While stranded Filipino workers welcomed the amnesty granted by the Sultanate of Oman, a migrant rights group lambasted the Aquino administration for not having its comprehensive repatriation assistance for illegal workers.
“Not all OFWs have the means to support their repatriation. Undocumented OFWs are in deplorable situation with no regular job, if not no job at all for months or even years. So how could they raise an amount for their airfare and other expenses related to amnesty formalities ?” said John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante in Middle East.
Oman’s Ministry of Manpower officially announced a three-month amnesty period for all undocumented migrants from May 3 to July 30, according to Monterona.
“The group estimated that at least 3,000 undocumented OFWs may avail of Oman’s amnesty,” he said, adding that an estimated 150,000 OFWs are working in Oman.
“Upon registration, undocumented migrant can avail a travel permit to their country of origin without penalty or any fines. One-way flight Oman to Manila ticket cost is around P25,000,” he said.
While Monterona claimed that Philippine government assistance is wanting, he urged embassy officials to have “a mechanism be put in place for those who do not have the means to provide their own airfare.”
“Undocumented OFWs in Oman have been asking us for help to regularize if not allow them to be repatriated without penalty. The Oman amnesty is an opportunity, and this should be availed by all undocumented migrants,” Monterona said.
“Information dissemination about Oman amnesty is a must but issuance of a guideline how to avail is also a big help. And this should come from the concerned Philippine embassy and labor officials in Oman after they’ve got all relevant information about the amnesty,” he said.
Monterona then asked the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment and their respective posts in Oman “to come up a blue print that will provide assistance to all undocumented OFWs so that they could avail the amnesty.”
“Since the Oman amnesty is good for only 3 months, a swift and free mass repatriation plan or program must be developed by all Philippine government concerned agencies,” Monterona added, also accusing of President Benigno Aquino III for failing his promise “to fully provide assistance to OFWs on-site during his 2010 inaugural speech.”
According to Monterona, there was also a low number of undocumented OFWs who have availed previous amnesty grant by host governments in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
“Less than 50 percent of undocumented workers availed of the previous amnesty mainly due to the absence of a comprehensive repatriation program of the Philippine government.
“The rising numbers of undocumented OFWs estimated to reach at least to two million around the world is quite alarming in the absence of a comprehensive repatriation program by the government,” Monterona said in a statement.
Migrante said that Pres. Aquino “heightened export of labor from 4,800 since he assumed office in 2010 to nearly 6,000 OFWs daily deployment or around 1.2 million OFWs average deployment yearly without protection and security on their contracts where most have been victim of numerous labor violations contributed to the rise of undocumented OFWs around the world.”
Monterona said that the on-site assistance they are asking “covers half way shelter provision, legal and labor representation, food and personal of needs of those stranded OFWs and those staying in half way shelter.”
“For the undocumented OFWs like those in Oman and Saudi Arabia, on-site assistance is needed to facilitate their repatriation or legalization,” Monterona told The Standard online.
“Most of the undocumented OFWs in Oman don’t have shelters. They are so called TNTs.”
Meanwhile, Labor and Employment secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has urged illegal OFWs in Oman to avail on the amnesty “to avoid legal sanctions, including deportation.”
In a report from PIA, Baldoz asked undocumented Filipino workers to “correct their stay to avoid the repercussion of their being illegal foreigners in Oman.”