AMONG 300 DISTRESSED FROM MALDIVES:
40 ailing OFWs return home

Forty distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived in the Philippines penniless and with high fever and various ailments from the island paradise of Maldives where they were forced to drink dirty water sullied by cockroaches and mosquito larvae.

The migrant workers from Vilingili, Maamhendoo, and Dhaandhoo Islands in Gaafu Alif Atoll returned to the country on Oct. 2 at 2:00 p.m. via flight MH 704, sponsored by the Maldivian government. They were among 300 OFWs who failed to get their salaries aside from enduring squalid living conditions.

Villar's office, which was contacted by the OFWs, fetched them at the airport in Manila and provided them immediate medical assistance and a late lunch, while affording them transportation fares for their trips back to their hometowns in Apayao, Isabela, Kalinga, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Bulacan, La Union, Bicol, Metro Manila, and Negros Occidental.

"Not only must they be given immediate and adequate medical attention, but our OFWs must also get their due wages and compensation for damages," Villar said, while emphasizing that the remaining beleaguered OFWs in Maldives should be promptly repatriated.

The migrant workers were employed as construction workers by a firm which promised them salaries ranging from US$400 to US$500 and decent accommodation. In Maldives, however, they were made to engage in hard manual labor without adequate food, causing gastritis and fatigue. They were also made to sleep in flea-ridden beds, which led to insomnia and skin ailments.

Danny Catalon, like the 39 others who came home, left the Philippines to uplift his family's life. His dream turned into a living nightmare in Maldives where he and his other fellow OFWs had to live through distressing conditions.

"Ang bawat araw sa Maldives ay bangungot. Pinabayaan kami ng aming employer. Wala nang sweldo, wala pang pagkain. Kung mayroon man ay nilalangaw naman. Umaasa rin kami sa ulan para makainom kung saan dumadaan ito sa filtration doon na may kiti-kiti, ipis at bulok na dahon," recounted Catalon who returned to his family in Marikina City.

The OFWs, assisted by Migrante International, are set to file a case on Oct. 15 against their employer and agency for contract substitution and other abuses.

Among the OFWs who returned are: Abraham Sanchez, Joel Miguel, Elbert Mercado, Joel Rivo, Edwin Rullan, Adonis Mingaracal, Chito Cairas, William Ginez, Saturnino Repato, Mario Adriano Jr., Edchel Ariate, John Mar Javier, Louie Nabor, Albino Bernabe Jr., Ruben Rosario, Michael Tubo, Edmar Persona, Dionicio Antalan, John Paul Doctolero, Jeffren Amboy, Joy Ladera, Sandy Lumanog, Divo Turqueza, Jomar Bilgera, Jefte Juralbal, Rommel Viernes, Jervie Louie Banot, Julimar Pabro, Zaldy Acumabig, William Nicolas, and Valero Cabarubias.

Harsh conditions faced by OFWs has prompted Villar to actively press for the application of the "no-fault insurance" for OFWs, a form of indemnity plan in which anyone injured in an accident or misfortune receives direct payment from the company that has insured them, eliminating the need for victims to establish another's liability or fault through a civil case.

Villar has set up helpline "Sagip OFW" for distressed migrant workers to give them an avenue to air their plight for timely assistance, while batting for conducive economic conditions to expand opportunities in the country as a long-term solution.

Maldives, famous for its pristine islands and clear waters, is a country that stretches south of India's Lakshadweep islands, southwest of Sri Lanka. It is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area, and predominantly Muslim.