illegal use of Mobile Phone-- Read to be Wary

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

MANILA, 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.