PH labor attaché to Saudi suspended

BY HANAH TABIOS

Philippine Ambassador to Riyadh Adnan Alonto has placed Labor Attaché (Labatt) Nasser Mustafa under preventive suspension over his actions deemed as “inimical to the national interest” to serve and protect the rights and welfare of Filipinos overseas.

This came after an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) couple filed a complaint against Mustafa last year before the Philippine Embassy for acts of lasciviousness and sexual harassment that reportedly occurred in the morning of Feb. 13, 2020 inside the labor attaché’s office in Riyadh when she was following up some job orders on behalf of her sponsor.

On Oct. 14, the couple directed the Philippine Embassy to seek assistance after sensing that their jobs were already at stake due to the alleged pressure being employed by Mustafa’s office against their employers and sponsors. But the labor attaché, in turn, charged the nationals with cyberlibel.

“With the filing of the criminal charge, Labatt Mustafa directly violated the mandate of all Philippine government officials assigned at Foreign Service Posts to protect the welfare of Filipinos overseas,” the Embassy said in a statement, adding that his actions may result to the imprisonment of the said Filipino nationals in a foreign country.

The Embassy stressed that Mustafa filed the criminal charge without informing the ambassador nor obtaining the approval of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which “undermined the One Country-Team Approach (OCTA)” mandated by the Migrant Workers Act of 1995.

Under the law, officers, representatives, and personnel of the Philippine government posted abroad regardless of their mother agencies shall “act as one country-team with a mission under the leader of the ambassador.”

The Embassy also said Mustafa “caused confusion” among Saudi police authorities since he and the Embassy have opposing views on the filing of the criminal charge.

“Hence, Labatt Mustafa compromised the credibility of the Philippine government’s commitment to protecting its own nationals residing within the Kingdom,” it read.

Due to “loss of trust and confidence,” Alonto decided to place Mustafa under preventive suspension.

Assistant Labor Attaché Henry Tianero will serve as the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh’s officer-in-charge pending the appointment of a new labor attaché.