The millions of overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East are constantly suspended between hope and anxiety. Today, as geopolitical tensions escalate into a regional crisis, that anxiety has shifted from a low-grade hum to sharp clinical distress. Whether you are a nurse in Riyadh, an engineer in Dubai, or a household service worker in...
Tag: OFW
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Berlinale film shines a light on the plight of undocumented Filipino migrant workers
At the height of the pandemic in 2021, Al Jazeera reported on the plight of thousands of undocumented Filipino migrant workers in Switzerland. Because of their illegal status, it wasn’t very hard to exploit them. They were paid very little for services rendered and charged exorbitant fees to manage the high cost of living in...
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More than a year later, no word from Marcos on ex-OFW Veloso’s renewed plea for clemency
The plea for clemency aired by former overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso upon returning to the Philippines more than a year ago remains unanswered, even as she renewed her appeal in a handwritten open letter early this week. “Unfortunately, no word yet on clemency. No word from Malacañang at all,” Josalee Deinla, one of...
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Filipino fire victims get windfall cash aid but still reel from trauma
HONG KONG – Filipino migrant workers who were among those who survived the tragic fire in Tai Po that killed 159 people have received a cash bonanza, mainly from the Philippine government, of at least P70,000. Of this, P50,000 came from the Aksyon Fund (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan), a...
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Filipinos in Hong Kong hold memorial services for fire victims
HONG KONG—There was a huge outpouring of grief and sympathy for the victims of the massive fire in Tai Po that based on the latest figures has claimed the lives of 146 people, as Filipinos gathered on Sunday to hold two separate memorial services for them. In the first event organized by FilAction (Filipinos Against...