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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sen. Marcos seeks probe on trafficking of Filipinas in Syria

Sen. Marcos seeks probe on trafficking of Filipinas in Syria

Published Jan 29, 2021 02:31 pm

 Senator Maria Josefa Imelda R. Marcos on Friday said she would file a resolution on Monday seeking an immediate Senate investigation into the reported trafficking and abuse of some Filipino women forcibly taken to Syria and abused by their employers.

Senator Imee R. Marcos (Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

Marcos, chairwoman of the Senate economic affairs committee, said the failure of the Philippine embassy in Damascus to immediately report the situation to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is a serious case of neglect, ‘’causing the country undue embarrassment in international media.’’

 ‘’The government must work double time to secure the exit visas of all Filipino human trafficking victims and repatriate them immediately,’’ she added.

 This incident caused Senator Christopher Go to ask his colleagues in Congress to pass his bill seeking the creation of a Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOFil) that would better protect their rights and advance and advance their welfare.         

Marcos explained that the root cause of human trafficking cases in Syria involving Filipino Muslim women might be traced to poverty incidence in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) which is estimated at 60 percent to 65 percent.

‘’To be fair to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Syria has been under alert level 4 since the civil war broke out in 2012,’’ she stressed,  

 ‘’The embassy remains in place so as to maintain good relations with Assad regime and allow us to continue to repatriate our nationals,’’ she explained.

‘’Given that their sole reason for being in Damascus (capital of Syria) throughout these wars is the welfare of Filipinos, this alleged trafficking should not have happened,’’ she added.

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