PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. just completed his participation in the 44th and 45th summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and aside from the usual meetings and discussions with regional leaders, he made this trip a little more productive by engaging with the overseas Filipino workers in that country.
The President’s meeting with the OFWs was a revelation of sorts: It underscored the fact that in this turbulent world, Filipinos had to venture out and bravely face the challenges that working as migrants in a foreign land brings. In his talk in Vientiane, Marcos necessarily had to touch not only on the problems of living and working in Laos – the language barrier, unexploded munitions waiting to maim or kill innocent bystanders, threats of petty crimes, etc. – but also other migrant workers’ issues such as the recent execution of a Filipino convict in Saudi Arabia and the plight of Filipinos stranded in Israel, Gaza Strip, and Lebanon.
President Marcos lamented that his letter to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud appealing for the Filipino convict’s life had been rejected. He extended his condolences to the bereaved family and assured them the government is ready to help bring home the remains of the executed OFW.
‘Successive generations of national leaders have promised to do something but nothing seems to work.’
Marcos said the government provided legal assistance to the Filipino throughout the proceedings in Saudi Arabia, but Saudi law is “very strict, and apparently the conviction has stood and one of ours has been taken away.” The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not been releasing much information on this case, but a radio report said the OFW had been found guilty of murder.
About another trouble spot, Marcos gave the assurance that the government is exhausting all possible means to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Lebanon and Israel amid the increasing tension in the Middle East.
He assuaged the fear of many OFWs, saying his administration is doing everything it can to “ensure the safety of over 40,000 Filipino nationals in Lebanon and in Israel and to bring them home so that they have a place that they can feel safe in, so long as they ask to come home.”
While no Filipino was reported hurt in the recent escalation of the conflict, it looks like the wave of attacks against Hezbollah targets and the consequent Iranian reprisal against Israel will continue.
Philippine embassies in the region have been coordinating with the Filipino community and working on securing exit papers and transportation for those who wish to come home. Of the 1,500 initial applicants for repatriation from Lebanon, a third of them have already gone home. Another batch of applicants, numbering around 500, are still having their papers processed.
In the wake of all these problems, Marcos still enjoined the Filipino workers in Laos to continue being ambassadors of goodwill, as he was pleased to note that these Pinoys are strengthening people-to-people relations with the Laotians. Laos is home to about 2,000 Filipinos, mostly working as teachers, engineers, among other professionals and skilled workers.
However, it is a pity that the Filipino diaspora has continued through the years with no sign of abatement because the government has not been able to develop our agriculture and industries, along with modern technology and innovation, to generate enough jobs for its people.
Successive generations of national leaders have promised to do something but nothing seems to work.
