A migrants' rights group has scored the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for its alleged double standards for offering assistance to Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, detained over drug-related charges in Hong Kong, while other overseas Filipino workers are languishing in jails with no legal aid from the government. In a statement, Migrante International said that while the DFA only advised overseas Filipino workers in Chinese prisons in a similar situation to “behave in prison to be pardoned,” the department was quick to offer help for the detained lawmaker. “How the DFA treated our OFWs is a far cry from the special treatment being given to Singson. To add insult to injury, (DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban) Conejos seems to be appealing to Singson to accept their services. Was this kind of vigilance and attention granted to our OFWs when they so requested (for help)?” asked Migrante chairperson Garry Martinez . Singson was arrested on July 11 at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly possessing 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of prescription medication Valium, a depressant used mainly for treating anxiety. Martinez said they first asked the DFA to provide legal assistance to 195 OFWs jailed in China for possession and trafficking of illegal drugs, but they were turned down. Migrante said of the 195, 10 were sentenced to death without reprieve while 56 were given a two-year reprieve. At least 30 others were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 44 were sentenced to 15 years in jail. The remaining 55 are still undergoing court hearings without legal assistance from the DFA, said Martinez. The DFA earlier said it is extending full legal and other assistance to 102 OFWs sentenced to death as of July 2010 in different countries, 74 of whom are in China. NAIA men under fire Department of Justice (DoJ) mulls to replace officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for failing to detect the drugs found in the care Singson in Hong Kong. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said “I [already] asked [Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar] to order an investigation on why he slipped with drugs at NAIA.” Salazar was recently appointed officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Immigration. The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said Singson may have been given a special treatment at the airport. – GMANews.TV/ABS
