7K undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia go home

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Embassy in Malaysia announced on Thursday the repatriation of more than 7,000 undocumented Filipinos who availed of the government's voluntary repatriation program.

Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya said the migrant Filipino workers availed of the program after the government worked with Malaysian authorities for their voluntary surrender and repatriation. There are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 illegal Filipino workers in Malaysia.

“They come to us, we try to secure an exit permit for them, pay a much reduced fine; and after a few days, or at least a week or two, they will be able to return to the Philippines, and hopefully, without spending a day in jail,” Malaya said.

He added that about 200 Filipinos were affected by the crackdown early this year. The number of undocumented Filipinos are lower than that of Indonesians, which is around 2 million, Malaya said.

He said immigration authorities in peninsular Malaysia are different from those in Sabah and Sarawak, as there are separate immigration rules in those territories. He added that the Philippine Embassy regularly sends a consular team in Sabah to stay for a week to serve Filipinos there.