Israel should apologize to RP on discrimination to Filipino workers

"It is the Israeli government that should issue an apology for its treatment of migrant workers to the Philippines and not the other way around."

Thus declared MIGRANTE Sectoral Party chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado on the Israeli government's reactions to Philippine Ambassador Antonio Modena's comments stipulating that "the treatment of foreign workers by Israeli immigration police was comparable with that of Jews at the hands of the Gestapo secret police."

"We commend Ambassador Modena for protesting the racist and discriminatory treatment Filipinos suffer in Israel. This is what Philippine diplomats should do, defend the rights of Filipinos in their areas of responsibility. But sadly, most of the Philippine ambassadors are exactly the opposite," Bragas-Regalado said.

"From segregating Filipino travelers at the back of aircraft on flights to Tel Aviv, the confiscation of cell phones and night raids of overseas Filipino workers' homes, the Israel government is the entity that offended us. They should be the one's to issue an apology not Amb. Modena," she added.

Filipinos boarding flights to Israel's main Ben Gurion International Airport are made to undergo overly strict scrutiny and assigned seats at the rear of the aircraft. Cellular phones of Filipino workers are also confiscated, preventing them from seeking help with the Philippine consulate.

"More that 30,000 Filipinos work in Israel. This is 10 percent of Israel's 300,000 foreign workers. Most of the Filipinos are domestic workers and caregivers based in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa. A large number of them are undocumented and live in difficult conditions and extremely low wages. The Philippine government must pursue its diplomatic protest against Israel and seek indemnification for all Filipinos offended by its anti-migrant policies," Bragas-Regalado concluded. #