Russia has freed 24 Filipinos who were detained for months without charges in a Siberian city, following a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The detainees were scheduled to arrive in Manila on two flights early Sunday, with the first batch welcomed by Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who accompanied Marcos in his talks with Putin on Wednesday in Kazan, Russia.
Marcos, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), led leaders of the 11-nation bloc in commemorating the 35th anniversary of ASEAN’s diplomatic relations with Russia. The release of the Filipinos came swiftly after Marcos raised concerns about their detention during a bilateral meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit.
The Philippines is a key treaty ally of the United States in Asia and was among the majority of ASEAN members that voted for a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Singapore was the only ASEAN member to impose sanctions on Russia. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined the Kazan summit.
After his bilateral meeting with Putin, Marcos told reporters that he raised concerns over the Filipinos who had been detained for about nine months in the city of Irkutsk in southeastern Siberia without charges. He said the Philippines had no other information about their condition. Philippine officials reported that the detainees may have been victims of illegal job recruitment and taken into custody due to possible violations of immigration laws.
Putin told Marcos that he was unaware of the problem but promised to look into it. The swift resolution of the case highlights the diplomatic efforts of Marcos, who has been actively engaging with global leaders to address issues affecting Filipino citizens abroad.