280 OFWs granted amnesty

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Jejomar C. Binay arrived Saturday afternoon from a week-long trip to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he secured amnesty for 280 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) charged with minor offenses in those countries.

“We are most grateful to the governments of Kuwait and UAE for this accommodation. We are hopeful that the Amir of Kuwait will soon grant Amiri pardon to 13 more Filipinos now under detention,” Binay said.

Of those granted amnesty, 200 OFWs are wards at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) in Kuwait, while the 80 others worked in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in UAE.

“As a result of the (Kuwaiti) Amir’s amnesty, 79 wards at FWRC with plane tickets will now be repatriated to the Philippines,” Binay said.

The rest will be repatriated as soon as their plane tickets are ready, he added.

The 80 OFWs from Dubai and Abu Dhabi will also be repatriated.

During his visit to Kuwait and UAE, Binay held talks with the Filipino communities in those countries and learned about their concerns as well as their triumphs.

“I have never been more proud of our OFWs. And our people have every reason to feel the same,” he said.

“This mission has deepened my admiration and respect for all our OFWs, whose daily heroism has won and continues to win the respect and admiration of other peoples,” he said.

“While we customarily laud them for their irreplaceable ontribution to the national economy, to which they regularly add at least $18 billion a year, we do not always appreciate the fact that their more enduring contribution is their generosity of spirit and quality of service, which has become their trademark as global Filipinos whose dream, among others, is to transform themselves from mere workers to managers and entrepreneurs.”

Binay was President Benigno S. Aquino III’s representative to Kuwait’s celebration of its 50th year of independence, the 20th anniversary of its Liberation from Saddam’s occupation forces, and the 5th anniversary of the ascension to power of its present Amir, Sheik Sabah Al-Ahmed A-Jaber Al Sabah.

Binay had hand-carried an appeal from the President, asking the Amir for amnesty for OFWs charged with minor offenses and to consider pardon for those presently detained.

The Vice President said despite the big number of foreign heads of states and governments who attended the celebration, he was afforded a brief impromptu meeting with the Amir and the Prime Minister during the state dinner.

While visiting the emirate of Ajman, the Vice President also had an unscheduled meeting with the ruler, Sheik Humaid bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi. The Sheik expressed great interest in investment policies and the areas of development open to foreign investors, and the Vice President made a pitch for increased investments in energy development and housing.

Binay also joined the Philippine trade delegation at the four-day Dubai Food Fair, which reported a sale of $35 million, and met a major Kuwaiti investor in Clark and Mindanao, and one huge potential investor in any number of projects in the country.

source: mb.com.ph