We wish to correct an inaccurate statement in a recent news report from GMA News regarding the case of the 11 Filipino workers exploited by Saints and Stars Gym in the Netherlands. The said report states that the Philippine Embassy provided the shelter where the workers are currently staying. This is not true.
The workers have not received any form of support from the Philippine Embassy, nor have they been in contact with the workers since July, as was claimed in their statement. In fact, the workers met with representatives from the Philippine Embassy for the first time only on August 8, 2025.
It was Migrante Netherlands that brought this case to the attention of the Philippine Embassy and facilitated the August 8th dialogue. Since then, whatever support the workers have received has come entirely from their own resourcefulness and from the solidarity of concerned individuals and organizations who have stood by them since the beginning — not from the Philippine Embassy.
Furthermore, the Philippine Embassy’s statement on this case was unclear and misleading. By suggesting prior contact and support where there was none, their statement distorts the public record and shifts focus away from the urgent needs of the exploited workers. Such ambiguity does not serve the interests of transparency or the welfare of overseas Filipinos, and only undermines trust in the institutions meant to protect them.
We urge GMA News to publish a correction and ensure accurate reporting on this case. Misrepresenting the Embassy’s role undermines the truth of the workers’ ordeal and erases their efforts at gathering support that have been critical to their survival and pursuit of justice.
