The Philippine Star
August 27, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Senate committee on migrant workers chair Raffy Tulfo urged newly appointed ambassadors of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to prioritize the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly seafarers who were deported from the United States.
The seafarers were allegedly deported without due process after being accused by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement of accessing pornographic materials — even though no evidence was presented against them.
The newly appointed ambassadors, led by its former secretary Enrique Manalo, paid a courtesy visit to Tulfo yesterday.
The said officials are scheduled to undergo confirmation by the Commission on Appointments (CA) in the coming days. These include Amb. Pablito Mendoza (Denmark), Amb. Gines Gallaga (Bahrain), Amb. Marlowe Miranda (Lebanon), DAS Dinno Oblena (Promotion to Chief of Mission, Class II), Amb. Noel Novicio (Fiji) and Amb. Jaime Ascalon (Turkey).
DFA Undersecretary for Administration Tess De Vega, Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Leo Herrera-Lim, and Assistant Secretary Patrick Hilado were also present during the courtesy call.
Tulfo reminded the newly appointed officials to coordinate with their counterparts in the countries where they will be assigned in order to establish policies prohibiting employers confiscating OFWs’ passports – an issue that is widespread in the Middle East.
