6 November 2003 – To avoid great inconvenience and even imprisonment or fines, Foreign Affairs Blas F. Ople today called Filipinos who had been deported, including those who had been voluntarily deported or those who had availed of amnesty programs, to observe the rules that governed their deportation.

“Countries around the world have been implementing measures to monitor the possible re-entry of persons that they had deported.  I ask Filipinos concerned not to run the risk of imprisonment by violating the terms of their deportation,” the Secretary said.

The Secretary made this statement after the the Department of Foreign Affairs recently received the report of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi that Filipino deportees, who availed themselves of the amnesty granted by United Arab Emirates authorities early this year, were subjected to a retinal scan prior to deportation to ensure that deportees observe the one-year ban from re-entering the country.  This measure is being applied to all deportees from the UAE and not only to Filipinos. In a bid to update its central database on security and immigration, the UAE immigration authorities now institute the retinal scan for incoming aliens.

“While countries are entitled to take measures relating to the entry of non-nationals, our embassies are always on the look out to ensure that these measures do not violate the human rights and dignity of our overseas Filipinos,” Secretary Ople said.

In the specific case of the UAE, he said that “While the application of retinal scan is done randomly or according to certain visa categories, our embassy in Abu Dhabi is nevertheless instructed to monitor this development to ensure that the rights of the Filipino workers/individuals are protected accordingly without any taint of discrimination,” the Secretary stated.

The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi further reported that other Filipino nationals, not necessarily deportees, who have retinal scan on file, may also be subjected to detention if they have pending cases/complaints against them.  END.