COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Local officials have expressed concern that they might be unable to cope with the possible massive return to the country soon of thousands more of undocumented Filipinos from Malaysia.
Almost 200 more deportees arrived in Tawi-Tawi early this week, bringing to almost 1,500 the total number of repatriates still confined in relief sites in the island province since last year’s hostilities in Sabah between the Malaysian Armed Forces and followers of the Sulu Sultanate erupted.
Representatives of various line agencies in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and local executives, during an emergency round-table forum early this week, agreed to help each other, along with the national government, in putting up shelters in Tawi-Tawi for Filipinos from Malaysia.
The meeting was jointly presided over by ARMM Regional Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia, Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali, and the governor of the island province, Nurbert Sahali.
The Malaysian government has stepped up anew its crackdown on undocumented Filipino workers in Malaysia, media reports said.
Alamia said the deportations do not only target undocumented Filipinos, but also illegal aliens coming from other countries.
Alamia is helping ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman oversee the operations of the regional government’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (HEART), which is helping attend to the needs of Filipinos returning from Malaysia.
Sahali, who is in her first term as congressional representative of Tawi-Tawi, said while their provincial government has limited resources and capabilities, they have not stopped from providing relief and rehabilitation services to deportees.
Sahali had recommended putting up relief outfits and processing centers to enable the documentation of Filipinos forced out of Malaysia before they are returned to their towns of origin in the autonomous region and in other parts of the country.
Sahali, who had served as regional social welfare secretary of ARMM from 2005 to 2007, said there is also an urgent need for socio-economic interventions, such as livelihood generation, to help the Filipinos from Malaysia.
Alamia said they will monitor the influx of deportees from Malaysia and work closely with the office of Sahali and the Tawi-Tawi governor in providing relief and rehabilitation services. - John Unson