28 February 2005 – The Philippine Consulate General in Manado, Indonesia today reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that seven Filipinos who were stranded in Jayapura, the capital of the Indonesian province of Papua, are due to come home today, 28 February 2005.  The seven Filipinos, composed of six women and one man, are scheduled to arrive today at the Davao International Airport aboard a Merpati Nusantara Airlines flight.

According to the report of Consul General Olivia V. Palala, the Philippine Consulate in Manado coordinated with the Philippine Embassies in Jakarta Indonesia and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to arrange for the repatriation of the seven Filipinos.  The Philippine Consulate in Manado also made representations with immigration authorities in Jayapura to ensure that the Filipinos are given adequate accommodations during their stay there.  The Philippine Consulate was informed that the Filipinos were given shelter by one of the consular officers of the Consulate Papua New Guinea in Jayapura.

According to the report of Consul General Palala, the seven Filipinos were denied entry to Papua New Guinea by immigration authorities there after attempting to enter the country via Indonesia without the appropriate visas.  As a result, the seven Filipinos were stranded in Jayapura in Indonesian Papua.
 
The seven Filipinos were relocated from Jayapura to Manado on 25 February, whereupon they were met by Philippine Consulate officials who gave them all the possible assistance for the duration of their stay in Manado in preparation for their repatriation today.  The names of the seven Filipino nationals are being withheld to protect their privacy.

Meantime, the DFA and the Philippine Consulate General in Manado issued a strong warning to would-be OFWs to be extra cautious in dealing with illegal recruiters who would dupe Filipinos, mostly from the provinces, to apply for non-existent jobs supposedly based in countries surrounding Indonesia.  According to Consul General Palala, these illegal recruiters usually use Indonesia as a transit point to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.  The Consulate issued this warning in light of the increasing frequency of Filipinos falling victim to illegal recruitment and end up being forced to come home empty-handed or being stranded in Papua Province, as in this case, or even in Kawalusi Island in North Sulawesi.  END
 

/jay