MANILA, Philippines—The government should go slow in its labor export policy amid increasing cases of rights violations, threats, and even deaths of Filipinos working abroad, a member of the House of Representatives said Tuesday.
Gabriela party-list Representative Luz Ilagan said the decision of the United Nations Committee on Migrant Workers to strike off the Philippines as a model country for workers protection should alarm President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo “on her hustling to seek more jobs for Filipinos abroad, setting aside their protection and welfare.”
The UN Committee on Migrant Workers has deleted the Philippines as a “positive case study of state ratification and implementation” in the document “Guide on Ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.”
Ilagan said she supports the UN decision and also noted that even the Omnibus Rules and Regulations Implementing the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, also known as Republic Act 8042, which was supposed to be the Philippine government’s translation of the said UN convention, has not fully protected the OFWs.
“While the Arroyo administration announces thousands of job orders abroad, more and more Filipinos have been victimized by illegal recruiters. This is a clear manifestation that the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs have failed to implement the law,” Ilagan said.
With the President off to another expensive visit to the Middle East for job deals, Ilagan said that the chief executive is “paddling in a sinking boat,” deliberately disregarding the UN Convention and continuing with her program of selling the Filipino work force to other nations.
“Hindi nilalako ang karapatan ng mga OFW, sa halip ito ay dapat pangalagaan at depensahan (OFWs’ rights should not be sold, but instead developed and defended),” said Ilagan, adding that Arroyo’s labor export policy has boomeranged.–Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, INQUIRER.net
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Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
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against serious violations of
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November
Nov 2 – Intl Day to End Impunity for
Crimes Against Journalists
Nov 9 – World Science Day for Peace
and Development
Nov 16 – International Day for Tolerance
Nov 19 – World Toilet Day
Nov 20 – World Children’s Day
Nov 25 – Intl Day for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women
Monthly Observances:
Homes Safety Month
Filipino Values Month
National Rice Awareness Month
National Consciousness Month
for Punctuality and Civility
Environmental Awareness Month
National Children’s Month
Organic Agriculture Month
Weekly Observances:
Nov 19-25: Global Warming and
Climate Change Consciousness Week
Nov 23-29: National Girls’ Week
Population and Development Week
Nov 25 – Dec 12: Social Welfare Week
18-Day Campaign to End
Violence against Women
Week 2: Week 3: Drug Abuse Prevention
and Control Week
Last Week: Safety and Accident
Prevention Week
Daily Observances:
Last Saturday: Career Executive Service
Day
Nov 19: National Child Health Day
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