Acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson said that only 15,000 out of the estimated 100,000 undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia took advantage of the government's amnesty program for illegal residents and applied for proper travel documents at the Philippine Embassy there.

He added that while Philippine officials in Malaysia were seeking a possible extension of the amnesty (the Malaysian government extended it up to January 31), they were also preparing for the repatriation of undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia if negotiations failed.

According to Imson,  a one-stop processing center would be set up in Tawi-Tawi where navy boats, used to ferry the Filipinos from Malaysia, would be brought to dock.

This one-stop center makes "returning workers..able to secure the necessary documents that would enable them to return and to work in Malaysia legally," Imson said. Moreover, livelihood assistance could be provided to those interested.

Finally, he said DOLE activated its Quick Response Team in Zamboanga province linking up the returning workers to the Philjobnet system for immediate placement.

In Malaysia

In 2001, the advocacy group Migrante raised the alarm of a possible repeat of the crackdown on illegal aliens in Malaysia, in which scores of Filipinos, including babies and old people, were "stuffed" into Philippine Navy and commercial ships.

During their repatriation back to the country, at least six children less than a year old died. Migrante stated that the number of undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia was 500,000.

The Malaysian government's amnesty program deadline was set first on December 31 but after the tsunami disaster, the Malaysian government extended it to January 31. Those who fail to comply will be arrested, detained, and deported, the Malaysian government said.