Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) should not be subjected to any form of harassment in their own country as they have no one to depend on but themselves.
Locsin made the statement after the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said Friday, June 25, that the number of Filipino seafarers being deployed abroad was slowly returning to pre-pandemic status.
POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said 30,000 seafarers were deployed in May from almost 15,000 in January this year. Some 40,000 seafarers were being deployed abroad before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit.
In a tweet, Locsin said while the country was looking for ways how OFWs can regain the jobs they lost due to the pandemic, the least people can do was to not harass them because OFWs can only depend on themselves.
"The least we could do is to not harass them when they apply to leave, or expose them again to abusive recruiters, or fleece them for fees," he said.
The least we could do is to not harass them when they apply to leave; or expose them again to abusive recruiters; or fleece them for fees. OFWs are the Energizer Bunny except they don't depend on batteries; they just depend on themselves at no expense to any except to themselves. https://t.co/bLclH1k26J
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) June 25, 2021
"OFWs are the Energizer Bunny except they don't depend on batteries; they just depend on themselves at no expense to any except to themselves," he added.
Locsin said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had its hands full with its massive repatriation effort, especially of stranded seafarers in impounded ships.
However, he pointed out that Energy Secretary Al Cusi's remark served as a wake-up call.
When we were patting our own backs with a massive repatriation effort, especially of seafarers who remain stranded in impounded ships, Energy Sec Cusi said, "Are we preparing also to send back OFWs before they lose their jobs over there." Boom, hiss...that's us deflating. https://t.co/pg6xMN7TC5
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) June 25, 2021
"Energy Sec Cusi said, 'Are we preparing also to send back OFWs before they lose their jobs over there.' Boom, hiss...that's us deflating," Locsin said.
Last week, the government has repatriated 347 distressed Filipinos from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and 325 OFWs from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In May this year, President Duterte approved the additional P5-billion allocation for the repatriation of OFWs, half of the amount requested by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). It is intended to pay for facilities used to quarantine OFWs amid the pandemic.