Drilon: Targeting Taiwan OFW over social media posts not labor official's job
MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon over the weekend slammed the supposed request by labor attaché Fidel Macauyag to have a Filipina OFW in Taiwan "deported," saying it violated all norms of decency.
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office, which represents the Philippines in Taiwan, has said there was no official request and Macauyag had acted on his own.
Speaking in a radio interview with DWIZ on Saturday evening, Drilon highlighted that Macauyag's actions were not part of his job.
“First and foremost, I was a former labor secretary myself, and the labor attaché has one duty: to protect our fellow countrymen in other countries,” he said in Filipino.
Macauyag through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Taichung attempted to get Filipina caregiver Elanel Egot Ordidor fired and sent home over what the Department of Labor and Employment said were "nasty and malevolent materials against President Duterte" that she posted on social media.
Taiwan has gone on record to say that Ordidor will not be deported and that migrant workers there enjoy the same rights as citizens. Labor authorities in Yunlin County, where Ordidor works, have also said she would keep her job and that police have been asked to ensure her safety.
Asked about Macauyag’s actions against the Filipina, Drilon said: “For me, this labor attaché in Taiwan violated all norms of decency when he said that this fellow Filipino of ours should be deported."
'Macauyag should be recalled'
Drilon earlier called for the recall of Macauyag and a probe into the labor attache's actions, saying he is not fit for the role.
The issue was further exacerbated when the Palace said that China had a say on the matter because "Taiwan is part of China"—a remark that Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will protest formally.
Taiwan has also said that any formal deportation proceeding would have to be coursed through the proper legal procedures.
The country's poorest—including OFWs like Ordidor—continue to wait on cash subsidies meant to keep them afloat while most businesses remain shut down or on limited operations due to the lockdown.
In an earlier statement, the United Filipinos in Hong Kong, echoed Drilon's sentiment and slammed the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Taiwan.
“Since when did harassment and intimidation of our OFWs became part of the Labor Attaché’s job description? Have they now transformed into the attack dogs of the Duterte administration against its critics overseas?” said Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.
“OFWs and our families especially in this time of COVID-19 crisis need timely and sufficient financial assistance plus moral and material support from the government,” she added. — Franco Luna
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