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Mas lalong kailangan tayo ng ating mga kababayang Overseas Filipino Workers.
Ito ang naging pahayag ni CBCP – Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People’s chairman at Balanga, Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos lalo ngayong nasa matinding krisis ang mga Pilipinong illegal immigrants sa Amerika.
Ayon kay Bishop Santos, dapat magkaisa ang pamahalaan at ang Simbahan upang tugunan at proteksyunan ang kapakanan ng halos 300 libong illegal immigrants mula sa halos 3 milyong Filipino migrants sa Estados Unidos.
“Our government and we in the Church have a serious responsibility to help our citizens who are legal but more so our illegal immigrants who do not have the protection of the law in their host countries. It is the moment they need us desperately and we should extend to them assistance so they may gain access to all the remedies they can avail of. It is a relief to know that our government has allotted financial support for such situations,”pahayag ni Bishop Santos sa panayam ng Veritas Patrol.
Kaugnay nito, muling iginiit ni Bishop Santos sa pamahalaan na lumikha ng maraming disenteng trabaho sa Pilipinas upang matigil na ang pakikipagsapalaran ng mga Filipino sa ibayong dagat.
Binanggit rin ni Bishop Santos ang ilang programa ng Simabahan na tumutugon sa pangangailangn ng mga OFWs lalo na ang pagbibigay ng scholarship program sa kanilang mga anak na nag – aaral sa mga Diocesan at Catholic Schools.
“In the long run access to gainful employment in their own country is still the best solution so they would not desperately resort to illegal ways of working abroad. We in the church through the Commission on Migrants and Itinerant people have instituted ways to provide financial literacy, create livelihood programs. We have Diocesan schools providing scholarship grants especially to sons and daughters of our OFWs,” giit pa ni Bishop Santos sa Radyo Veritas.
Patuloy naman nilang pinaalalahanan ang mga OFWs na respetuhin ang kultura at kagawian ng kanilang bansang tinutuluyan lalo’t nanganganib ang kalagayan ng ilang undocumented immigrants upang maiwasang malagay sa kapahamakan ang kanilang buhay.
Umapela rin si Bishop Santos kay US President Donald Trump na tratuhing makatao at may pagmamalasakit ang ilang Filipino illegal immigrant at mabigyan sila ng tamang abiso na naaayon sa batas.
“We constantly and repeatedly remind our OFWs to respect culture and customs of their host countries and obey their laws. We warn them of legal recriminations arising from their status. To protect themselves and not to put their future in danger, we advise them not to wait to be branded undocumented and be deported. At the same time we appeal to host countries to deal with their situations in the most compassionate and humanitarian means possible,” paglilinaw pa ni Bishop Santos.
