The misery of the remaining 68 Filipino bus drivers still stranded in Dubai could soon be over.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said he was able to talk with various government officials in the United Arab Emirates and several agreements have been reached to address the issue.

Roque was a guest at the migrant workers’ day at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai.

He assured that bus drivers can now opt to go home anytime soon. He however refused to elaborate how the huge overstaying penalties for their expired visas were finally settled.

Roque added that if the drivers wish to stay in Dubai, they will be offered alternative jobs.

Of the remaining 68 stranded drivers, 18 have been hired already by Emirates Catering and have been issued new work visas. Another eight will be employed by Quality Mix, a concrete company in the UAE.

As this developed, Roque vowed to strike harder against recruitment agencies involved in illegal reprocessing of work contracts.

He reiterated the labor department's move to permanently cancel the license of what he calls the "dirty dozen", referring to the 12 recruitment agencies, led by CYM International Recruitment and Placement Agency that illegally recruited 137 Filipino bus drivers who were promised jobs at the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai.

Meanwhile, some 50 distressed workers at the POLO will also go home soon after they got free plane tickets from the Development Bank of the Philippines.

Reynaldo David, chairman and CEO of DBP, said he was deeply touched by the misfortunes of the Filipina runaways at the labor center, prompting him to request the DBP board to approve the release of funds for the repatriation of 50 distressed OFWs this coming June 11, or on the eve of the Labor Day celebration in the Philippines.

Pacman urged to aid stranded drivers

Last week, some of the wives of the remaining OFWs in Dubai called on peoples’ champ Manny Pacquiao and President Arroyo to help bring home their husbands.

“Nananawagan at humihingi po kami ng tulong sa ating pambansang kamao na kung pwede tulungan din po ninyo kami,” appealed Ofelia Bernardo.
Bernardo was among the seven women who went to the press conference organized by the Blas F. Ople Policy Center to reiterate their plea for help for their husbands.

“Kayo lang po ang isa sa aming malalapitan sa ngayon sa aming mga problema. Kay Mr. Manny Pacquiao tulungan ninyo po kami. Kahit nahihiya po kaming humingi ng tulong. Ngayon hindi na. Kahit sino lalapitan namin alang-alang sa aming mga pamilya at mga anak namin na hindi makakapasok, hindi makakapag-aral sa nangyari sa amin,” Bernardo said.

The group strongly believes that Pacquiao better understands what they are going through as he too was once poor.

Rubilyn Rendon said it was hard for her to decide to leave her children, aged 12 and 10, with her in-laws in the province. Although she admits she’s lonely without them, she believes it’s for the best. At least her in-laws can send her children to school.

“Kung gaano kasakit sa isang ina na ang anak ibinigay na lang sa biyenan para makapag-aral. Nagiisa na lang ako dito. Walang asawa, walang anak.  Tapos wala pa akong hanap-buhay. Mga kapatid ko na lang ang nagbibigay para may makain ako dito sa Manila,” Rendon said.

Like many others, Rendon’s husband Welyn dreamed of giving his family a better future. However, that dreamed turned into a nightmare after they were duped by his recruiter into believing that a job was waiting for him in Dubai. Not only that, she and the other families are now burdened with debts and for some, family separation.

“Yung pangarap nasira. Pamilya nasira. Masakit sa isang ina na di mo maibigay ang pangangailangan ng anak mo. Kapag kausap ko siya (husband) sa telepono di siya nagsasalita. Ayaw niya sigurong iparamdam na nanghihina siya. Sabi ko nga ipasa-diyos na lang,” Rendon said.

In all of Irenea Maniego’s 18 years of marriage to her husband, they never borrowed money---until now.

Maniego’s eldest daughter, who is in second year college, had to stop schooling due to lack of money. She said her daughter was greatly affected when she learned that her father was among the 137 bus drivers who scavenged for food in Ajman.

“Nasa akin ang lahat ng bigat ng problema. Inaalala ko mga anak ko, asawa ko sa Dubai, sasabihin ng tao at problema dito,” Maniego said.

Evangeline Handig’s two children also stopped going to school because of financial difficulties.

Aside from Pacquiao, they also appealed for President Arroyo’s help to bring their husbands home.

“Ina ka din. May mga anak ka at asawa. Sana iparamdam mo sa amin bilang ina ng Pilipinas nakikiusap kami wala na kaming magagawa. Ang asawa at anak namin, lubog na lubog na kami sa hirap, sa kahihiyang ginagawa sa amin ng mga tao. Ano pa gagawin namin bilang mga ina? Nasa iyon ang lahat ng powers, pera, kapangyarihan at katalinuhan,” said Maniego.

The wives worry about the increasing fines imposed by the Dubai government for overstaying foreigners. Those who have pending legitimate job offers cannot start work because of the fines that needs to be settled first and has already reached P3.6 million.

“Ang pakiusap po namin yung fine nila, lahat po ng may working visa, tulungan ng gubyerno natin para sila ay makapagtrabaho na at para naman kaming mga iniwan nilang pamilya ay makaasa sa kikitaain nila,” Bernardo said.

“Hindi makaalis doon dahil sa mga fines nila na napakalaki na dahil mag four months na sila doon na ganun pa din,” said Edita Henandez.

Scavenging for food

For Ople Center head, Susan Ople, the penalty is just small compared to the pork barrel received by congressmen and senators.

“Kung tutuusin kayang-kayang bayaran yan ng ating pamahalaan. Wala pa iyan sa pork barrel ng isang kongresista o isang senador. Napakaliit na halaga. Ang hinahanap namin ay yung konkretong plano ng pamahalaan kung paano yung mga gustong umuwi ay makauwi na at yung mga may employment visa naman doon, 18 sila, ay makapagtrabaho na,” Ople said.

The recruitment agency charged each driver P150,000 as placement fee and promised them a salary of P67,000.

The drivers left Manila from January to March 2009. They were brought to Ajman Camp which is near a garbage dumpsite. The camp did not have its own electric supply and water. It was only later that they found out that RTA was in a freeze-hiring mode since November 2008.

Since there was no work the drivers scavenged for food in the dumpsite. Two of the drivers already fell ill of food poisoning.

According to Labor Attache Atty. Virginia Calvez, Dubai immigration’s fee structure charges overstaying foreigners 200 dirham on the first day, and 100 dirham on the succeeding days.

“Computation of penalties starts on the day of the flight,” Calvez said.

Al Toomoh, the counterpart of CYM International in Dubai, promised to shoulder the fines. The Ople Center said this has yet to be fulfilled.

“Kapag nabayaran yan, malilinis ang records nila sa immigration. Yung 18 na gustong  i-hire ng Emirates Airline Catering pwede nang magtrabaho at yung natitira doon pwede nang maiuwi,” Ople said.

“These workers went through the process and somehow the system failed them. They also face the threat of eviction dahil may pumunta na doon na pulis at tiningnan yung accommodations nila at sinabing illegal daw yung accommodations ng mga workers natin doon dahil walang kuryente at walang tubig,” explained Ople.

To date, three complaints have been filed against the agency and a financial firm. One was filed before the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to cancel the licenses of CYM International and 11 other agencies. A criminal case was filed before the Department of Justice for illegal recruitment and human trafficking and a class suit was lodged before the Regional Trial Court in Manila to nullify the debts incurred by the drivers from lending companies like RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp.

“Ang habulin dapat ng RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp at nang mga bangkong involved ay yung recruiter--yung CYM international at iba pang recruitment agencies na nambiktima sa kanilang mga asawa,” Ople said.  With reports from Maria Aleta Nieva-Nishimori, abs-cbnNEWS.com