Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza
MANILA – The Philippine government is providing legal representation to bring home the eight Filipinos currently detained in Myanmar as soon as possible, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.
In a statement, DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said coordination is continuing to assist them, including tourist Kiela Samson who was arrested at the border of Thailand and Myanmar last month.
“The Philippine Embassy in Yangon maintains active and regular contact with Myanmar’s law enforcement authorities in Nay Pyi Taw and Myawaddy to secure the safety and well-being of the said Filipinos and assist them in returning home the soonest time possible," she said.
Daza said the Filipinos could exit Myanmar after completing the processes of law enforcement agencies, primarily immigration.
Myanmar authorities, she said, had also vowed to cooperate with Manila in this regard.
Among the eight are alleged human trafficking victims who were rescued by Myanmar authorities from their worksites in Myawaddy.
Last Monday, Daza called on Filipinos who want to work abroad to follow government regulations and be duly registered as overseas Filipino workers instead of leaving the country as tourists.
“Recruiters who promise Filipinos jobs abroad, if they pretend to be tourists and evade our controls, are just leading our kababayans (compatriots) to dangerous situations where it may be very difficult to secure their safety and assist them in returning home,” she said. (PNA)
