Nanay Gloria is Returning to HK
WELCOME back.
Domestic worker Gloria Ortinez is set to return to Hong Kong to talk to her employer and retain her job after the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed the case against her.
Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, said Ortinez will fly back to Hong Kong on November 14 after the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case of illegal possession of ammunition filed against her.
Ople will accompany Ortinez together with her lawyer, Spocky Farolan, and Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III.
“Nanay Gloria is so traumatized to enter the airport again. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz gave instructions to her undersecretary to assist us until Hong Kong,” Ople told Hong Kong News.
“Regaining her job is a vital step towards her recovery from the trauma caused by the ‘tanim-bala’ syndicate,” she added.
The DOJ prosecutor dismissed the case against Ortinez for “lack of probable cause.”
“Assuming for the sake of argument that the ammunition was recovered from her possession, nowhere in the entire statements of the complainants will show that (Ortinez) had any intention to possess the subject ammunition,” the prosecutor said.
Farolan said Ortinez was “very, very happy” with the DOJ decision.
“We’re very, very happy not only for Nanay Gloria because this decision can actually be used by other victims,” Farolan told Hong Kong News.
Farolan said the Pasay City prosecutor stated that “intent to possess” was vital if an illegal possession of ammunition case were to prosper.
“Kailangan alam ng tao na may bala siya at kailangan yung kaalaman niya may kaakibat din na plano para gamitin yung bala na yun,” Farolan said.
“Kung wala po yun at ang kaso mo ay sa Pasay…madidismiss po ang kaso,” he said.
Farolan said Ortinez was closely working with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) so that she could file charges against those who “planted” the bullet in her bag.
“Wala pa tayong sinasabi na mga pulis o taga-airport ang gumagawa nito kaya patuloy ang aming pakikipagtulungan sa NBI para alamin kung sino talaga,” Farolan said.
“Pag nalaman po natin ang katotohanan, dun na po..sunod-sunod na po ang mga kaso diyan. Kung kinakailangan na pumirma si Nanay Gloria para maging complainant ay gagawin po namin,” he said.
Ortinez had insisted that she was a victim of the “tanim-bala” modus operandi at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on October 25.
To help put an end to the scam, Labor chief Baldoz has created a task force to immediately help overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who fall victim to the “tanim-bala” modus operandi.
“This deplorable modus operandi is sowing fear among our OFWs who are either going abroad for employment, or coming home to their families for a vacation,” Baldoz said.
The Inter-Agency Team is composed of Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA); Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB); Legal Service (LS); and Labor Communications Office (LCO).
Baldoz said that if an OFW is apprehended for alleged possession of ammunition/ bullets, the POEA and OWWA shall, through their respective Labor Assistance Center and Welfare Officers stationed at the airports, immediately assist the concerned OFW.
The DOLE assistance shall include legal advice; psycho-social counselling; free communication lines to immediate family, friend, recruitment agency, or lawyer; and food and accommodation.
The POEA and OWWA shall immediately advise the ILAB when an OFW is arrested. The ILAB will then communicate with the concerned Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) to advise the
foreign agency or employer on the OFW’s situation and, if possible, request that the OFW be given reasonable time to thresh out the issue.
The POEA shall also inform the OFW’s recruitment agency of the incident for any assistance, such as coordination with the foreign principal/employer and possible placement to other employer in case the OFWs employment is forfeited.
Baldoz also said that the OWWA 24/7 Operations Center with contact numbers 551-6641; 833-6992; 551-1560; and 0917 898-6992 shall serve as hotlines for OFWs victimized by “tanim-bala.”
Meanwhile, PNP-Aviation Security Group-NCR chief P/Supt. Ricardo Layug, Jr., who earned the ire of OFWs especially after photos of him wearing an expensive watch spread, was sacked from his post.
Also relieved due to the “tanim-bala” controversy were AVSEGROUP spokesperson P/Supt. Jeanne Panisan and AVSEU-NCR investigation chief P/Sr. Inspector Eugene Juaneza. – with Bing Jabadan