Vice President Jejomar C. Binay arrives with five distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from Dubai at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Binay previously met and gave plane tickets to Rosminda Baui, Leowilyn Tan, Lucresia Insesto, Angelyn Tak and Belsie Espine when he visited the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Center at the Consulate General of the Philippines in Dubai.
United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) vice presidential candidate and Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II, Representative Martin Romualdez, Representative Danilo Suarez and families of the OFWs welcomed them upon their arrival.
In a press conference, Binay, former Presidential Adviser on OFW concerns, said he supports Senator Nancy Binay’s move to increase the assistance fund for OFWs and undocumented Filipino workers.
“Apparently, undocumented ‘tong isa kasi apat na buwan na nandoon [sa shelter]. ‘Yan ang malaking problema, kasi tapos na ‘yong lahat ng papeles pero natatagalan iyong tulong sa pamasahe pauwi. Si Senator Nancy nga nagbabalak na maglagay ng pondo para magamit sa kanilang pamasahe,” he said.
The elderly Binay noted that many of those who suffered abuses abroad are undocumented and do not qualify for assistance that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration gives its members.
Binay, who also served as chairman of the Presidential Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (PTFAIR), vowed to assist in the investigation of the OFWs’ cases, especially those who were given jobs different from what was promised them as he called for clearer guidelines on the repatriation of undocumented workers.
The Vice President had been on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has held dialogs with OFWs and UAE officials led by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Labor Minister Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash on issues covering investments, job opportunities, and workers’ welfare.