27 July 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Manado led by Philippine Consul General Oscar G. Orcine hosted Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Jesus I. Yabes, the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (DFA-OUMWA), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Representatives for a Consular Mission to Manado and Bitung Cities from July 15 to 17.
During the course of the visit, the Consular Delegation visited various Philippine-owned and managed tuna fishing and canning factories in Bitung City, as well as visited Filipino detainees in the Immigration Detention Center (RUDENIM) in Manado who are awaiting their repatriation to the Philippines.
During the course of the visit, Undersecretary Yabes and the Consular Team to Manado interviewed the 32 Filipino nationals in RUDENIM, consisting of 20 Filipino fishermen and 12 Filipina women who were rescued from a human trafficking syndicate en route to jobs in the Middle East.
The 12 Filipinas narrated to the Undersecretary the circumstances which brought them to Indonesia and how they were recruited from different regions in the Philippines. The Undersecretary advised the women to go through regular deployment channels for migrant workers by submitting their documents to the Philippine Overseas Employment Organization (POEA) to ensure that they are covered by safety nets provided by the Philippine government. The women are expected to be brought back to Manila as soon as the Consulate General has obtained their plane tickets and completed departure procedures set by Indonesian authorities for their repatriation
Undersecretary Yabes also interviewed the 20 Filipino fishermen who were arrested by Indonesian authorities for illegal fishing and illegal entry into Indonesian waters. The Fishermen came from various crews who entered Indonesian waters and were arrested for illegal fishing. The fishermen are also expected to be repatriated as soon as the Consulate General completes their booking and Immigration clearance procedures. END