News Release - April 1, 2005
References: Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson
Contact Numbers: 259-1145 and 0927-2157392
Vince Borneo, Information Officer, 0927-7968198

Gov't now towing US line of branding Muslims, OFWs as terrorists!

"Baseless, highly irrational, racist and definitely anti-OFW!"

Thus declared an angry MIGRANTE Sectoral Party Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado on the Department of Justice order to monitor returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) reportedly 'contaminated by the terrorist mentality.'

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez issued a directive on March 30 to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials to monitor the entry of OFWs coming from the Middle East especially from Saudi Arabia, and even students from Pakistani Islamic schools.

"We condemn this government move to launch a witch-hunt on Muslim OFWs and scholars! Sec. Gonzalez' claims of 'intelligence reports revealing that some of the Muslim converts became Muslim extremists and terrorists when they returned to the Philippines' is totally illogical and baseless. This government is again sending the wrong message to the public: that our Muslim brothers and sisters are a violent people. Now they include our Muslim Filipino compatriots who were forced to work and/or study in the Middle East due to the lack of opportunities here in the country and the government's war against Muslim communities that have destroyed the Madrasahs and even mosques time and again since the 1970s. This is definitely anti-Muslim and anti-OFW," Bragas-Regalado charged.

Migrante also said that "the DOJ order stinks of the United States government's concept of Homeland Security, racial profiling and terrorist branding and witchhunting."

"The said order has practically branded all OFWs who believe in Islam as 'potential terrorists.' It is a witchhunt on the very people who government always claims as the country's 'new economic heroes.' This is actually a copycat tactic of the Department of Justice. They are mimicking the illogical and baseless tirades of the United States government towards Muslims and other nationalities. The DOJ order must be immediately scrapped by Malacanang," Bragas-Regalado ended.