PH Embassy in Jordan, MWO Repatriate Second Batch of Non-Marital Children

Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo C. Santos, Second Secretary and Consul Angeli A. Payumo, and Labor Attaché Armi Evangel N. Peña with Philippine Embassy and MWO Staff during the repatriation of the second batch of 13 non-marital children with their parents at the Queen Alia International Airport on 24 November 2023. 

AMMAN 24 November 2023 – The second batch of 14 Filipino non-marital children with their parents are finally coming home. The children departed from Jordan on Friday afternoon of November 24, and will arrive in Manila the following day. The first batch of 13 children were previously repatriated to the Philippines on 07 October 2023.

After almost a decade of continued discussion and appeal to the Jordanian Government, the Philippine Embassy successfully secured an exceptional concession on 10 August 2023, paving the way for the repatriation of non-marital children and the waiving of their overstay penalties.

The said children were previously barred from being repatriated to the Philippines in the absence of a Jordanian birth certificate, a requirement for them to travel outside Jordan.

“This repatriation is a testament to the cooperation between our two countries to resolve matters that affect the interests of our Filipino nationals in Jordan. We have proven that, in coordinating closely with our host government, we can get the job done. Now, our non-marital Filipino children accompanied by their parents can safely return to the Philippines,” said Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo C. Santos in a statement.

“We reiterate our sincerest thanks to the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for their support to this humanitarian undertaking, including working closely with the Philippine Embassy in Amman for the requirements for this effort, which took time and a lot of representations by both sides.” the Ambassador added.

Ambassador Santos also commended the ATN team of the Philippine Embassy for their hard work, dedication and commitment in working out the repatriation. The Embassy facilitated the issuance of Philippine civil registration documents and travel documents.

The repatriation efforts were also made possible by the Migrant Workers Office in Jordan which bore the costs of flight tickets, bus transports, and meals prior to their departure.

Joining Ambassador Santos at the Queen Alia International Airport to send off these children were Second Secretary and Consul Angeli A. Payumo, Administrative Officer Mr. John Danilo Jiao, Jr., ATN Officer Francisco Magno, ATN Officer Ma. Jolina Guerrero, ATN Officer/Translator Issa Mofleh, Secretary to the Ambassador Rachel Joy A. Pamorada, and MWO officers headed by Labor Attaché Armi Evangel N. Peña, Assistant Labor Attaché Mr. Jaybee John Vincent Baginda, and MWO-OWWA Officer-in-Charge Rosalin R. Lavin.

The Philippine Embassy in Jordan continues to lobby hard with the Jordanian authorities and employers to secure exit clearances for the repatriates. The Philippine Embassy encourages the parents of these non-marital children to avail of this opportunity to be repatriated. END