Malacañang on Thursday assured overseas Filipino workers and their families that government agencies continue to assist Filipinos abroad, including those facing legal cases, despite the political noise in the country.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Foreign Affairs remain focused on their mandate to protect the welfare of Filipinos overseas.
Castro cited the case of Filipino seafarers in Algeria who are facing drug-related charges.
She said the DMW and DFA provided lawyers for the accused seafarers, leading to the dismissal of the cases against five of the eight Filipinos.
“The DMW together with the DFA has provided the services of counsel for all three seafarers. The lawyers successfully work on the dismissal of the case of five out of the eight seafarers who were accused,” Castro said.
She said the three remaining seafarers had their sentences reduced and are now awaiting the result of their appeal.
“The three remaining seafarers had their sentences reduced and are awaiting the results of the appeal,” Castro said.
Castro said the DMW also arranged compassionate visits for the families of the detained seafarers and provided financial assistance to those who had been repatriated.
She added that the shipowner has continued sending remittances to the families of the detained seafarers.
“The DMW is continuously monitoring the status of the case,” Castro said.