Migrante hits Tulfo call to deny legal aid to OFWs facing drug charges
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo's proposal to deny overseas Filipino workers facing drug-related charges is "woefully ignorant" of the conditions that may have brought them to that situation, migrant workers' coalition Migrante said.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, victims of human trafficking are often used to transport drugs across international borders. Many are forced into transporting the drugs or are tricked into doing so.
"OFWs facing drug-related cases abroad are also victims of poverty and joblessness in the Philippines. It is not them who are [an] embarrassment to Filipinos, but the Philippine government," Migrante International Chairperson Joanna Concepcion said in a statement on Wednesday.
During a Senate session on migrant workers on Tuesday, Tulfo expressed frustration over how the Philippine government would actually extend help and assistance to OFWs who accused abroad of trafficking drugs.
He complained and asked why the government would go as far as sending special envoys in a bid to settle their cases.
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"The country should not waste money on OFWs who bring in drugs. You embarrass us, why should we even help you?" the senator said.
As in the Philippines, mgirants accused of crime are presumed innocent in courts abroad.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega explained that the legal assistance fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs helps out migrants and OFWs, and some OFWs are extended assistance especially because some countries impose death penalties over drug-related violations.
Migrante International emphasized that an "overwhelming majority" of OFWs with drug charges are "victims of wealthy and well-connected drug syndicates."
The coalition cited the case of Mary Jane Veloso, an OFW detained in Indonesia for over a decade now, who was tricked into carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin by sewing it onto the lining of her luggage.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo sought for executive clemency for Veloso last year during a state visit to Indonesia
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"To deny legal support to OFWs in Mary Jane’s and others’ situation is to turn a blind eye to the drug syndicates, condone the mistreatment suffered by Filipinos facing drug charges in foreign lands, and consign our kababayans in these situations to the death penalty or long jail terms," Concepcion said.
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