Dubai : "Please give us a chance, we are not criminals. We were just victims of the global (economic) crisis and mismanagement of finances when we were still Christians …"
The open appeal by Sharjah resident Eisa, 47, is desperate.
Released from Dubai's Al Aweer Jail on August 4 after serving three months for defaulting on bank loans and issuing bad cheques, Eisa speaks not just for himself but for six other fellow-Filipinos who are still languishing in prison on the same grounds.
While these six men embraced Islam in prison over the past few months, Eisa converted in August last year.
Spiritual guidance
"We needed spiritual guidance," said the ex-Dubai Petroleum employee. "Now that we are Muslims, we want to become part of the productive society and correct past mistakes," he added.
Eisa had a debt of Dh400,000 of which he has ‘cleared' Dh100,000 by serving three months in prison. But he fears that the banks to whom he still owes money will track him down and have him arrested again. "We just wish that our Muslim brothers will show mercy and hear us out. We want to settle our obligations with the banks, but how can we do it if we are jailed and without a job?" he asked.
Eisa, who came to the UAE from Manila in 2004 to join Dubai Petroleum, said all was well until April 4, 2010 when he was issued a termination letter from his company stating that his visa could not be renewed as there was an arrest warrant against him.
He said one of the banks alerted immigration authorities about his debts as his visa was due to expire on April 3. Jobless and pushed into a corner, he was rounded up on May 2.
The next three months were spent at Al Muraqqabat, Al Ghusais, Rashidiya and Al Aweer jails. "It was a nightmare and I was away from my family. I have faith in Islam, so I could handle it," said Eisa, whose wife works as an assistant in a Sharjah school.
"We have three children," he said, adding that the eldest, 19, was forced to give up her college in Ajman as they could no longer afford it. The younger boys, 15 and 13, are still studying in Sharjah," he said, thankful that the generosity of his Muslim friends was seeing the family through.
He said his wife and children had also embraced Islam.
A computer science graduate fluent in English, Eisa said he has been on a frantic job hunt. "Criminal cases are filed against us when we do not have jobs to repay our loans. Banks recover their money through insurance, while we remain jobless and in prison," he said.
All professionals
He said his Filipino friends in jail were all professionals who had been hit by the global economic crisis.
"I met so many people in jail - company presidents, CEOs, businessmen, architects, engineers, nurses, salespeople - all professionals who were there because they had lost jobs and defaulted on credit cards or issued bad cheques," he said.
"There has to be way out for us. We are willing to work and repay our debts, but only if we are given a chance," he added.
