VP Duterte’s OFW neglect allegation ‘big lie’, says Palace

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Vice President’s remarks are “baseless” and run counter to the Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) record of responding to requests for assistance from distressed Filipinos abroad. (PNA file photo by Darryl John Esguerra)

MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday hit back at Vice President Sara Duterte, branding as “fake news” her accusation that the government has been neglecting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) following what she claimed as a “scam welfare check” on detained former president Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Vice President’s remarks are “baseless” and run counter to the Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) record of responding to requests for assistance from distressed Filipinos abroad.

“Iyan po ay malaking kasinungalingan… Ito pong binabanggit ng Bise Presidente na walang naitutulong sa mga OFWs, it is another fake news (That’s a big lie. The Vice President’s allegation that the government is neglecting OFWs is yet another fake news),” Castro told Palace reporters in a press briefing.

She explained that the government has fully functional Migrant Workers Offices, manned by labor attachés in countries with large Filipino communities, ensuring that the welfare needs of OFWs are addressed.

Castro underscored that the DMW maintains quick response teams that immediately coordinate with police and local authorities abroad for rescues and emergency cases.

The Palace reiterated that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has consistently placed the protection of OFWs at the center of his administration’s priorities.

Castro declined to comment on Duterte’s separate allegation that embassy personnel in The Hague were sent to conduct a “scam welfare check” on the 80-year-old former president, who is facing proceedings before the International Criminal Court for his war on drugs.

She said the Department of Foreign Affairs would be the proper agency to address the matter.