Ambassadors and other diplomatic personnel who sexually harassed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in shelters abroad deserve harsher punishments for betraying their oaths to protect their fellow Filipinos, Senator Robinhood C. Padilla today August 31 said.
Padilla stressed this after learning of the case of an ambassador who escaped punishment after sexually harassing an OFW 10 years ago.
"Sana po magkaroon tayo talaga ng ngipin sa mga ganitong pangyayari (I hope we can give teeth to our laws on such cases. It is so hard to accept that these happen). Ang hirap tanggapin talaga. Nahirapan akong tanggapin - ambassador ka, ikaw ang tatay sa lugar na yan. Tapos ikaw ang, unang-una nasa shelter pa ang tao (An ambassador is the father of Filipinos in the host country, yet he commits such offenses, right in the OFW shelter)?" Padilla said at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers.
He stressed the sexual harassment incident narrated by Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople should not be repeated.
Ople said the ambassador was not charged criminally for the incident and managed to retire from the service.
She said she had helped pursue the complaint against the ambassador when she was still with a non-government organization (NGO).
Ople said she was informed of the decision of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) only last month - to fine the ambassador.
She said a strong anti-sexual harassment law that covers diplomats should be passed.
"Hindi ko lang mapalagpas ang ambassador (I cannot let this pass in the case of the ambassador). You have an oath na proteksyunan mo ang Pilipinas at ang mga tao nito sa harapan ng Diyos, sa harapan ng Konstitusyon - tapos gagawa siya ng ganoon (The ambassador took an oath before God and the Constitution to protect the Philippines and Filipinos, then did this). Sa akin po wala akong ano, kahit 10-20 taon, nasaan ang ambassador na yan? Kasi di pupuwede yan (So even if this took place 10 to 20 years earlier, this is unacceptable)," Padilla stressed.
"Kung buhay pa ang kaso baka pupuwedeng habulin pa po natin (If the law permits, perhaps we can pursue it)," he added.
Senator Raffy Tulfo, committee chairman, replied that this could be done if the statute of limitations allows it.
"That's a good point raised by Senator Padilla," Tulfo said.
Ople thanked Padilla and Tulfo as she expressed hopes that the anti-sexual harassment law could be revisited to cover diplomatic and overseas personnel and make them accountable.
"Basta Filipino na personnel ng gobyerno natin abroad, dapat covered ng batas (The law should not exempt Filipino personnel abroad)," Ople said.