Malacañang said the government will help the 20 Filipinos who were arrested in Qatar last week as it assured the public that the administration will not forsake any Filipino needing assistance abroad.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after the Philippine Embassy in Qatar reported that several Filipinos were arrested for supposedly holding an unauthorized political demonstration on Friday, March 28. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), 19 of the 20 arrested Filipinos were still under police custody as of Sunday, March 30.

In a press briefing on Monday, March 31, Castro said the government immediately responded when the news of the arrest came out.

"Agad-agaran po ang Embahada natin po ay tumulong po agad. Nagpadala po ng labor attache, isa din pong lawyer para po malaman at mapaglaban ang kanilang mga karapatan (our Embassy immediately took action. We sent a labor attaché and a lawyer to know and fight for their rights)," she said.

"Maliban po dyan ay kung ano pa po ang maaari natin ibigay na tulong, let's say mga care packages, na sa abot makakaya ng ating pamahalaan, ibigay po natin sa ating mga kababayan sa nasabing bansa (Aside from that, whatever help we can provide, such as care packages, within the government's capacity, we will give to our fellow Filipinos in that country)," she added.

According to the Palace Press Officer, the government would not allow any Filipino to be left to suffer imprisonment abroad even if they were critics of the administration.

"Obligasyon pa rin po ng ating pamahalaan, ng ating administrasyon, ang mga Pilipino, anuman po ang kulay nila (t is still the obligation of our government, our administration, to help Filipinos, regardless of their background)," she said.

"Wala po tayong sinisino, wala po tayong discrimination patungkol po diyan. Basta po kapwa Pilipino, tutulungan po 'yan ng administrasyon (We do not pick and choose, there is no discrimination when it comes to that. As long as they are Filipinos, this administration will help them)," she added.

In addition to the Filipinos arrested in Qatar, Castro said the administration will also help the around 500 Filipinos reported trapped in scam centers in Myanmar in February.

"Ang ating administrasyon ay handang tumulong sa mga Pilipinong nangangailangan (Our administration is ready to assist Filipinos in need)," she said.

"Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang ating pagsisikap para kung anuman po ang dinadanas ng mga kababayan natin sa ibang bansa ay agad natin itong matulungan (We continue our efforts so that whatever Filipinos abroad are experiencing, we can immediately assist them)," she added.

The Palace official appealed to Filipinos seeking employment overseas to go through the proper channels.

"Huwag po silang makikipag-transact nang hindi alam po ng gobyerno (They should not transact without the government's knowledge)," she said.

"Kaya nga po tayo may POEA para sila po ay mabigyan ng seguridad na ang kanilang pupuntahan ay sila ay safe (That is why we have the POEA—to ensure their safety in their destination)," she added.

Instead of putting themselves at risk, Castro hoped that Filipinos would take advantage of the government-led job fairs, hoping this initiative would be sufficient to prevent Filipinos from seeking work abroad.

"They can have these jobs that will match their capacities and skills. And we pray that they will not, again, work abroad so that they can also attend to their families," she said.