Many foreign nationals still held in jail and social service centers despite completing their sentences are banking on the help of their respective communities to bail them out. A recent survey conducted by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) blamed foreign embassies for the delay in promptly providing the documentation necessary for the release of foreign prisoners. The survey revealed that foreign embassies have been very slow in meeting the procedures required by law leading to the release of their nationals who have served their jail terms. For example, the Assistance to National Unit (ANU) of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh – the section that is tasked with looking after Filipinos in prison – does not visit the Eastern Province regularly where a number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are serving jail terms. “ANU representatives travel to the Eastern Province only when there are court hearings involving Filipino prisoners. They do not actually visit the jails to have a head count of their nationals in jail and find out who among them are due for release,” a welfare officer said. He said there are instances of prisoners being released and deported without the knowledge of the embassy. Regarding women who are detained at social service centers, many are still held because they do not have plane tickets, which they are required to produce before they are given deportation papers, according to the welfare officer. “The problem of producing air tickets for women, including Filipino household workers, who are due for deportation, is a crucial issue because most of them cannot afford to buy their own tickets. The Filipino household workers, for example, often depend on community help, from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), which does not act promptly to provide the ticket, or from Filipino politicians who are only motivated to boost their popularity in an election year. For example, a traditional Filipino politician who is running for president in the forthcoming May 10 election has already volunteered to donate 19 plane tickets for household workers who are scheduled for deportation. The cases of other nationals who are due for deportation, such as Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis, are far worst, the labor attachés from these countries admitted. “Regarding our housemaids, we are always facing the problem of producing the plane ticket; when the employers refuse to shoulder the cost, we (the embassy) try to remedy the situation, including asking the benevolent support of our community,” a Bangladeshi labor attaché said.
