Ramadan prisoner release makes Philippines grateful
Ambassador thanks Sheikh Mohammed for generous act
I’d like to remind Filipinos across the UAE to respect the country’s laws as well as their culture and traditions Grace Princesa Philippines’ ambassador to the UAE
DUBAI // The Philippines’ ambassador to the UAE has thanked the country’s leadership for its compassion and humanitarian gesture after 11 Filipinos in Dubai were granted clemency. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, ordered the release last month of 734 prisoners at reform and punitive institutions to mark Ramadan.
“I wish to thank the UAE Government for granting clemency to our countrymen,” said Grace Princesa, who will end her sixyear tour of duty in the UAE in October. “By doing so, they have been given the opportunity to start anew and to be with the company of their loved ones in the Philippines.”
The gesture will further enhance the strong relations between the UAE and the Philippines, she said.
The embassy has yet to receive official information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on whether other Filipino inmates in Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates have been pardoned and released. The Philippine government has a programme in place to educate Filipinos about the code of conduct and laws, culture and customs of a host country.
Filipinos who are leaving their homeland for the first time to work are required to undergo a pre-departure orientation seminar and apply for the document at the Philippine overseas employment administration.
They are also briefed on their rights and responsibilities, health and safety, financial literacy and their government’s programmes.
“I’d like to remind Filipinos across the UAE to respect the country’s laws as well as their culture and traditions,” Ms Princesa said.
Of the 900,000 Filipinos who live and work in the UAE, 60 per cent are professionals. A quarter are in the service sector and 15 per cent are household workers.
Dubai firm Gulf Law has been in partnership with the Philippine embassy since January last year, conducting a series of free legal aid seminars.
Topics include personal finance, entrepreneurship, employment, immigration and family law in the UAE. The aim is to provide legal aid, empower Filipinos and keep them from falling foul of the law. More than 6,000 Filipinos in the UAE have received the free legal help from Gulf Law, with the five most common problems being indebtedness, intoxication and use of illegal drugs, immorality, illegal recruitment and improper and fake documents.
“We have also supported the publication of a guide book to make Filipinos more aware about the UAE’s laws and legal system,” Ms Princesa said.
The book, which explains the migration cycle and the UAE’s laws, was launched on June 12.
“We will continue to raise awareness among our nationals to prevent them from being in conflict with the law and eventually end up in jail,” she said.
On May 25, a 33-year-old Filipina in Abu Dhabi was sentenced to seven years for attempting to rob a money exchange shop using a toy gun, and two months for breaching the UAE’s residency laws.
Another Filipina, Jennifer Dalquez, was sentenced to death on May 22 for killing her employer in Al Ain. The embassy has provided her with a lawyer to help her in an appeal against the sentence.