Special team to help Filipinos return home

An eight-man Philippine team left for Sabah yesterday to ask the head of the Malaysian state to allow them to establish processing centres to handle the consular services for an estimated 80,000 Filipinos who are being deported from the area, officials said.

"(Once the plan is implemented), there will be a long-term regularisation and documentation of the Filipinos in Sabah," said President Gloria Arroyo.

She added that the other immediate purpose of the team is "to find out the actual condition of the Filipino deportees who are being confined at various holding centres (in Sabah)".

Nur Jaafar, head of the office of the presidential adviser for Mindanao concerns (OPAMC), said: "The president has instructed us to talk with (Malaysian) officials (to allow us) to simplify the deportation procedures of the illegal Filipinos at the three departure areas in Sabah."

The delegation was formed last week, after Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Kuala Lumpur's alleged harsh treatment of Filipinos.

The team includes OPAMC member, Abdel Gani Papua, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, Art Brion, Labour Undersecretary, Lucy Lazo, Health Undersecre-tary, Mila Fernandez, Undersecretary for special concerns, Abraham Purugganan, Defence Undersecretary, Col. Francisco Gudani, Social Welfare regional director, Parisya Taradji, and member of the office of the presidential adviser for regional affairs, Rey Millan.

"We will appeal to the authorities there to be lenient and to allow us a breathing spell through our diplomatic channel, to negotiate for a better procedure in transporting our Filipino citizens," Jaafar explained.

There are three holding centres in Sabah, one in Karamunting, near Kotakinabalu, which can accommodate 1,000, and two others at Sindakan and Tawau, each with a capacity to accommodate 500.

"Our proposal is for the foreign affairs representative to issue passports to the illegal Filipinos in Sabah, and for the labour department representative to process the papers of those who have work waiting for them in Malaysia, and for the foreign affairs representative to document and give assistance projects to those who should return to the southern Philippines," explained Jaafar.

A representative of the health department will handle the medical treatment and vaccination needed by the deported Filipinos, said Jaafar.

He said a representative of the social welfare department will handle the distribution of food and clothing supplies.

Right now, the Philippine government has two holding centres in Zamboanga City and in Bongao, Tawi Tawi.

If the proposal is approved, those with work need not return to the Philippines, and those without work will be given papers, medical assistance and livelihood projects, said Jaafar.

Jaafar refused to reveal the amount needed by the government for the plan, but added that the government has received a lot of donations in cash and in kind in its effort to help the Filipinos who are being deported from Sabah.

"The plight of the Filipino-Muslims in Sabah has united us," stated Jaafar. "Many people have extended assistance. The plight of the Filipino Muslims in Sabah has awakened the entire Philippine nation. The incident has galvanised our unity and harmony," added Jaafar.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir stopped the deportation and the processing of papers of the Filipinos in Sabah after a dialogue with Arroyo on Saturday.

The Philippine team was scheduled to undertake a two-week fact-finding mission. It arrived at Kota Kinabalu yesterday afternoon, before heading for Sandakan.

"Based on our statistics, an estimated 12,000 have already been deported. Based on our record obtained from Sabah, there are 80,000 still waiting to be deported," said Taradji, of the social welfare office.

The actual number of Filipino illegals, however, could be higher because there are "a lot of our countrymen still hiding" to avoid arrest, Jaafar said.