Solons mull OFW ban in the Middle East

MANILA, Philippines–Hearing labor woes straight from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) themselves, a team of lawmakers is considering recommending a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers in the Middle East.

Giving an initial glimpse of their findings in a news conference Monday, Representatives Luz Ilagan of Gabriela and Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya said they might just recommend in their report a total ban of Filipino who will work as household service workers to save them from becoming “modern-day slaves.”

“We were about to come out with an official statement that maybe we can stop sending domestic helpers there,” Ilagan told reporters.

Padilla said, “Although I would not dispute that they are the unsung heroes, they are the modern-day slaves especially in the Middle East.”

The fact-finding mission was conducted from November 2 to 8 led by Padilla, Ilagan, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez and committee secretary Chris Lomibao.

The team met with about 400 overseas Filipino workers in various shelters in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Riyadh, and Jeddah.

Ilagan said they were “overwhelmed” with the problems confronting the OFWs in the Middle East.

“Unfortunately, they have no choice because they have no alternatives here in our country. The answer really here is to provide jobs for them here,” she said.

Padilla said the government lacked safeguards in ensuring the workers’ rights are protected when they work abroad.

For example, he said the government should see to it that Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act of 1985 is fully implemented, especially the provision that requires that countries where the OFWs would be deployed should have bilateral agreement with the Philippines to fulfill the law.

“If I were to quote section 4 of the law, it says that our country must have ‘existing labor and social laws protecting rights of migrant workers.’ Our ambassadors admitted that there was no existing bilateral agreement,” Padilla said referring to Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, he said that out of the 1.4 million OFWs, about 30 percent are domestic helpers. But he added that 70 percent of the problems are brought by the cases of these distressed domestic helpers.

Padilla said government should realize that if it will not correct the situation, it would be at the losing end these distressed workers could not send remittances to their families in the Philippines and the government would continue to spend for their repatriation.

From January 1 to September 30 this year, Padilla said over 8,000 OFWs were sent home, including 483 human remains.

Ilagan said they would come up with a report for submission to the committee on overseas workers affairs based on their fact finding mission. –Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, INQUIRER.net