Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Guv hits delay of agencies’ response to 23 jailed workers
CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday expressed disappointment over the slow response of concerned government agencies to the plight of 23 Cebuano workers currently detained in Trinidad and Tobago.
Garcia said that nobody from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) or the Philippine Overseas Welfare Administration (POEA) immediately issued an official statement since the news about the detention of Cebuano overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) broke out.
Fifth District Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI is now coordinating with DFA officials through his brother, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano because most of the detained workers are from his district.
Durano promised to shoulder the Manila to Camotes fare of the 11 detained Cebuanos in Trinidad and Tobago.
Coordination
He is concerned with the workers’ condition because 11 of them are from Camotes Island and one is from Danao City.
Durano is closely coordinating with DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo, through Ace.
Alfredo Casona, 56, is from Danao city, whose wife is worried as they have yet to pay their P140,000 loan, which they used for her husband’s placement fee..
“How are we going to pay our loan here if our husbands will be sent home immediately,” said Casona’s wife.
Casona borrowed P140,000 from Citiwide Lending Corp. They were supposed to pay P18,616 monthly for a year starting last July.
Majority of the detained workers borrowed money just to pay for the agency requirements, said Casona’s wife.
The governor met yesterday with the families of the workers represented by their legal counsel, Felipe Landicho and tackled the condition of the workers and their possible repatriation.
This came after the Cebu Provincial Government promised last week to help workers come home safely.
The workers have been detained in Trinidad and Tobago for allegedly possessing fake documents in working abroad.
They went abroad carrying only a month working contract last June 18.
Possession
But after they were arrested for possession of fake passports, all of them reportedly wanted to go home in Cebu as soon as possible for fear of being charged.
But they complained that they don’t have the money to buy tickets for their flight back home and the Trinidad Government wants them out of the island as soon as possible.
The workers˘ relatives demanded that the group’s recruitment agency pay for their $2,000-airfare.
Be Glad Worldwide Placement Agency (BGW-PA) legal officer Antonio Cabreros, however, said that their company has yet to discuss the matter.
Governor Garcia said Capitol will hold its promise to extend financial aid to the families of the detained workers until the concerned agencies would assure to shoulder or refund the air fares.
This developed after Dole announced that it has repatriation funds for distressed workers abroad provided that their cases are properly documented. (GMD/OCP)
