Twenty-four Filipino nationals who had been detained in a Siberian city for months without charges have been released by Russia. The release came after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. brought the matter up during a meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, according to statements from Philippine government representatives.
The 24 men and women arrived in Manila on Sunday aboard two aircraft and were greeted by Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro, who had accompanied Marcos to the Russian city of Kazan for the talks on Wednesday, the Philippine Foreign Ministry stated.
Marcos, who currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), was leading the delegation of the 11-nation alliance at the celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between ASEAN and Russia. During the summit, a bilateral meeting took place between Marcos and Putin.
The swiftness of the release surprised many, occurring shortly after Marcos had raised the issue on Wednesday. The Philippines is regarded as an important treaty ally of the US in Asia and is one of the ASEAN nations that voted in favor of the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Following his meeting with Putin, Marcos reported that he had outlined the plight of the Filipinos who had been held in Irkutsk, southeastern Siberia, for approximately nine months without being formally accused of any crime. At the time, Marcos had no further information regarding their condition.
According to Philippine officials, there were indications that the men might have been victims of illegal labor recruitment and were taken into custody due to suspected violations of immigration law.
Putin told Marcos that the problem had not been known to him, but promised to take steps to resolve it. During dinner on Wednesday, the Russian president assured him that the Filipinos had been accused of no wrongdoing. “Don’t worry, we will find a way to solve this problem,” Marcos quoted Putin.
Marcos later reported that the Philippine delegation was informed by Russian authorities that the men would be immediately deported to Manila. Ambassador Igor Bailen noted that approximately 15,000 Filipinos live and work in Russia.
