Arroyo approves return of 40,000 OFWs to Sabah

President Gloria Arroyo yesterday said about 40,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were recently deported from Malaysia, were allowed to return to their jobs there, with the foreign affairs and labour departments giving the documents needed to legalise their status as OFWs.

The return of the OFWs to Malaysia will lessen the growing labour problem in the southern Philippines, said a labour official.

All those deported were stationed at processing centres in the south. Many of them have not yet returned to their home towns.

The labour department launched a campaign in September to encourage the deported OFWs not to waste time in getting proper documentation so that they can return to their work as soon as possible.

On October 1, Arroyo signed an administrative order which called for the creation of a 10-man special task force called "assistance to returnees", to address the problems of the deportees.

Arroyo designated presidential adviser on Muslim communities, Nur Jaafar, to head the task force, which included heads of eight departments and local government units.

The Philippines is still negotiating with Malaysia to allow Philippine officials to issue the travel documents needed by the undocumented OFWs while they are detained in Sabah jails.

"We hope this will be allowed soon so that the OFWs will no longer be deported," said a foreign affairs official who requested anonymity.

Last month, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed, in response to Arroyo's request, imposed a moratorium on the arrest and detention of undocumented aliens in Sabah.

At the same time, the Philippines and Malaysian governments are in a tug-of-war over the custody of the 13-year-old rape victim who turned out to be a Malaysian national with a Filipina mother, said the foreign affairs official.

The Philippines has decided to legally take custody of Angelica, the identity given to her by the social workers who are taking care of her in Zamboanga. "If she is considered a Malaysian citizen, why was she deported?" said the foreign affairs official.

He added that the Philippines will pursue the rape case against the three Malaysian policemen who abused her while guarding her cell prior to her deportation from Kota Kinabalu to Mindanao last month.

Malaysian police chief Norian Mai earlier said the rape victim is a Malaysian citizen, whose parents are long-time residents in Sabah. She was subjected to DNA tests to prove her parentage.