DFA urged to help family of 'kidnapped' Pinoy in Afghanistan

MANILA, Philippines -  Vice President Jejomar Binay has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to extend assistance to the family of a 27-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) reportedly kidnapped in Afghanistan.

Binay, presidential adviser on OFWs, said the government has already coordinated with the International Police (Interpol) to shed light on the reported kidnapping of Mark Ramos.

“I am hopeful that the DFA can resolve this issue and locate the exact whereabouts and the condition of Mr. Ramos for the peace of mind of his family,” he said.

Ramos, a procurement logistics worker at a construction company in Kandahar, was reportedly kidnapped last Jan. 7, a day before he was scheduled to go on vacation in Dubai, where his parents are working.

In a statement, Mark’s father Eduard Ramos said the kidnappers are in contact with him and his daughter, April Kay.

The kidnappers are demanding a $50,000 ransom, but Mark’s employer is only willing to shoulder $15,000 for his release, he added.

Before leaving for Bali, Indonesia yesterday where he will represent President Aquino at the Bali Democracy Forum on Dec. 8-9, Binay said: “I urge the Department of Foreign Affairs to extend full assistance to the family of Mark Ramos. I have already instructed them to look into the case and provide me with a detailed report on status of his case.”          

Binay said he is hopeful that the incident would be resolved soon and that he appreciates the Ramos family for its willingness to cooperate and share information about the kidnapping.

“I also call on the DFA to exhaust all efforts in securing the safety of our OFWs working in the area,” he said.

Undocumented

Ramos could have left the country as an undocumented worker, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said yesterday.

Administrator Carmelita Dimzon said they are checking their records to confirm whether Ramos is documented.

“Since he got employed in Afghanistan, it is very likely that he was undocumented because we have an existing deployment ban there, unless he left the country before the ban, but I doubt it very much,” she said.

OWWA is coordinating with the DFA in verifying the report concerning the alleged kidnapping of Ramos, she added.

In Afghanistan, Filipinos working in US bases belied reports that Ramos was kidnapped outside the base in Kandahar city.

“The truth is that Mark Ramos fled Kandahar last January to Olongapo City with over $100,000 entrusted to him by his employer, Copenhagen Motors,” the Filipinos in Afghanistan (FIA) reported.

FIA said they never discussed the Ramos case because the incident damaged the reputation of Filipinos working with Copenhagen Motors.

Ramos, who is now in the Philippines, has been floating the report that he was kidnapped in Afghanistan, FIA added.

Ramos previously worked as a purchaser for Copenhagen Contractors, a huge international company which assists peacekeepers in conflict-affected parts of the world, mostly in Afghanistan.

Ramos’s sister, April Kay claimed that they got hold of a video of Ramos, clad in a red sweatshirt with his face concealed by a mask. The kidnappers burned his face with acid and cut his finger, she added.

Meanwhile, Migrante-Middle East urged the DFA yesterday to look into the kidnapping of Ramos.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said Migrante officers in Dubai were requested to assist and coordinate with the victim’s relatives in Dubai in seeking assistance from the government.

Relatives of Mark said he was working in Dubai when he was kidnapped in Afghanistan last Jan. 7. – Jose Rodel Clapano, Pia Lee-Brago, Mayen Jaymalin