President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not hold back his anger after footage circulated showing what appeared to be a Department of Migrant Workers official in Bahrain allegedly mistreating overseas Filipino workers who had gone to the embassy seeking financial help.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, speaking to reporters Monday in New York where Marcos is on a three-day working visit, said the President’s reaction was one of outrage. “Hindi po ito ikinatuwa ng Pangulo. Nagalit siya para sa ating mga OFWs dahil sa pagmamaltrato ng ilang public servant,” she said.
The DMW personnel involved have since been pulled from their post in Bahrain and are now subject to an administrative investigation, Castro confirmed.
She was blunt in her assessment of officials who fall short: those who cannot serve Filipinos wholeheartedly, she said, should simply resign. Castro also took the opportunity to reiterate Marcos’ standing directive to all government agencies to prioritize the welfare of OFWs, particularly those caught in the crossfire of the ongoing unrest across the Middle East.
On the repatriation front, the government has already brought home roughly 400 OFWs and their dependents since March 3, with the effort drawing on the Emergency Repatriation Fund administered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. Some workers are making the journey overland, while others are being flown out via chartered flights departing from Dubai, Riyadh, and Saudi Arabia — the earliest of which is scheduled no sooner than March 14.
For those based in the United Arab Emirates who wish to return, Castro said the government is still working out the logistics, describing the flight arrangements as being in the final stages of preparation.
