Hope for Filipinos facing legal problems in Gulf

The lawyer husband of President Gloria Arroyo has said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with legal problems in the Gulf and Hong Kong can look forward to getting out of jail, coming home to the Philippines and being re-united with their families.

Government and private sector efforts are being extended to provide legal assistance to these troubled OFWs, most of whom are in Hong Kong and in the Gulf, said Atty. Arroyo. "We will send teams to the Gulf to fetch the OFWs and bring them home," said Arroyo. At least 200 OFWs in the UAE alone are now facing legal problems, said Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head, Wilhelm Soriano.

An initial batch of 89 detained OFWs are scheduled to be freed in the UAE. Volunteer lawyers will attend soon to the cases of OFWs in Hong Kong who are facing various problems, said Arroyo. A law graduate of the prestigious Ateneo de Manila University, Arroyo said his fellow alumni have been extending free professional services to the poor who need legal assistance and advice.