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Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello's cover letter of House committee report on sex for flight scheme. Source: Overseas Welfare Affairs Committee, House of Representatives
Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello's cover letter of House committee report on sex for flight scheme. Source: Overseas Welfare Affairs Committee, House of Representatives
Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello's cover letter of House committee report on sex for flight scheme. Source: Overseas Welfare Affairs Committee, House of Representatives
House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa 1126 ue!on "it#, Philippines $el% &6'(2) *'1(5++1 lo,- .2*2 $elefa/% &6'(2) *'1(65.5 Hon. WALDEN F. BELLO Representative AKBAYAN! Citizens Action Party
Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives Quezon City, Metro Manila May 28, 2014 Greetings,
Attached to this letter is the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs reort on the committee hearings !e have devoted on the ho"se resol"tions nos# 22 and 4$ looking into the so%called &se'%for%flight( scheme# )n the co"rse of o"r committee hearings !e have e'osed an intricate !e* involving o"r officials !ho have se'"ally a*"sed and e'loited o"r O+Ws# )t !as a disconcerting revelation that those !ho are on the frontlines of defending o"r migrant !orkers !ere eretrating these a*"ses#
,he testimonies of the vario"s victims and !itnesses together !ith the evidence o"r committee !as a*le to gather ainted the ict"re of a cli-"e of "*lic officials !ho are systematically r"nning a rostit"tion, racketeering, and e'tortion ring !hile disensing their d"ties as "*lic officials# O"r cons"lates and em*assies and government oerated safe ho"ses are no longer havens o"r migrant !orkers can seek shelter from a*"se#
We have also seen a sordid scheme eretrated *y the .eartment of +oreign Affairs and the .eartment of /a*or and 0mloyment to ens"re that the officials involved in these a*"ses are not held acco"nta*le for their crimes# A glaring e'amle of this is the .+A1s incomlete investigation on the matter and its cover " of a rae case involving one of its officials !ho a*"sed a +iliina O+W in )ran#
Also, there !as the astonishing sla on the !rist meted *y .O/0 to Assistant /a*or Attache Antonio 2illaf"erte and /a*or Attache Adam M"sa, !ho !ere charged *y O+Ws, resectively, !ith attemted rae and cover%" of an attemted rae# M"sa !as simly given a one month s"sension !hile 2illaf"erte !as given a mere rerimand# Adding ins"lt to in3"ry is /a*or 4ecretary 5osalinda 6aldo71s defense of .O/01s handling of these cases arg"ing that the victims1 fail"re to give f"rther testimony !eakened the cases and s"ch decisions are final desite o"r committee1s re-"est to reconsider them#
,his does not *ode !ell for o"r efforts to strengthen and reform these instit"tions# )f *oth agencies are tr"ly committed to hold erring officials acco"nta*le and restore o"r O+Ws tr"st in these instit"tions they !o"ld have e'ha"sted all aven"es and "sed every reso"rce at their disosal to sec"re the victims1 testimonies and gather s"fficient evidence to hold their officials lia*le# 4adly !e did not see s"ch efforts# While *oth agencies have romised reforms to revent s"ch incidents of se'"al a*"se s"ch as increasing female officers handling distressed female migrant !orkers, !e are !orried that s"ch reforms !o"ld *e an e'ercise in f"tility "nless the erring individ"als are rosec"ted#
,he disaointing resonse of .O/0 and .+A can *e rectified *y the .eartment of 8"stice1s f"ll commitment to rosec"ting those involved in the se'%for%flight scheme# As of no!, the .O81s rosec"tors are investigating the merits of each case of a*"se# We e'ect no less than filing of criminal charges in CHAIRMAN: COMMITTEE ON OERSEAS !ORKERS A""AIRS ICE CHAIR: COMMITTEE ON AGRIC#$T#RE AN% "OO% COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS: ENERGY & "OREIGN A""AIRS & $ABOR AN% EMP$OYMENT POP#$ATION AN% "AMI$Y RE$ATIONS & NATIONA$ %E"ENSE AN% SEC#RITY & NAT#RA$ RESO#RCES & SPECIA$ COMMITTEE ON $AN% #SE co"rt# We !o"ld also like to remind 4ecretary /eila .e /ima of her romise to "se her agencies reso"rces to sec"re the rotection of the !itnesses# ,his not only entails sec"ring their safety *"t also ens"ring that the victims are given the necessary s"ort from o"r government to "rs"e their cases# We !ill hold 4ecretary .e /ima to her romise#
O"r recommendations to the agencies are contained in the reort# )t details the necessary actions that officials of .O/0, .O8 and the .+A m"st take in order to *ring the eretrators of these a*omina*le crimes against o"r O+Ws to 3"stice# )t reflects o"r committee mem*ers1 collective resolve to tr"ly reform the instit"tions that resond to o"r migrant !orkers1 needs and restore the "*lic1s tr"st in them#