Philippine consulate ready for amnesty

dubai — Officers and staff at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai are ready to assist overstaying and undocumented Filipinos, who can avail of the general amnesty for violators of the UAE’s residency law, consul-general Paul Raymund Cortes said at a media briefing on Tuesday.

Under the initiative called ‘Protect Yourself via Rectifying Your Status’, all foreigners violating the residency regulation are given a three-month grace period, beginning August 1, to either leave the country voluntarily or rectify their legal status by paying the required fees.

Cortes said the consulate has already been flooded with enquiries since the announcement was made last week but they are still waiting for specific details from the authorities so they can disseminate all the information to their kababayans (countrymen). “We cannot give any specific advice yet to our kababayans who are planning to avail of the amnesty but we are sure many will take advantage of this opportunity,” Cortes told Khaleej Times. He also assured that funds are available for those who would like to be repatriated back home.

Meanwhile, returning Filipinos can also avail of the Balik Pilipinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! (BPBH) package for returning OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), Atty Felicitas Bay, Philippine Labour Attaché to Dubai and Northern Emirates, told Khaleej Times in a separate interview.

The programme is available to all active and inactive members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), but approval is subject to evaluation. The package includes business training, starter kits and cash assistance amounting to 20,000 pesos (Dh1,400), so they can start their own businesses. The BPBH is different from the reintegration loan programme of OWWA, wherein an OFW is entitled to a loanable amount of 2,000,000 pesos (Dh140,000), payable in seven years.