Senator Robin Padilla is pushing for stiffer punishment for Philippine ambassadors and diplomatic personnel who are abusing overseas Filipino workers.
Padilla said committing these abuses is a betrayal of their oath.
The discussion was brought up when the Senate looked into the budget of the newly-created Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople. shared the case of one OFW sexually abused by a former ambassador in Kuwait over a decade ago.
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Ople said her NGO helped the OFW in filing the complaint against the envoy.
Ople revealed the complaint was only resolved a month ago and the ambassador was only meted with fines.
“Sana po magkaroon tayo talaga ng ngipin sa mga ganitong pangyayari. Ang hirap tanggapin talaga. Nahirapan akong tanggapin. Ambassador ka, ikaw ang tatay sa lugar na ‘yan. Tapos ikaw ang unang-una nasa shelter pa ang tao?” Padilla said.
Padilla then pushes for the revival of the case.
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“Kung buhay pa ang kaso, baka pupuwedeng habulin pa po natin at siguro po puwede na nating bitayin,” the senator said. Shortly after, Senate Committee on Migrant Workers chairman Sen. Raffy Tulfo directed that Padilla’s words be removed from Senate records.
Ople suggested that the law on anti-sexual harassment should be revisited.
“Basta Filipino na personnel ng gobyerno natin abroad, dapat covered ng batas,” she said.
