At least 60 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) were saved from possible arrest after they were repatriated by the Philippine Embassy in Moscow from January to June this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.
The number represented a 33 percent increase compared to a year ago, DFA said.
OFW whose visas have expired are unable to exit Russia, compelling them to seek the embassy to engage the Russian police, courts and immigration.
Filipino expatriates in Russia without proper travel documents are vulnerable to arrest and detention prior to deportation.
Filipinos who secure embassy assistance for voluntary repatriation allow them to avoid jail.
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“We developed this program of voluntary repatriation precisely for our undocumented nationals to be able to exit Russia and to ensure that their rights and well-being are protected,” Ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos Sorreta said in a statement.
“It is difficult for most of our citizens to undergo this process on their own due to the language barrier and the fear of spending time in jail,” he added.
Catherine Alpay, third secretary and vice consul of the embassy’s assistance-to-nationals section, said a number of Filipinos still seek repatriation assistance.
“We have a number of fellow Filipinos here in Russia who wanted to come home and start anew but they can’t do it since some of them violated immigration rules,” she said.
“The voluntary repatriation program allows them to go home to be with their loved ones and plan their next steps,” she said.
Aside from those with immigration violations, among the recipients of the embassy’s assistance are Filipinos with urgent medical conditions. The service is purely voluntary and is free of charge, the DFA said.
Sorreta said the conclusion of a bilateral labor agreement that will govern the deployment of OFW to Russia continues to be the focus of the embassy’s OFW-related efforts.
“We are working closely with our Russian counterparts on this and the proposed agreement was one of the topics discussed during the meeting between Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last month,” he said.
