Filipino Expats Qatar

OFW in Qatar jailed for co-worker's illegal mobile phone use
By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:10:00 06/20/2008
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Other Most Read StoriesxClose thisMANILA, Philippines -- An overseas Filipino worker in Qatar was sentenced to one month in jail and fined 3,000 Qatar riyals after he lent his cellular phone to another worker who used the unit to verbally harass a woman, an OFW group said Friday.

John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of the Migrante-Middle East, thus warned all OFWs not to allow anybody else to use their personal cellular phones. He also advised them to report to police any incident of phone loss or theft.

Monterona said Florence, the wife of Roy Palaoag, a loader and backhoe operator for Doha-based Qatar Quarry, sought the organization's assistance for a crime that her husband did not commit.
In October 2006, Palaoag lent his phone to a co-worker, an Indian national, who then used it to call a woman and threaten her, the OFW’s wife said.

The woman reported the incident to the Qatar police, who later traced the owner of the phone.

Monterona noted that the Qatar government regulated cell phone SIM cards, requiring buyers to fill up an application form and to submit a copy of the applicant's Iqama (residence permit). He said Qtel, Qatar's national telephone company, enters the user's personal information into the government's centralized information system.
"This makes it easy for them to trace any call," he said.

Quoting Palaoag's wife, Monterona said the OFW has settled the case with local police, which fined him 250 Qatar riyals, for which a receipt was issued.

But that was not the end of it. On April 25 this year, when Palaoag was scheduled to go back to the Philippines for a vacation, airport immigration police stopped him from boarding his plane. They said his case was still active as per their computerized data system and detained him for further investigation. His loved ones here waited in vain for his arrival.

On May 20, 2008, the Qatari Court ruled and sentenced Palaoag to one month in jail and fined 3,000 Qatar riyals.
Monterona said Palaoag has served his jail term but could not be released since he could not pay the fine.

"Migrante, along with other OFW organizations in Qatar, will be spearheading a contribution drive to raise the money," he said.

Migrante ME advises fellow OFWs: ‘Never allows anybody use your personal mobile phone’

“Never allows anybody use your personal cell phone, it may put your life at risk”, thus today said an alliance of Overseas Filipino workers’ organizations based in the Middle East to fellow OFWs working in Qatar and in other countries in the Middle East.

“Migrante ME issued this advisory to fellow OFWs working in Qatar and in other Middle Eastern Countries so that our fellow OFWs will be warned of the consequences such as being sent to jail and be implicated for a crime by letting someone use their personal cellphone or mobile phone as popularly called in the Middle East,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East (ME) regional coordinator.

This was exactly happened to OFW Roy Palaoag, working as a Loader and Backhoe Operator for a company named Qatar Quarry based in Doha, Qatar.

OFW Palaog’s wife, Mrs. Florence sought the assistance of our Migrante-Metro Baguio Chapter on the case of his husband who was jailed for 1 month and was fined Qatar Riyal (QR) 3,000 by the Qatari Court for a crime he did not commit.

According to Mrs. Florence, sometime in October 2006, an Indian-national friend borrowed her husband cellphone presumably to call somebody. But unknown to Roy, the Indian national friend called a woman and uttered words that were uncomfortable or seriously hurtful and threatening to the woman. Thus, feeling humiliated or threatened by the Indian national, the woman reported and lodged complain to the local police.

Upon investigation by the Qatar Police, the cellphone number was traced and found out to be Roy’s cellphone. Thus, Roy was badly implicated.

“Cellphone’s SIM Card is regulated by the government of Qatar. You can’t simply buy it openly in the market as the government requires any body to fill a form for acquiring a SIM card and submit a copy of your Iqama (residence permit), and the Qtel, Qatar’s national telephone company, enters the user’s personal information to the government’s centralized information or data system. Thus, they could easily traced any one’s call,” Monterona explained.

According to Mrs. Florence, OFW Roy Palaoag’s wife, the case was already settled with the local police by penalizing Roy a fine of QR250 and was in fact given a receipt.

OFW Roy Palaoag is due for a vacation on April 25, 2008. As it was his schedule for a vacation and getting all the formalities from his own company, he proceeded to the airport bound to be back home hoping and longing to see his beloved family for just a wait of 8 hours flight Doha-Manila.

Unfortunately, he was held by the Airport Immigration Police claiming that he has a pending case seen on their computerized data system. He was held for further investigation. His loved ones back home waited for his arrival.

On May 20, 2008, the Qatari Court ruled and sentenced OFW Roy Palaoag for a 1 month imprisonment and a penalty of QR3,000 was imposed by the Qatari Court.

“Our Migrante chapter in Qatar was already informed to give assistance to OFW-victim Roy Palaoag. He has already served a month of imprisonment but he needed to pay the QR3,000 for his release. Migrante, along with other OFW organizations in Qatar, will be spearheading a contribution drive to raise such amount so that OFW Roy Palaoag could be back home,” Monterona said.

“We would like to convey to fellow OFWs in Qatar and in the Middle East the lesson we got from OFW Roy Palaoag case: Never allows anybody use your personal mobile phone, it may put you at risks. If it was lost or stolen, report it immediately to host government national telephone company or to the local police” Monterona ended. ###

For Reference:
John Leonard Monterona
regional coordinator
Migrante Middle East
Mobile No.: 00966 564 97 8012