DAVAO CITY — Upon the orders of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bharaini authorities expedited the processing of undocumented Filipino children awaiting repatriation.
The order resulted to the fast arrival of two undocumented Filipino children in the country, just in time for the New Year.
The family along with a four-year-old girl and a one-and-a-half-year-old boy arrived in Manila from Manama, Bahrain on Wednesday. They were accompanied by officials from the Office of the President and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The King issued the instructions to relevant Bahraini officials during a Courtesy Call on Christmas Day by Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert E.A. Borje.
Borje, who was also appointed as the Special Envoy, handed a sealed letter to His Majesty the King from President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
In the letter, Duterte conveyed appreciation for His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s personal care and concern for Filipinos in the Kingdom and for his benevolence towards Filipinos in distress.
During the Royal Audience, Borje conveyed Duterte’s keen interest to work closely with the Bahraini Government to address issues involving distressed Filipinos, particularly the most vulnerable such as undocumented Filipino children.
“President Duterte considers His Majesty the King as a true friend. Under His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s reign, Bahrain has shown great strides, steady progress and regional and global leadership in championing migrant workers’ rights and countering trafficking,” Borje upon his arrival in Manila with the two minors.
According to Borje, His Majesty the King thanked Duterte for the letter and demonstrated immediate concern when the issue of undocumented Filipino children was raised.
The two minors are part of 50 undocumented Filipino children born in Bahrain identified by the Philippine Embassy in Manama under its OPLAN Kabataan programme for repatriation.
The children, who were accompanied by three adults, went home with Undersecretary Robert Borje and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola. Borje embarked on a three-nation mission covering the Middle East and North Africa.
Apart from ordering expedited assistance for repatriating undocumented Filipino children, The King also vowed to address the issue of processing applications for flexi-visa which would regularize the stay of some 100 Filipino workers in the Kingdom.
“These are important actions that show how friendship between the leaders of the Philippines and Bahrain and partnership between our two Governments can be harnessed to advance shared goals,” Borje said.
