Home | To bottom

Ifugao OFW exposes Lebanon ordeal

BAGUIO CITY (June 2) — Abigail Cabbigat, 32, a native of Lagawe, Ifugao, revealed to the local media the inhuman treatment she has experienced as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Lebanon in a press conference organized by Migrante last May.

Cabbigat first worked as a domestic helper in Hong Kong in 2004 to augment her family income. She then worked in Lebanon for the next 10 months, then escaped from her abusive employer. Lately, she was repatriated.

Plight in Lebanon

Cabbigat said that she has also learned of the experiences of fellow OFWs in Lebanon. She knew of workers sent back to their recruitment agencies, then to the Overseas Workers Welfare Agency (OWWA) shelters, after being falsely accused of theft. Some of them had no recourse but to head back home using their own money for plane tickets.

There are also cases of forced extension of OFW contracts. The failure to complete the said extension will be used against them to pay the sum of US$2,000 as an alleged payment for the employer’s expenses. “If they fail to pay, they will be sued,” Cabbigat told Nordis. She added that most employers do not care about the health of their employees.

Cabbigat also recounted how another OFW from Samar, was raped by his employer, employer’s son, and the employer’s son’s friend. When she finally escaped, she immediately filed a case at the OWWA. The Agency paid US$5,000 for the damages but the employer and the other culprits are still free. She is now in her hometown with her family.

Another woman from Pangasinan ran away from her abusive employer. Unfortunately, she was locked in jail because her employer told the police that she tried to escape and stole US $500,000. Until now, she is languishing in a Lebanon jail, Nordis learned.

“If our government cannot afford to protect and defend the rights of migrant workers who are being abused and maltreated by their employers in the Middle East and other countries, then the government should have the decency to stop deploying workers from the Philippines,” Cabbigat reiterated.

Labor export policy

In a recent press conference, OFWs claimed that the Philippine government is exporting labor force to other countries, because this is its remedy to the unemployment problem of the country.

According to a national weekly, the labor export policy is a systematic government program to export workers and earn from them. The said program aims to reduce unemployment and increase dollar reserves of the country.

Migrante-Metro Baguio Chair Flora Belinan reiterated that the dollar remittances and processing fees collected from OFWs have been saving the country’s economy.

These OFWs observed that while the Labor Export Policy continues, many of good Filipino doctors, nurses, engineers and other professionals are migrating abroad to earn more. Only a few are left to serve the needy. The migration of medical workers and other professionals adversely affects the country’s economy and the quality of services in hospitals and other public institutions.

“The present administration must act now before it is too late. We should not wait for more deaths and abuses before government acts on it,” Cabbigat ended. # Johnny Fialen for NORDIS

Post your comments, reactions to this article

Home | Back to top