Fatimah: Sarawakian mom, kids stranded in Philippines to be brought home soon

KUCHING (Jan 26): A Sarawakian mother and her two young children who are currently stranded in Manila, the Philippines are expected to be brought home soon.

Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the mother, Dewi Farisha, 25, has been stranded in the Philippines since 2019 after she and her mother visited her grandfather who had fallen ill.

“Due to financial constraints, Dewi stayed back in Manila while her mother went back to Sarawak,” Fatimah told a press conference here today.

She added that during this period, Dewi gave birth to two children – Aurora Aisy and Arwaa Aisy – in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

According to Fatimah, Dewi in 2022 had visited the Malaysian Embassy in Manila to obtain an Emergency Travel Document for her first child to return to Malaysia.

“However, her application fell short as her documents were not complete,” she added.

Fatimah continued, as Dewi is expected to be overstaying in the country, the embassy also advised her to apply for a Motion of Reconsideration for overstaying.

She added that in 2023, Dewi gave birth to her second child and the penalty for overstaying in the Philippines as of Jan 17 this year has climbed to a total of RM29,439.

“On Jan 19, representatives from the Malaysian Embassy has met the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration unit tourist visa head Raymond D. Remigio.

“During the talks, an agreement was reached where the penalty for overstaying will be reduced to RM12,249. This was made possible due to our close relationship with the Filipino government,” said Fatimah.

She added that the Malaysian Embassy has also issued Emergency Travel Documents for both of Dewi’s children to travel to Malaysia.

Prior to meeting with the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), representatives from the Malaysian Embassy had met with Dewi and her two children.

“The family was found in Taytay in Rizal, Manila and to be living in a rented room with a shared toilet. The living conditions are not conducive to raising children as there are no beds, and the living space is said to be very small,” said Fatimah.

According to Fatimah, Dewi also claimed that drug activities are rampant in the area.

“Immediate action was taken by the embassy to relocate the family to a temporary shelter at Hotel Berjaya in Makati City on Jan 19,” she added.

Fatimah also added that the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who was informed of the incident, had channeled RM3,400 (RM340 per day) to help the family with their expenses and accommodation cost.

It was also revealed that the expenses to bring home Dewi and her two children will be managed by Sarawak Volunteers involving a sum of RM24,696 which includes the RM3,400 that was channeled by Fadillah.

These include their accommodation, living expenses, flight tickets and the fine for overstaying in the Philippines.

Also present at the press conference was Albony Basir, a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, Sarawak regional office; and Dewi’s mother Sheryl Balisia.

“I have contacted her (Dewi) and she is optimistic that she will return home sometime next week,” said Sheryl.

She also expressed her gratitude to everyone involved to bring her daughter and grandchildren home.