Bello tags 3 gov't officials in sex rings, exploitation of OFWs

MANILA, Philippines - Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello on Tuesday tagged three government officials allegedly involved in sexual exploitation and prostitution rings victimizing overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Middle East.

Citing 'extremely reliable' and 'unimpeachable sources' from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment, Bello, chair of the House of Representatives' Committee on Overseas Workers' Affairs, tagged a certain Kim from Damascus, Syria; Assistant Labor Attaché Mario Antonio in Amman, Jordan and a Blas Marquez from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office  in Kuwait as perpetrators of sexual exploitation against OFWs.

"Predator One (Kim) is a member of the Augmentation Team of the Department of Foreign Affairs staff of the Embassy in Damascus, Syria. At midnight on Jan. 1, 2013, Predator One was caught by several witnesses in an intimate act with a female OFW at the embassy shelter for distressed workers at the poolside of the embassy," he said.

Bello added that the witnesses filed affidavits detailing the incident. Kim has been  allegedly involved with intimate relationships with at least four distressed OFWs.

He said, however, that Kim has only been given a memo from the embassy ordering him "to attend the modules on gender sensitivity and assistance to nationals of the next pre-departure orientation seminar."

Furthermore, Bello accused POLO official Antonio, tagged as Predator Two, of letting out at night some OFWs in the shelter in Amman to be sexual workers for wealthy Palestinian man in the city.

"Witnesses claim that he charges a John as much as $1,000 a night for the services of one OFW. He is, in effect, running a prostitution ring, using distressed OFWs. This man's activities are so disreputable and illegal that the government of Jordan has requested that he be removed," Bello said.

He added that the embassy in Jordan is paralyzed and the labor attaché refuses to act on the incident. Antonio also allegedly did the same thing in his previous posts in Beirut and Tokyo, and that the Jordanian government is now threatening to declare him persona-non-grata if he is not sent home immediately, Bello said.

Lastly, Bello identified Marquez as Predator Three, a contractual employee of the POLO office in Kuwait, for being involved in a sex-for-hire business in the Filipino Workers' Resource Center in the country.

"There have been many complaints against him but he eluded the dragnet because he is a townmate of now disgraced Ambassador Shulan Primavera. Both of them came from Naga City. However, Predator Three's accomplice in 'sex-for-hire' and human trafficking, Assistant Labor Attaché Ofelia de Castro, was recalled in June 2011 because of three activities. Even though Ambassador Primavera was recently recalled for sexually molesting a distressed OFW, Predator Three is still engaging in nefarious business of 'sex-for-hire.' Apparently, POLO officials have to condone Predator Three because he might spill the beans as he knows many unlawful incidents in POLO," Bello said.

He added that the Commission on Audit found out that Marquez was illegally shortchanging OFWs of some P330,000 a year since 1997 by using a higher exchange rate in issuing overseas employment certificates.

"However, DOLE did not impose any disciplinary action," Bello said.

He said a victim has initially wanted to file a case against one the accused perpetrators but it did not prosper.

"I am asking Secretary (Albert) del Rosario and Secretary (Rosalinda) Baldoz,  two individuals that I respect greatly, to move immediately to recall the officials I have identified, dismiss them from government service and criminally prosecute them," he said.