27 August 2011 - The Philippine Embassy in Manama reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that it facilitated on Friday, August 26, the repatriation of 22 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and an infant from Bahrain, the second mass repatriation project undertaken by the Embassy this 2011. The first one was in January.
Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Corazon Yap-Bahjin accompanied the Filipino repatriates.
Representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) led by DFA-OUMWA Special Assistant Atty. Enrico T. Fos welcomed and extended assistance to the Filipino repatriates who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) this morning.Eighteen (18) of the 22 Filipino repatriates were undocumented workers, who were illegally recruited and deployed for work in Bahrain. Prior to their repatriation, these OFWs had been staying at the Embassy's shelter.
Most of the Filipino repatriates absconded from their employers due to various reasons. Their complaints ranged from reduced, delayed or non-payment of salaries, long working hours, heavy workload, inadequate food provision to physical and verbal abuse, among others.
The Embassy made representations with their employers for their visa cancellation, with the police and immigration authorities for the appropriate clearances and with the courts for the speedy resolution of their cases.
Four of the repatriates were provided tickets by Bahrain non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and manpower agencies. The rest were repatriated using tickets provided by the Philippine government, through the DFA's Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) funds.