OFWs urge Aquino to alleviate migrants’ plight

MANILA, Philippines – President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III must prove his worth by resolving the plight of Filipino migrant workers under the previous administration, an advocacy group said on Tuesday.

Migrante International said Aquino must take action against his predecessor, President Arroyo, and see to it that she pays for the many crimes she allegedly committed against OFWs and their families.

“We challenge Noynoy that on his first 100 days in power, he will take action in litigating Arroyo for corruption of OFW funds, criminal neglect of OFWs in distress and continuous deployment to high-risk countries,” said Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International.

Martinez said it would affirm their assumption that Aquino is no better than Pres. Arroyo if he turns a blind eye on their issues.

On Monday, the group issued its “10-point Migrants Challenge to Noynoy” to highlight the celebration of Migrants Day. On top of the list is the prosecution of Mrs. Arroyo for the alleged misuse of billions worth of funds of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

“Now is the time for him to prove his electoral campaign propaganda of ending corruption. Patunayan niya ang kanyang ipinagmamalaking pagtahak-sa-daang-matuwid sa pamamagitan ng pagsisimula sa pananagot kay Arroyo sa mga ninakaw nitong pondo ng mga OFW,” said Martinez.

The “10-point Challenge” also focuses on providing services and protection for migrant workers. Other highlights include demand for immediate action to provide legal assistance to Filipinos facing death sentences, and rape victims in Saudi Arabia.

“With Noynoy, our worries are high because of his nil record on migrants. We hope that his OFW platform presented during the presidential campaign will take real form. To prove its worth, we challenge him to start extending help to OFWs in distress even before his proclamation,” Martinez said.

Human trafficking, contract substitution

Meanwhile, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center said the increase in the cases of human trafficking and contract substitution poses a major challenge to the next administration.

“Increasing poverty has driven many Filipinos to clutch at empty promises of bogus recruiters and human traffickers,” said Susan Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center.

Ople, who recently received the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Achievement Award for her OFW advocacy, noted that the overwhelming support bestowed by overseas Filipino voters to Aquino comes with high hopes and expectations that the OFW sector would receive the priority it deserves.

“The increasing trend towards contractual work has become a major push factor for migration as more Filipinos consider migration as the first option for economic advancement,” she said.

For the Ople Center, the new administration should immediately embark on institutional and legislative reforms that would grant additional seats in the Board of Trustees to strengthen OFW representation in OWWA while providing additional benefits to its members; and allocate budgets for the immediate deployment of legal and social welfare attaches particularly to countries with a high incidence of human trafficking and other welfare cases, such as in destination points in the Middle East.

Philippine embassies and consulates must be prepared to file cases against abusive foreign employers and agents, especially in cases involving contract substitution, rape and maltreatment of workers, rather than just repatriate the workers involved; and establish one-stop inter-agency OFW assistance centers in provincial capitols to cut red tape and facilitate immediate services to OFW families particularly in the areas of repatriation, reintegration and legal assistance.

“Even as we honor our modern-day heroes today, we all know that as their number rises, the more difficult it is for government to reach them at a time of personal or collective crisis. The solution remains here at home, where job creation is imperative and the quality of jobs must improve,” Ople said.

The OFW advocate also flagged increasing concern over rising tensions in the Korean peninsula where over 80,000 Filipino workers are based.

“We need to keep an eye out and be more vocal about the need to defuse this ticking bomb in our backyard,” she stressed. –abs-cbnNEWS.com