Surge in OFWs’ repatriation due to Arab amnesty programs

MANILA, Philippines -- The continuing surge in repatriation of overseas Filipino workers over the last few months will continue until September as three countries in the Middle East implement amnesty programs for overstaying aliens, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

In a press conference, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s two-month amnesty program that ended May 30, Kuwait’s two-month program that ended June 30, and United Arab Emirates’ three-month program that would end September 4 have caused the return of 1,235 Filipinos.

Of the 1,234 Filipinos who availed amnesty, Conejos said 833 were from Kuwait, 301 from Saudi Arabia, and 100 from UAE. He said the three Arab countries have been shouldering the cost of the repatriation.

“The amnesty granted to foreign illegal workers in these Middle East countries was based on the request of the Philippine government and other labor-sending countries. We initiated it because it is the only way to move (these overstaying workers) out quickly,” he said, adding that the Filipino Workers Resource Centers in these countries are already bursting at the seams.

Under the amnesty programs, overstaying aliens may be allowed to leave the host countries without fear of penalty and prosecution; they could also return to the country. Conejos thus urged OFWs in UAE to avail themselves of the program before it expires in September.

Conejos also said that the Philippines is also asking the Jordan government to grant amnesty to illegal workers as a growing number of overstaying Filipinos have been noted there.

In Jeddah, 301 Filipino hajj and umrah pilgrims who overstayed their visa have returned home. Arrangements for the repatriation of more than 400 other Filipinos who have been processed are simply awaiting flight plans as it is still peak travel season in the region.

In Kuwait, most of the 833 undocumented OFWs are female household service workers.

In UAE, 100 Filipinos returned from Dubai, where more than 200 other Filipinos await repatriation under UAE’s general amnesty program. In Abu Dhabi, 512 Filipinos have so far been processed for repatriation.

DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo has instructed Philippine embassies and consulates in the three countries to spare no effort in assisting Filipinos in distress and facilitating their repatriation to the country.

“The accelerating economic revival in the Philippines is a boon to OFWs who return to the country after facing tougher labor conditions abroad. I encourage them to avail fully of the government’s reintegration and skills training program so they may take advantage of the new job opportunities in the country,” Romulo said in a statement. - Veronica Uy, INQUIRER.net, July 02, 2007