HOMECOMING SPONSORED BY VILLAR
Villar opens his home to returning OFWs

At least 80 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with horrible stories to tell eventually stepped on Philippine soil with a sigh of relief, tearfully acknowledging their sponsor, Nacionalista Party (NP) President Manny Villar, who gave them a warm welcome right at his home.

The OFWs disembarked today at noon from flight GF 154 of Gulf Air, which singularly collected them in Bahrain, where they stopped over from Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, respectively. Exactly 50 migrant workers and two children arrived from Amman, Jordan (via Gulf Air flight GF 972); 10 from Damascus, Syria (via flight GF 902); 16 from Dammam and one from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (via flight GF 102); and three from Muscat, Oman (via flight GF 551).

Villar made possible their return by ironing out their cases, facilitating freedom from prison for a number, the cancellation of their penalties, while paying for other fees and all their plane fares.

The senator welcomed the migrant workers with a thanksgiving party at the historic Laurel House in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong, where a program prepared by Villar's office stirred the tears and joy of the newly repatriated batch. Present at the event were Ambassador to Jordan Julius Torres, Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator Carmelita Dimzon and NP Spokespersons Gilbert Remulla and Adel Tamano.

"We expect more of our distressed OFWs to take refuge in and overfill our shelters in the Middle East with the onset of Ramadan, and they should be promptly repatriated, as we have done so now," Villar said. "The cold weather also starts to become unbearable for them, especially for the sick and aged," he said.

Villar was pleased to finally see Aisa Guiapar, 29, who welcomed him in Jordan with an injured leg. The OFW earlier wrote the senator, "Sa una ko pong amo nagkasakit ako kasi dalawang araw akong hindi pinapakain, ni tubig man lang hindi maibigay sa akin. Ibinalik ako sa agency ko na ikinulong ako sa CR ng limang araw, pagkatapos inihanap nila ako ng bagong amo. Sa pangalawa kong amo, minolestiya ako, sumigaw po ako at umiyak para humingi ng tulong, pagkatapos nahulog po ako at napilay. Sana po tulungan niyo akong makauwi."

Another OFW from Jordan, Gloria Udarbe, 45, suffered not only bruises all over her body but also cigarette and injection marks, traumatizing her. Udarbe's sister wrote Villar for help.

All 10 OFWs Villar repatriated from Syria came straight from Duma Detention Center in a suburb in Damascus where they pleaded for help which eventually reached the senator.

An imprisoned OFW who arrived from Dammam, Lolita Montesclaro, caught Villar's attention after her kin wrote the senator on July 12, "Sumulat po ako upang humingi ng tulong para sa aking hipag na kasalukuyang nakakulong sa Saudi Arabia, si Lolita, walo po ang kanyang anak at sa kanya lang po umaasa."

Three OFWs from Oman who made it to Manila were part of the so-called "unlucky seven" who were locked up by their foreign agents, which pushed their anxious husbands to hold a press conference to call for help to which Villar responded. They are Maribel Calisaan, Josephine Bilolo, and Annaliza Caderero.

On July 31, the senator wrote the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Labor and Employment, and posts in the Middle East to request for a list of wards needing immediate repatriation such as minors, the aged, and sick.

The NP president has set up helpline "Sagip-OFW" for distressed OFWs to give them an avenue to air their plight for timely assistance, while batting for conducive economic conditions to expand opportunities in the country as a long-term solution.

Villar has also earlier repatriated distressed Filipino migrant workers from Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Amman, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Malaysia.