Undocumented Pinoys in Sabah given until October to regularize stay

MANILA, Philippines – Malaysia has assured the processing of papers of undocumented Filipino workers who will comply with the requirements of regularization until end of October, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said in a press briefing that the Malaysian government has given undocumented Filipino workers in Sabah until the end of October to regularize their stay in Malaysia.

He said undocumented workers who fail to present the necessary documents will be placed under the custody of the police before they are deported to Zamboanga.

There are 11,000 undocumented foreigners in Malaysia, 4,000 of whom have already undergone screening for regularization, according to Conejos.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur will issue passports to Filipinos who are qualified for regularization of stay in Malaysia, which will also allow them to continue their work.

Vice President Noli de Castro appealed to Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak to defer the implementation of the massive deportation of undocumented overseas Filipino workers in Sabah even as Kuala Lumpur assured Manila of its strict adherence to humane and orderly repatriation of illegal migrants.

De Castro urged Razak to stop the imminent deportation to allow the government to prepare for the reception and relocation of the workers.

Malaysia announced it will conduct large scale operation against undocumented workers in Sabah that will affect hundreds of Filipinos illegally working there.

De Castro said the operation will affect thousands of Filipino Muslims in Sabah who will bear the brunt during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Vice President said the government is prepared to ensure the safety of Filipinos, including the repatriation of 500 Filipinos presently detained in the temporary detention center in Menggatal and to expedite the issuance of their travel documents.

The Philippines and Malaysia agreed to redouble efforts for instituting long-term solutions to the problems of cross-border travel, work and migration, including a proposed bilateral Border Pass Agreement to address the issue of Filipinos illegally staying and working in Sabah.

At the conclusion of the two-day Fifth Meeting of the Philippines-Malaysia Working Group on Migrant Workers in Manila last month, Kuala Lumpur and Manila agreed to the possible deployment of Malaysian Immigration Attachés at the One-Stop Processing Center in Zamboanga as part of the long-term solutions to the problems of cross-border travel.

Manila and Kuala Lumpur said the discussions of the Working Group were held in a cordial atmosphere and directed at finding constructive, operational solutions to issues concerning migrant workers.

Both sides also discussed and agreed to cooperate closely so that there would be minimal adverse impact arising from the action to be undertaken by the Malaysian government.

The Malaysian government has already established procedures for the humane and orderly conduct of the arrest, detention and repatriation of illegal migrants, and would endeavor to include measures to improve facilities for those processes.

Manila and Kuala Lumpur also agreed to step up efforts to regularize eligible migrants; that children unaccompanied by parents will not be placed under arrest but turned over to the care of appropriate authorities; that only those deportees who are medically fit would undertake the travel; and to facilitate travel documentation of deportees.

The meeting noted developments on the recruitment and employment of Filipinos in Malaysia as well as the implementation of Malaysia’s Anti-Trafficking Law.

The Philippines raised the issue of Filipinos being deported from Sabah during the Working Group annual meeting that was initiated in 2005 as a functional forum to address bilateral concerns on the status of Filipino migrant workers in Malaysia.

Philippine authorities earlier appealed to Malaysia to go easy on the deportation of undocumented Filipinos in Sabah, which will be implemented to comply with Kuala Lumpur’s stricter immigration policy.

The appeal was made even as the Philippines prepares for the arrival of Filipino deportees from Malaysia.

Conejos said Malaysian authorities informed the government that they will implement mass deportation of undocumented Filipinos mostly from Sabah.