MANILA, Philippines - Four retired overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs) have vowed to file complaints against two retired labour
officials, who allegedly demanded sexual favours from them when they
needed return tickets to the Philippines from the Middle East, following
harassment from their employers. 
Former labour attachès
Antonio Villafuerte and Adam Musa will be named in the complaint, the
four OFWs who appeared in a conference with their faces covered, said.
“Criminal charges against the
two retired labour officials will be pursued, without help from
government officials. We will soon file executive affidavits for the
filing of the cases before the justice department,” said one OFW who
identified herself as Annalisa (not her real name).
- Labour attaché Villafuerte openly asked for sexual favours, said Annalisa and another OFW who identified herself as “Angel”.
- They also accused labour attaché Musa of not facilitating their repatriation, leaving them at the mercy of Villafuerte.
- The alleged sex-for repatriation incidents occurred when the OFWs sought assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, after they ran away from their employers.
- They have chosen Rey Bagatsing, a lawyer, to assist them in filing their complaints before the justice department, and for the complaints to be elevated to the Ombudsman, and the Sandiganbayan, an anti graft court.
- They also called for a review of labour officials and the kind of assistance they extend to distressed OFWs in the Middle East.
- As they narrated their ordeal, they thanked kind-hearted Filipinos who helped them return to Manila.
- They likewise criticised Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for not taking their plight seriously and not giving them assistance in the filing of charges against the labour officials.
They also criticised Senator
Teofisto Guingona(photo) for not proposing in a report that complaints should
be filed against the government officials, after they (OFWs) testified
in a senate hearing. They did not reveal the date of the filing of the complaint.They are part of an estimated 10 million OFWs based worldwide.
The government has created a
large pool of labour officials in Philippine Embassies abroad, to look
after the welfare of all OFWs based worldwide.
Source: Agencies
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