Wisma Putra’s help for human rights mission sought

KUCHING: The Sarawak Society for Tolerance and Awareness (SOFTAA) urgently seeks government assistance from Wisma Putra and the Prime Minister’s office for the human rights mission to rescue Dewi Farisha Fazliman, a Sarawakian stranded in Manila since May 2019.

SOFTAA in a statement said Dewi went to the Philippines to register her marriage for paternal rights on her daughters’ birth certificates, but her husband’s refusal complicated the process.

“The brief fact of the case is that Dewi Farisha Fazliman, a Malaysian citizen, had gone to the Republic of the Philippines, which supposedly registered their marriage with a Philippines citizen, so that her two daughters, namely Aurora Aisy Fazrysha (two years old) and Arwaa Aisy Fazeela (nine months old), registered paternal rights on the birth certificate.

“However, the future husband refuse to register their marriage with the Philippines Islamic Authority, and this makes the process more complicated,” the statement said.

Furthermore, the Malaysian Embassy in the Philippines has denied her request for assistance, and the Philippines government’s restrictions during the first Movement Control Order (MCO) worsened their situation.

Dewi’s mother, Sheryl Balisi Cabrera, approached SOFTAA deputy president Mohd Yusuf Baharudhin after unsuccessful attempts to get aid.

She has provided proof of her granddaughters’ legal documents in her effort to repatriate them, who are currently stranded abroad.

To her acknowledgement, her daughter is having a tough life and living in disarray. Due to financial constraints, Dewi was unable to renew their passport for almost four years.

SOFTAA added that they are pleased that their plight would get Wisma Putra and the Prime Minister’s attention to rescue Malaysian citizens, including covering the cost of fines, renewing their passports, and all the most economical transportation costs to bring them home.

Therefore, SOFTAA said they will meet and hand over the salient facts of the case to the Political Secretary and the Prime Minister to discuss further the matter of any financial assistance that could be extended during their challenging period.