DAVAO CITY – President Rodrigo R. Duterte directed the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and other law enforcement agencies, including the Philippine Coast Guard, to go the extra mile to stop illegal recruitment or sending undocumented Filipinos to work abroad.
“I’d like to see to it that, either back or front door, I would like to task the Philippine National Police, nandito ‘yung ating regional commander (our regional commander is here) (BI Commissioner Jaime) Morente, he has to walk the extra mile… the NBI, Coast Guard and lalo na ‘yung component sa mga pantalan, but usually sa eroplano ‘yan (especially the components in the ports, but usually at airports),” Duterte said during a press conference at the Matina Enclaves here Friday night.
He said he will also hold responsible the Department of Labor or the agency responsible for giving permits to recruiters if there are Filipinos sent to work abroad illegally and abused by their employers.
“I want all of them, connected already by this time, arrested and placed behind bars, to face charges,” the President said, adding that he will order Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to issue the order.
“It’s a continuing crime. I will not go to a specific visa or passport that was issued with their intervention,” he said.
Duterte vowed to prosecute illegal recruiters.
“If they are into it, kasi (because) it’s a continuing crime and we will have them arrested and detained without bail. Non-bailable ang nag i-illegal recruitment (Illegal recruitment is non-bailable),” he said.
The President also reiterated his order to BI, the Bureau of Customs, and other responsible agencies to stop those preying on overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs), such as those who open their bags at the airport.
“We’re having a problem but I do not want Immigration to abuse and the Customs and all. I have given my orders, lalo na mga OFW, ‘yung mga mahihirap (especially the OFWs, the poor ones)… do not open the bags, no opening of bags anymore in the airport,”
“I will hold all responsible aviation police, ‘pag may isa pa diyan, alis kayong lahat, papalitan ko kayo (if there is one there, all of you will go, I will replace you) not only the specific policeman, all of you there will be relieved, and so with the NAIA, all of you there will be relieved,” he said.
The President reminded aviation police of their deployment to Zamboanga where the backdoor entry of terrorists has been monitored.
“Dun kayo mag-immigration (Do your immigration there). See to it that they do not enter the Philippines. That is your job,” he said.
This developed after the President saw the official report and photos of the body of a Filipina found inside a freezer in an unoccupied apartment on Al-Shaab, Kuwait.
The body of Joanna Daniela Demafelis from Iloilo bore torture marks and indications that she was strangled to death. Demafelis worked in Kuwait as a household service worker.
The President also cited many incidents of abuse and deaths of OFWs in Kuwait alone where government recorded 82 reported deaths in 2016 and 103 in 2017.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sara Arriola said that in Kuwait alone there are 200,000 migrants, of which 160,000 are household service workers.
She said household service workers are the most vulnerable to abuse by their employers.
Arriola said the Department of Foreign Affairs has also recorded 10,802 OFWs as visa violators in Kuwait.
Under the amnesty program of the Kuwaiti government, 2,229 OFWs have been issued travel documents and want to return to the Philippines. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
