Filipino labor attaché denies seeking favors from distressed women

A Philippine Embassy official, who stands accused of seeking sexual favors from distressed women workers in exchange for flights home, says he is innocent.
Speaking publicly for the first time, in an exclusive interview with Arab News, Antonio R. Villafuerte, an assistant labor attaché, said yesterday that he was never involved in this criminal behavior that has sent shock waves through the Filipino community in the Kingdom.
Villafuerte was recently accused of sexual abuse by three Filipino workers from Riyadh, in the presence of Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario. Villafuerte arrived in Riyadh last year to work at the embassy.
Filipino officials in other countries including Kuwait, Jordan and Syria have also been accused of sexual harassment and running prostitution rings involving Filipino women workers.
“My advocacy in life is to render assistance to those who are in need of our services. With regard to the allegations against me, I will answer them at the right time and place,” Villafuerte said.
“I believe that within my short service at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh, I have rendered my duties in a proper manner and believe that there are some people who are willing to come forward to bring out the truth.”
The official expressed deep concern about the effect the allegations are having on his family back home, especially his children. He said he was ready to face all allegations once he receives details of the charges. “To my beloved family, my co-workers and friends, I say don’t worry about me,” Villafuerte said, adding that he was currently still on duty.
The meeting with Villafuerte was organized by a Filipino Fraternity Alpha Kappa Rho head Nadzker Lakibul Sahidulla.
According to a report from Manila, the DFA has recommended the termination of service and recall of embassy personnel found guilty of committing sex crimes against distressed Filipino workers.
The DFA secretary held consultations in Manila with 13 ambassadors and mission heads based in the Middle East and North Africa on Friday and Sunday.
The meeting was called to gather more information on the alleged criminal behavior of certain diplomats, according to reports. Some human rights organizations termed the scandal human trafficking.
Filipino ambassadors to Malaysia and Hong Kong were asked to join the consultation. In earlier reports, Migrante, a migrant advocacy group, said abused Filipino women household workers who seek refuge at Philippine government shelters in the Middle East are vulnerable to “predators” because of the unacceptably slow pace in which their cases are handled. It called for officials to ensure “the immediate, free and mass repatriation of all distressed and stranded workers.”