Migrante Party-list believes the Malaysian government could use the crisis in Lahad Datu to crack down on undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and so-called “stateless Filipinos” in Sabah.

“(Sabah) is one of the most common ‘transit points’ of trafficked Filipinos on their way to other parts of Asia,” said Connie Bragas Regalado, chairperson and first nominee of Migrante Party-list.

Most of the trafficked Filipino workers are women, Bragas-Regalado added.

She also condemned the brutal tactics employed by the Malaysian government in cracking down on illegal immigrants, under its Illegal Immigrant Settlement Program (6P Programme, “6P”) which is in its final phase of implementation.

Arrests, illegal detention and raids of undocumented migrants are being conducted by the Malaysian government, despite the extension of the deadline for the 6P declared by Secretary-General of Home Ministry Tan Sri Mahmood, Bragas-Regalado said.

“Now, with recent developments, OFWs in Sabah will become more vulnerable to crackdowns and abuses. This, without doubt, will be the direct result of Philippine goverment’s defeatist and passive stance on the Sabah issue,” she said.

Bragas-Regalado further said that after the bloodbath, most, if not all, Filipinos in Sabah will likely be deemed ‘illegal’ or ‘undocumented’ because the Aquino administration’s failure to support the legitimacy of their stay in Sabah.

“The Aquino government should prioritize national interest in the Sabah conflict. It should do everything to defend and ensure the protection of Filipinos working and residing in Sabah. Any Filipino blood further shed in Sabah will be blood in the hands of Aquino,” Bragas-Regalado added.

Migrante Party-list also stated that one of the main causes of mass exodus of Filipinos from Mindanao to Sabah is the intensive militarization under the counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan, as well as the presence of US military troops doing Balikatan exercises in Mindanao.

The largest crackdown on illegal immigrants in Sabah happened in 2002, when 64,000 Filipinos were abruptly deported. Since then, thousands are being deported each year, while thousands also languish in Malaysian detention centers awaiting deportation.

Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International and second nominee of Migrante Party-list, condemned the Aquino administration for failing to protect Filipinos in Sabah during the attacks against supporters of the Sultan of Sulu.

“This is Filipino blood in the hands of President Aquino. We call on all our compatriots and the international community to join us in condemning the attack and the Philippine government’s betrayal of the Filipino people,” said Martinez.