EDITORIAL - Cold and quiet as a doorknob

The government is supposed to be on top of everything, especially on matters that affect the lives of all citizens both here and abroad. Unfortunately, this government appears to have its hands so full of ongoing domestic controversies it seems to have forgotten about Filipinos now in harm's way overseas.

Specific mention should be made of the more than 3,000 overseas Filipino workers still remaining in strife-torn Syria, a country whose troubles can only get worse in the coming days in light of threatened military intervention by the United States and its allies.

At least 4,000 have already been repatriated. But what is the government doing about the remaining 3,000 who have yet to be extricated from that country? Last heard from any government functionary regarding the matter was that an appeal was made for these holdouts to come home.

Mere entreaties for voluntary repatriation are not enough under the circumstances. If it is necessary for these Filipino workers to be forcibly evacuated, then that should be the option the Philippine government must exercise.

It is understandable for Filipinos working overseas to throw caution to the wind. Unable to find jobs at home, they are forced to look for jobs elsewhere outside our borders. But finding jobs overseas is not as easy as picking wild guavas, given the sheer number of Filipinos desperate for work.

Those who manage to land jobs are therefore adamant in keeping them. Given everything they have had to sacrifice, their willingness to dodge even bullets should come as no surprise. The government, therefore, must not rely on mere voluntary repatriation to bring them home to safety.

But it appears that the priorities of the government right now are to pursue its agenda on the pork barrel scam, as well as to protect its own vulnerabilities that it never expected to surface. The government, swept into power on the tide of hope, is in a seeming panic over the shift in tides.

It is doubtful, however, if anything much can be expected of government these days, especially from a leader who is known for his propensity to duck responsibilities, as in times of calamities. With regard to the Syrian crisis where it pertains to Filipinos, the president is as cold and quiet as a doorknob.