Pinoy Parents Protest New Immigration Law in Lebanon
BEIRUT, LEBANON – Migrant parents are protesting against a new immigration law that threatens to expel their children from Lebanon.
The residence permit, or iqama, of migrant children will no longer be renewed as a way to offset the growing refugee population in the country. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees or UNHCR, at least 1.5 million Syrian refugees have been added to Lebanon’s population of 5.9 million since the Syrian civil war.
The new law has upset affected migrant parents, who did not receive any formal notice beforehand from the Lebanese General Security or immigration.
“Parang unfair sa amin ‘yong tatatakan ka nila, sasabihin nila na umuwi ka kaagad. Papaano naman? Hindi kami makakauwi in four days, lalo na may anak akong dalawa. Nag-aaral pa ‘yong eldest,” said Evelyn Tenasas.
She and her OFW husband have been married for 15 years in Lebanon. Their two children were borne and raised there. When she renewed her iqama, immigration stamped her two-year old son’s passport with a four–day period to leave Lebanon.
Giving up hope of negotiating for her six-year old daughter’s stay, Antonette Maninang decided to send her home to the Philippines to catch school enrollment.
“Masama ang loob ko, s’yempre, kasi bigla-bigla na lang na gano’n. Sana binigyan nila kami ng time na matanggap namin. Sana nabigyan kami kahit isang taon man lang. Okay lang naman sa amin ‘yon, pero ‘yong pagpunta namin doon [sasabihan nila kami], ‘Hindi namin pwede i–renew ‘yong dokumento ng anak mo. ‘Di na s’ya pwede rito kasi maliit lang ang Lebanon’ … Hindi naman [sapat na] issue ‘yon na maliit ang Lebanon, ‘di ba?”
But the new law is not applied equally across the board. OFWs in professional jobs have a greater chance of keeping their children in Lebanon.
“Depende kung anong klase ang trabaho nila, they can keep na pag-stayin ‘yong mga anak nila rito,” said Celso Delos Santos, who works as a TFC distributor and has a one- year old son. “Kailangan lang nating i–respeto kung ‘yan ang kanilang patakaran dito sa Lebanon.”
Tenasas, a household service worker, fought back tears in disagreement.
“Porke’t ba kami nasa ganoong klaseng trabaho, hindi na nila kami papayagan na magkaroon ng pamilya dito, na makasama namin ang mga anak namin? Mas gusto pa nila na pauwiin sila o magkahiwa-hiwalay kaming magpapamilya? Napaka-unfair ‘yon sa amin.”
Around 10 OFWs have complained to the Philippine embassy in Beirut, which joined other embassies and nongovernmental organizations to protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Security. The law has since been implemented with more flexibility.
In a meeting with OFWs, Consul Dennis Briones announced: “They will hear it on a case-to-case basis, meaning i-co-consider kung ilang taon ka na nandito, ilang taon na ‘yong anak, saan nag-aaral, and capacity to pay to continue schooling here in Lebanon.”
Employers can greatly help their OFW workers negotiate the new law by stating the workers’ correct professions on their iqamas and by providing any other assistance.
Thanks to her employer, Tenasas can say, “Hanggang ngayon, nandito pa ‘ko dahil fina-fight ng amo ko ‘yong karapatan ko. [Ito ay] karapatan ko, karapatan ng mga anak ko, karapatan naming OFW na magtrabaho, tumira at makasama ‘yong mga anak namin sa malayong lugar.”
(Source: ABSCBN News)