RP consul in Macau sets dialogue with OFWs on controversial policies

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Consulate-General in Macau, China, has set a dialog with groups of overseas Filipino workers questioning various Philippine government policies, among them the controversial affidavit of support (AOS) and compulsory membership to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Pag-Ibig Fund.

Consul-General Rene Villapando denied the accusation by the Migrante-Macau that he snubbed the dialogue earlier scheduled for October 24. The angry Migrante members claimed they were not informed of the postponement and conducted a picket at the consulate instead.

Villapando, in a phone interview, said the Filipinos were informed, through various means, of the postponement of the dialogue one week before. A consul and a consular attaché also verbally informed the Filipinos of the cancellation, he added.

He explained that the dialogue was cancelled due to “time constraints” as the consulate has been busy attending to the needs of the Philippine delegations to two events—a regional investment forum and a real estate developers’ convention—taking place from October 21 to 27.

“The picket was a pre-staged act of the Migrante because they had ready placards, a representative to explain matters in case there are people who would show up, and for the consulate to offer apologies,” he said.

Villapando said the consulate, since his predecessor’s time, has been explaining to various OFWs and OFW groups several controversial policies affecting them.

Migrante-Macau has been leading a drive against the scrapping of the affidavit of support (AOS), a document that visiting relatives of friends of an OFW in Macau need to seek from the Bureau of Immigration in Manila. Before, one AOS was good for three visitors, but the BI changed the requirement to one AOS per visitor.

The OFW group complained about the additional expenditure, adding that the AOS has not even been required by the Macau immigration.

Villapando said the consulate had nothing to do with the BI policy, although he understood it has been meant to prevent human trafficking or the undocumented deployment of OFWs.

“Assistance to nationals has been one of our priorities. I have been meeting with the Filipinos for two months to discuss the issues and other matters, including labor and immigration matters and do’s and don’t’s. There was no snub because we have been meeting with them many times,” Villapando said.

On the issue of the OWWA and Pag-IBIG fund memberships, the consul said the policies were provided under existing laws and were meant for the OFWs’ protection and benefit.

Meanwhile, OFW groups in Hong Kong and in Manila have joined calls for the suspension of the Philippine labor attaché in the Chinese territory who allegedly bad-mouthed a maid who wanted to sue her employer after being dismissed merely two hours after reporting for duty.

The United Filipinos in Hong Kong called on Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz for a speedy investigation and resolution of the case involving labor attaché Romulo Salud.

Salud, in a television interview on Tuesday, denied being rude, saying he was only explaining to the domestic, Agnes Tenorio, her responsibilities.

“If that had hurt her feelings, I’m sorry but it was not my intent to do so,” Salud said.

Tenorio made a recording of her last conversation with the attaché, saying she did so to prove to her disbelieving friends that Salud was not helping her.

The maid later said she was desperate because she had to leave Hong Kong by October 28 and she was being made to pay for her own plane fare. Worse, she had no assurance from her recruiter on the debts she owed for her deployment.

The alleged conversation, which was presented by Unifil in a press conference, has been posted on the video-sharing site YouTube and the social networking site Facebook.

In the alleged recording, a man said was to be scolding a woman for changing her mind about going home and no longer contesting her illegal dismissal.

“Salud must be made accountable for his contemptible treatment of Tenorio and his appalling and flawed view of his responsibility to OFWs in need. At the very least, Salud should be suspended immediately and not allowed to deal anymore with OFWs,” Unifil chair Dolores Balladares said in a statement from Hong Kong.

Baldoz has asked Salud to submit in writing his explanation regarding Tenorio’s complaint. –Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer