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| Villafuerte on his first day at work at POLO |
By Vir B. Lumicao
His last posting abroad might have left him scarred, but the
new Philippine assistant labor attaché in Hong Kong is determined to put the
bad experience behind him, and just work harder at serving those in need.
ALA Antonio Rivera Villafuerte arrived in Hong Kong from
Manila on Dec. 19, and was met at the airport by a group of well wishers led by
Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre.
The next day, Villafuerte was accompanied by Labatt Dela
Torre to the Consulate where he was warmly received by officers led by Consul Roderico
Atienza.
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| Consulate officials give warm welcome to Villafuerte (4th from left) |
This is the first overseas assignment of Villafuerte, 54,
who comes from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, since he was recalled to the Home
Office from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over the so-called “sex for flight” scandal.
The scandal was exposed by then Akbayan Rep Walden Bello,
who claimed embassy officials in the Saudi capital promised victims priority in
repatriation in exchange for sexual favors.
Three repatriated Filipinas pointed to Villafuerte as a
ringleader, and one of them claimed he had pimped her to an Egyptian.
Villafuerte was recalled and investigated, but was subsequently
cleared of the charges.
Even then Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz defended Villafuerte,
saying he had no prior record of abusing OFWs abroad. She said it was the first
time she had heard of such a scandal involving Villafuerte, whose wife and
children lived with him in Riyadh.
The scandal eventually died down. Even so, the stigma that
accompanied the charges has scarred the soft-spoken labor official, who says he
would still feel his chest tighten whenever he recalls being accused of something
that he never did.
Villafuerte said it all started when he exposed an illegal
recruitment syndicate that was victimizing OFWs in Saudi. The smear campaign
was launched by people behind the syndicate whose toes he had stepped on, he
said.
Following his recall, he was assigned to various jobs in the
Home Office. He was detailed to the POEA conciliation unit, which mediates in
disputes between workers and their employers in different countries.
After staying for almost two years in that unit, he was
assigned to the International Labor Affairs Bureau, where he attended meetings
on mutual agreements and some policy issues.
Comprising a pool of labor attaches, ILAB is the unit where
the labor secretary would draw people to assign to the regions, or to related
agencies such as the POEA, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, wherever
the secretary sees them fit to provide service.
Then came an order from Bello
for Villafuerte to take up the vacant ALA post
in Hong Kong . “Nagpapasalamat ako kay
Secretary Bello dahil binigyan niya uli ako ng
pagkakataon para ma-assign at makatulong sa ating mga kababayan,”
Villafuerte said.
For now, the new ALA
Villafuerte said part of his job is also to sign new
employment contracts, which have been heaping up at a rate of 750 per day.
The man who started his career with the Department of Labor
and Employment 33 years ago has risen from the ranks.
After finishing Bachelor of Laws at the Manuel L. Quezon
University/University of the East in 1985, Villafuerte initially joined the DOLE
as a clerk handling supplies. Later he moved up to the Bureau of Labor Relations,
then to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board.
His first overseas posting was to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for two
years, before he was moved to Riyadh where he served for nine months before his
controversial recall.
Asked what lesson he had drawn from his Riyadh experience,
Villafuerte said: “Lalong doblehin ko siguro ang mag-iingat and not to be too
trusting, kasi masyado akong nagtiwala, kasi ganyan ako, what you see is what
you get.”
“Kung ano yung nakikita ninyo, ganoon ako makisama, wala
akong itinatago. Siguro nasobrahan ko, pero ang (pakay) ko, tumulong pa rin ako
kahit ginanyan nila ako, ang puso ko nandiyan pa rin. Kasi napakasaya na
napakagaan ang pakiramdam kapag nakakatulong.”
