News Release - May 13, 2005
References: Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson
Contact Numbers: Telefax - 926-2838 and 0927-2157392
Vince Borneo, Information Officer, 0927-7968198

On mandatory fingerprinting for all entrants
What will happen to Pinoys in Saudi Arabia?

The Migrante Sectoral Party raised the spectre of a crackdown on migrant workers on the reports of tighter security-related measures in Saudi Arabia.

"According to a report in Arab News, everyone entering the Saudi Arabia will be finger-printed on arrival in the near future. The reasons for fingerprinting, the report said, were security-related. But the sweeping generalization that migrant workers who enter the Kingdom can be those who have criminal records is grossly unfair and derogatory to Filipinos and other nationalities," Migrante Sectoral Party Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado said.

The government source cited in the May 12, 2005 Arab News report said: "that the government faces is that some foreigners, especially from Africa, get rid of any form of identity papers as soon as they enter the country. There have been a number of raids on different areas in which thousands of overstayers and other criminals have been arrested."

"The Philippine government should be alarmed at this development with the thousands of Filipinos who are either overstayers, stranded or undocumented in Saudi Arabia will be subject to inhumane procedures in a sweeping crackdown on migrants in the Kingdom," Bragas-Regalado said.

"The fingerprinting procedure for all people - including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) - who enter Saudi Arabia is tantamount to being treated like hardened criminals," she added.

But MIGRANTE also criticized the Philippine government with its Department of Justice order to monitor returning OFWs reportedly 'contaminated by the terrorist mentality.'

"The Philippines' Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez issued a March 30 directive National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials to monitor the entry of OFWs coming from the Middle East especially from Saudi Arabia.

"That is why the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is dancing to the same tune of the Saudi Arabia government in labelling migrant workers as criminals or even 'potential terrorists.' Filipinos who go to work in the Saudi Arabia due to the lack of opportunities here in the Philippines will be finger-printed with the new security measures. And when they return to the homeland, they will be monitored for the possibility of being 'terrorism contaminated' according to the demented logic of the current Philippine government," Bragas-Regalado charged.

Migrante pledged to expose and subject the new procedures of both governments "to appropriate investigations by the Philippine Congress and international bodies" to protect the rights of Filipino migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. #