Press Release
September 25, 2009

DELAYED BUT HOME AT LAST:
OFWs join batch of 86 repatriated by Villar

Distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) earlier blocked from leaving Jordan, expressed relief over their eventual repatriation to the country, following unforeseen delays in their scheduled return.

The four migrant workers, Zerina Zuela, Donaida Balagat, Zahara Bida, and Maribeth Nagal, were supposed to come home on Aug. 26 under the repatriation effort of Nacionalista Party President Manny Villar. Unexpectedly, they failed to board their original flight booked by the senator due to immigration troubles in the Middle East country.

"Our earlier frustration was replaced by the thrill of eventually seeing our sorely missed families and compensating for the lost time," Zuela said, "We are grateful to Senator Villar."

Villar, who settled their plane fares and other fees, stressed the hard work required in bringing home OFWs, "The repatriation of our distressed migrant workers does not only entail settling their fees and airfares but also working on the resolution of their cases abroad. The delay in the return of our four OFWs demonstrates the complexity involved in this effort."

On Aug. 26, the senator repatriated 80 OFWs and two children from the Middle East, particularly Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, and welcomed them in his home in Shaw Boulevard. The return of late-arriving OFWs, including the four from Jordan, and another two earlier, brings to 86 the number of migrant workers repatriated by Villar as a batch last month.

Zuela, 23, left Mauban, Quezon on November 2007 to support her parents and siblings. In Jordan, the household aide was physically abused and unpaid her salaries by her various employers. "Yung mga anak ng isa kong amo ay ni-lo-lock ako sa balkonahe ng second floor habang naglilinis ng bintana. Dahil doon nagpabalik ako sa agency kung saan pinagsasampal ako. Hinanapan ako ng iba pa kung saan minamaltrato rin ako," stated the distressed mother of one kid.

Meantime, Balagat, 26, was not only verbally abused, overworked, and deprived of food, but was also molested in Jordan. "Yung isang amo ko nanghihipo at sinasabihan akong gusto niya akong gamitin. Yung isa naman pinagtratrabaho ako mula 5 am hanggang 2 am, tapos pinatutulog lang ako sa kusina. Yung isa, 'di na nga ako pinasahod, pinagbantaan pa akong sisirain ang mukha ko," recounted the household service worker who returned to her family in Ilagan, Isabela.

Nagal, 33, returned to Isabel, Leyte without getting her salary for more than a year. "Nagpapasalamat po ako kay Senador Villar na, kahit hindi ko nakuha ng buo ang sweldo ko, ligtas na po ako sa piling ng aking mga minamahal," expressed the distressed Filipina.

For three decades, Villar has repatriated distressed OFWs from Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Amman, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Malaysia.

Harsh conditions faced by OFWs has prompted Villar to actively press for the application of the "no-fault insurance" for OFWs, a form of indemnity plan in which anyone injured in an accident or misfortune receives direct payment from the company that has insured them, eliminating the need for victims to establish another's liability or fault through a civil case.

Villar has set up helpline "Sagip OFW" for distressed migrant workers 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.

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