Would Pawa’s fate have been different had she been given legal assistance promptly? But in order to be effective, legal assistance must be provided to our OFWs at the earliest possible time. In many cases, prompt legal assistance by a lawyer could have prevented minor infractions from cascading into bigger legal problems. In the Middle East, for instance, an expired resident visa or work permit may result in the arrest, incarceration and deportation of a migrant worker. Lawyers hired by our foreign posts can therefore act as “force multipliers” that can dramatically increase the capacity and ability of our missions abroad to provide legal assistance to distressed OFWs.

Source: Manila Times October 30, 2017 16:30 UTC