DFA Chief Unaware on Sex Rings at PHL Embassies

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said on Thursday that he was initially unaware of reports of prostitution allegedly operated by Philippine embassy staffers, despite purported knowledge of senior foreign officials that nefarious practices had been going on, GMA Online news reported.

News to go tv anchor Howie Severino asked on Thursday morning whether the DFA secretary has previous knowledge on the issue, Del Rosario said “No, I must admit it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.” Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello on Thursday alleged that sex rings have existed for years at several embassies in the Middle East. Bello added that more recently, three Philippine embassy and labor officials in particular have been actively selling the sexual services of female overseas Filipino workers under the guardianship of the embassy, some for US$1000 for a few hours in the middle of the night.

The Online News said Del Rosario had vowed a thorough investigation and the creation of a special hotline for victims so they can contact the DFA officials directly about their experiences of being abused. “Their conversations and interactions with us will be held confidential and we will commit ourselves to protecting them,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario also summoned to Manila the heads of Philippine posts in Jordan, Kuwait, and Syria to help shed light on allegations.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello, chairman of the House committee on overseas workers’ affairs, said three Philippine embassy and labor officials in the Middle East have been accused of sexually abusing (OFWs) in exchange for repatriation.

These alleged cases of exploitation were uncovered when Bello’s committee investigated the reported “sex-for-flight” activities where overseas Pinays were allegedly offered repatriation by officials in exchange for sex, said the Online News.

The Online News further said that in a press briefing on Thursday, Bello has expressed a desire for a special investigating body to be formed by the President in order to look into the matters of sexual exploitation of Pinays in several Arab countries. “What I want is a Presidential Investigating Body, to include also Qatar and the UAE, and maybe eventually more in Arab countries,” Bello said, revealing that his contacts within the DFA and the DOLE are not confident that an investigation run by DOLE will be impartial.

Bello, chairman of the House committee on overseas workers’ affairs, said the two identified mid to senior level personnel were from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jordan and Kuwait.

“The impression that I got [from my informants] is that they are not comfortable speaking at an investigation that will be conducted by the DOLE. There are reservations from DOLE informants. Pag DOLE ang mag investigate, ang sense nila hindi sila confident, baka hindi sila magsalita,” Bello told GMA News Online, following his closed door meeting with some members of the DOLE.

Bello said that he might forward the request to Malacanang to intervene in setting up an investigating team.

“Ang request sa Malacanang, isa na lang ang investigation, since subordinate naman ang DOLE at DFA sa kanila,” he said.

Bello also spoke about his meeting with DOLE officials, where he revealed he cleared out several issues.

“The mood was okay. I was confrontational to start, noting that [what one of the accused has been saying] are lies, na pakulo lang ng mga illegal recruiters yung issue. I told them that they should not be reporting that,” Bello said.

For its part, the DOLE has assured the public that there will be no cover up in their investigation.

Acting Secretray Rebecca Chato spoke to reporters after the closed door meeting with Bello to say that the public can expect results in two weeks, and that OFW victims will be given protection. Chato also said the department remains committed to cleaning up its ranks, GMA online news said.

The DFA chief also said he recalled several ambassadors to help shed light on the accusations.

“We expect them soon at the same time weve also asked the heads of the posts in Syria, Kuwait and Jordan to come back to be able to shed light on the investigation that we hope to start soon,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario added that two of the accused officials have been asked to return to the Philippines on Wednesday while the other is already in the country. He disclosed that one of the returning officials is from the DFA while the other one works for the DOLE.

He added that the heads of those embassies may be held accountable for their subordinates if proven that they had knowledge on the actions of the erring officials. “Hopefully we will come to an objective conclusion on it,” Del Rosario said.

The online news added that in a press release on Thursday, acting Senate President Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said he will work for a P1 budget for the DFA and the DOLE should they fail to resolve this case with dispatch and to punish unscrupulous Filipino diplomats involved in this “sex-for-flight” modus.

Estrada, chairman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development and Congressional Oversight Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, has said the “officials found guilty of this heinous offense must be immediately put behind bars and slapped with administrative sanctions, including perpetual disqualification from public office.”

“Gaya marahil ng mga nakarinig ng istoryang ito, ako ay nanggagalaiti sa galit nang aking malaman na ang ilang opisyal ng ating embahada at POLO ay nakuha pang pagkakitaan ang kalunos-lunos na sinapit ng ating mga kababayang OFW,” Estrada said.

“Sila na tinatakbuhan ng mga OFW at inaasahang magtatanggol sa kanilang karapatan at kapakanan ang siya palang magsasamantala sa kanila,” he added.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) condemned “sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and other forms of violence against women (VAW) and warrants proper action to Philippine officials who may be involved in the alleged “sex-for-fly” activities in the Middle East.”

It further said that “Rape and human trafficking are serious crimes and are contrary to the principles of respect and human dignity. Both can cause serious physical, emotional and psychological pains. PCW finds it disturbing that some Philippine officials in the Middle East are said to be among the perpetrators of human trafficking, prostitution and VAW,” the group noted, according to the online news.

The PCW said traffickers and VAW perpetrators should be held accountable. “We need to send clear, unambiguous signals to embassy and labor officials that they cannot impose false authority over OFWs asking for help,” the group said.

Source: gma news.tv