Rescuing Dutch police told the Filipino drivers camped in their trucks they were treated like animals: ‘Even my dog has a house. You’re humans, but you were made to live here’ Part 2 of an investigative series by Ana P. Santos:
QUEZON, Philippines – The eerie silence of a nearly empty airport greeted Jayar Santos when he landed in Manila in April 2020.It was a stark difference from the blaring horns of cars and high-pitched whistles of security guards trying to put order into the chaos of scurrying passengers that Santos remembered when he had left years before.
In September 2021, the Dutch authorities dismissed the Filipino truck drivers’ complaint of human trafficking. The decision reviewed by Rappler described the drivers’ working conditions as “unfortunate and unfavorable,” but fell short of what would constitute human trafficking under their laws. Migrant truck drivers like Santos are wedged between the harsh realities of two countries.
“Sabi ng police, ‘My dog have a house, but you are human.’ Mga tao kayo, tapos d’yan kayo pinapatira. Trinato daw kaming parang hayop, sabi nila,”One exhausted driver met with an accident while driving the snowy streets of Belgium. The documents alleged that his employer pulled him out of the hospital and forced him to drive again the very next day.
Neither King’s Transport nor its owner, To’ma, were made to face penalties or pay fines. Dutch authorities do not have the jurisdiction to mete out penalties to a company registered outside of its borders. Santos would not qualify for this as he had already returned to the Philippines, but he could not help but be hurt by the decision. He recalled that when he was still in the Netherlands, as the investigation dragged on and the three-year period had inched closer, he began to make plans to apply for a family reunification visa. During his daily video calls to his wife, the couple allowed themselves to close the distance between them by daydreaming about being together in Europe.
“The government has yet to acknowledge the crisis of returning migrants who have been economically displaced or lost their jobs because of the compounded impact of the Saudi nationalization program and the pandemic. Filipino workers will continue to return to the Philippines. Without livelihood options here, our workers may become more vulnerable to human trafficking when looking for employment abroad,” said Concepcion.
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