PH Envoys Hit for Acting Like ‘Tourist Guides’ of Politicians
INSTEAD of acting like “tourist guides” of politicians, ambassadors and consuls should pay attention to the welfare of distressed Filipino Workers abroad, Senator Francis Escudero said on Monday.
Quoting the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Escudero said around 13,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been facing various cases in different parts of the world.
“Isang bagay ito na dapat talagang tutukan, isang bagay ito na dapat pagtuunan ng pansin at imbes na nagsisilbing mga tour guide or tourist guide ng kongresista, senador at sinuman ang mga ambassadors at consul’s natin, ito ang dapat nilang tutukan at sana’y bigyang pansin,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s morning show, Umagang Kay Ganda.
Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, noted that from P10 million, Congress raised the legal assistance’s budget for OFWs to P100 million in 2015.
The senator made the remark when asked about criticisms that the government was slow in providing legal assistance to Mary Jane Veloso, who is reportedly set to be executed on Tuesday, April 28, in Indonesia for drug trafficking.
Escudero remained hopeful that Veloso could still be saved from her impending execution.
“Hindi ko kabisado ang batas ng Indonesia pero kadalasan sa isang bansa may kapangyarihan palagi ang pangulo na ipababa o pababain ang anumang parusang iginawad ng korte. Marahil ganun din po sa Indonesia kaya may pinanghahawakan pa rin tayong pag-asa, ’ika nga,” he said. AC