00:00With today's ramped-up exchange of airstrikes and drone attacks between Iran and the U.S. and Israel alliance,
00:06the government here at home, along with its embassies and consulates abroad, are on a 24-7 work-and-watch
00:12schedule
00:12to ensure the welfare and well-being of over 2 million migrant workers in the Middle East are secure.
00:18The repatriation flights, provision of various forms of assistance,
00:22and coordination with the governments of their host countries proceed without let-up,
00:26as our Mary Vel Custodio reports.
00:31Embassy and consulates are on 24-7 alert to guide more than 2 million Filipinos
00:37living and working in countries near the conflict zone in the Middle East.
00:4113 Emirates Airlines flights have already resumed since March 4,
00:46while more than 5,000 stranded passengers, including several OFWs, have already returned home.
00:52Generally, as you may have seen from the posts of the Filipinos here, everything is stable.
01:00Everything is calm. Economy is continuously moving. Stock market is open. Workers are doing work from home.
01:08Schools are doing distance learning. We in the embassy have normal operation.
01:14Authorities are still searching for a missing Filipino seafarer, while two Filipinos sustained minor injuries from shattered glass or debris
01:22during drone attacks.
01:24We are coordinating closely with the Omani authorities, yung embassy natin in Muscat and our labor attache.
01:31So, patuloy yung search and rescue. But still, naghihinahanap pa rin siya.
01:36May mga nahanap pero hindi siya kabilang sa mga nahanap.
01:39But we're still hopeful na makikita siya.
01:41Since day one, instruction na yan ni Presidente to look after the family.
01:45So, nandun na. Since day one, hand-holding the family through this difficult process.
01:49The Department of Migrant Workers, or DMW, also assured that the family of the missing crew members continue to receive
01:56benefits in accordance with the signed contract.
01:59Like in the UAE, the situation in Kuwait and Bahrain also remains stable, based on the reports from Philippine embassies
02:06in those countries.
02:08Meanwhile, Israel remains under state of calamity.
02:11Schools are not yet open, and the government, the Israeli government, has consistently informed the public to always stay near
02:20a shelter.
02:21The Philippine embassy in Israel is coordinating with the Israeli government to retrieve and repatriate the remains of Filipina caregiver
02:29who died in the missile attack.
02:32Ambassadors also warn the public against the spread of misinformation about the tension.
02:38Repatriation efforts and government assistance continue for Filipinos affected by the tension in the Middle East.
02:44The government is also preparing two chartered flights, in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
02:51The Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration, or OWA, assured that it still has sufficient funds for OFW assistance.
02:59Based on a report from the Department of Foreign Affairs, or DFA, the airspace in Kuwait and Bahrain remains closed,
03:05while airspace in UAE is partially open.
03:08Airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman are operational and may serve as an exit point along Egypt, Jordan, and Istanbul.
03:15Around 679 OFW and their dependents, assisted by DMW and DFA, have already returned to the Philippines.
03:25Meanwhile, over 4,000 individuals have already received on-site assistance from the said agencies.
03:32Ano po ang mga aksyon po na ginagawa po natin dyan para sa mga OFWs natin na gusto po makauwi
03:39pero hindi po makauwi dahil hawak po ng mga employers na ng kanila mga passports.
03:43Ang ginagawa po ng MWO ay nakipag-negotiate po directly sa employer kung maaari hanggang maaari.
03:53Otherwise, through the Philippine Recruitment Agency as well as the foreign counterpart agencies.
03:59Bawal po ang withholding ng passport.
04:02That is why kung may mga tumatakbong distressed workers at hinuhurob ng mga employer, ang depensa po natin kapag may
04:12violations, kapag we need help delay yung passport, contract violation yun.
04:17At pwede po i-waive, i-lift yung rub.
04:20The Migrant Workers' Office is also coordinating with the DFA regarding the OFWs with expired passports.
04:28Once they arrive in the Philippines, reintegration programs will be ready, including employment opportunities, scholarships, and psychosocial support.
04:37Filipino seafarers also have the right to refuse to sail, and they will still receive two-month salary and should
04:43not be blacklisted.
04:44Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza suggested that if there is a right to refuse to sail, there should also
04:52be the right to refuse to fly.
04:53Migrant Workers' Secretary Hans Deo Kakdak assured,
04:57In general, a worker may of course refuse any type of work that he or she refuses to undertake. That's
05:06the principle of involuntary servitude.
05:08Vel Custodio for the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
Comments