40 Distressed OFWs in Europe Get Help

Around 40 Filipino truck drivers in Germany and Poland have been rescued from poor living and working conditions by the Philippine government, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday,

Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said the DFA is looking into the possibility that some of the drivers were trafficking victims.

At present, the Philippine embassies in Oslo, Berlin, and Warsaw are working closely with authorities in extending assistance to the drivers who were recruited in the Philippines.

The embassies provided them with food and shelter, while the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Geneva is discussing their situation with their employer.

The case was first brought to the attention of the Philippine embassy in Oslo, which earlier attended to 22 other truck drivers found working and living in similar substandard conditions in Denmark.

The 22 Filipino drivers were rescued after the Danish police raided their camp in Padborg last month.

“Forty other drivers have since contacted the embassies in Warsaw and Berlin for assistance,” the agency said. (PNA)