint affidavits of the Filipina victims for the possible filing of charges and prosecution of their traffickers. There are more or less 35 Filipino victims of trafficking who are stuck at the Embassy center.
According to reports, some of the Filipina victims have been staying at the Embassy facility for as long as two years due to their inability to secure exit visas and airfares going back to the Philippines.
As soon as the news came out, Locsin ordered a revamp at the Embassy and sent a five-person team composed of three men and two women to overhaul the personnel at the Post.
The DFA is currently conducting an administrative probe against certain Embassy officers and personnel who reportedly failed to act on the complaints of the trafficking victims.