A Filipino migrants group on Tuesday said the appointment of Esther “Mocha” Margaux Uson as deputy executive director of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration endangers the welfare of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Migrante Philippines chair Arman Hernando issued the warning and cited Uson’s role in the online posting of a rescue mission last year of distressed OFWs in Kuwait without coordination from Kuwaiti authorities.
The incident was condemned by the Kuwaiti government as an affront to its sovereignty and led to a temporary Philippine-Kuwait diplomatic row.
“If there is one thing she is known among OFWs is her penchant for making political gimmicks even if it endangers the lives of OFWs,” Hernando said. “We can never forget the danger she has cause because of publicity stunt she pulled in Kuwait last year.”
Migrante also raised concerns over OWWA’s funds, which it said is now at risk of being wasted’ because of Uson’s “purveying fake news and senseless junkets.”
Furthermore, it also added Uson’s appointment may hamper the effective delivery of OWWA services.
“We are extremely concerned that discriminatory practices in the delivery of services to our OFWs who are not loyal to Duterte will be rampant,” Migrante said in a statement.
Uson was a former assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).
