Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon wanted to probe the labor attaché to Taichung, Taiwan for planning to deport an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who has gone viral on the internet because of criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte.
Drilon was referring to the case of Elanel Egot Ordidor also known as Linn Silawan on social media who faced possible deportation because of her posts against Duterte.
In a statement on April 29, Drilon urged the Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III to recall labor attaché Fidel Macauyag, calling him “unfit, incompetent and unqualified” to promote and protect the welfare of thousands of overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan like Ordidor.
“Mr. Macauyag’s irresponsible act toward a helpless overseas Filipino worker is clearly an abandonment of his sworn duties to protect the welfare of OFWs,” said Drilon.
Drilon also described Macauyag’s action as “stupidity at the highest level” saying that posting on social media against the President should not be a reason for an OFW to get deported.
“His mandate is to promote the welfare of our OFWs. He has shown the highest level of ignorance. Worse, his action embarrassed the Philippine government,” he said.
“I am saddened by what is happening with the officials tasked to protect our people. How come that they have gone astray this far?” he added.
Macauyag is the one who confirmed the cyber libel charges filed by DOLE against Ordidor for posting “nasty and malevolent materials against President Duterte on Facebook intended to cause hatred amidst the global health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,”
“It has come to our knowledge that Ms. Ordidor is using several social media accounts, among which are Lenale Elanel Egot, Mha Lan Dee, Linn Silawan and Hampas Lupa and has a group organized to discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government,” Macauyag said on a statement released on April 25.
“Due to her acts, POLO coordinated with her broker and employer on her deportation on the basis of the gravity of Ordidor’s offense under Philippine Law. The sharing and posting of such videos are punishable under Cyber libel under Republic Act No. 10175,” he added.
Taiwan already rejected the request of DOLE, saying that Ordidor was only exercising her freedom to speech.
Ordidor also said that she’s not going to be frightened by the case filed against her.
“Dito natin papatunayan sa laban nating ito na hindi tayo basta basta magpasindak… kung sino ako, kung ano ako, buhay ko ang kapalit ng prinsipyo, walang sinuman magdikta sa akin, walang sinuman ang pwedeng mag dikta o magpabago sa paniniwala, laban ko ay laban ng bawat Pilipino,” the Filipina caregiver stated in her latest Facebook live video.