DFA reiterates Filipinos’ arrest in Qatar due to political gathering

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Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega refutes claims that the Filipinos — some of whom had on pro-Duterte shirts — were arrested because of visa issues

MANILA, Philippines – The arrest and detention of more than a dozen Filipinos in Qatar stemmed from a political demonstration linked to a campaign supporting former president Rodrigo Duterte, and not because of visa issues, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday, March 31.

The Philippine embassy in Qatar earlier said the Filipinos were detained on Friday, March 28, for participating in “suspected unauthorized political demonstrations.” Although it had not been specified then, Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad held simultaneous prayer rallies for Duterte, who turned 80 on Friday while detained at the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

Pro-Duterte social media pages circulated claims that the arrest was not because of a prayer rally, but because the Filipinos had visa issues that no longer allowed them to stay in Qatar legally. There were also claims that some of those detained just happened to be wearing shirts supporting the former president.

In a briefing with reporters on Monday, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega confirmed that the reason for the arrest and detention was indeed a political activity.

“They were arrested because they participated in a political demonstration…. We know they were just indicating their support for the former president. And they were, I think they were harmless. It was more like a picnic gathering. However, they had on T-shirts and placards and that is the reason why they were arrested,” said De Vega in a mix of English and Filipino.

“Hindi sila inaresto dahil walang visa. Wala (They were not arrested because they did not have visas. Nothing like that).”

De Vega added that the Philippine embassy is working to convince authorities to let the Filipinos go, negotiating the penalty of a fine instead of a criminal case. Sixteen are still in custody, while three minors have been released.

Qatar has strict policies regulating public gatherings in the Gulf state. De Vega said that should cases prosper against the Filipinos, they may face imprisonment of up to three years.

“This is a good warning for our compatriots in Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries to not participate [in unauthorized political rallies],” said De Vega.

In a separate press briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro mentioned the assistance that Philippine authorities are extending to the detained Filipinos.

“Obligasyon pa rin po ng ating pamahalaan, ng administrasyon, ang mga Pilipino anuman po ang kulay nila, wala po tayong sinisino, wala po tayong discrimination patungkol po diyan. Basta po kapwa Pilipino ay tutulungan po iyan ng administrasyon,” said Castro.

(It is the obligation of the government, of the administration, to not discriminate against any Filipino no matter what their political colors are. As long as they are fellow Filipinos, the administration will help them.) – Rappler.com