YEARENDER: Binay determined not to become just a spare tire

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay is determined not to be just a spare tire of the President.

Despite failing to get his preferred government portfolio, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Binay has embraced his role as presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFWs) concerns and as chief of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

Binay initially declined to accept any Cabinet position from President Aquino, but finally accepted the post as chief of the HUDCC and as presidential adviser on OFW concerns.

“To be a good leader, one must first be a good follower,” he said, adding that no one can refuse the offer of the President.

Just recently, Binay went to China upon the invitation of the Chinese government to witness the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China.

While in China, he met with the Filipino community there and advised OFWs to strictly follow the laws of the Philippine government and the host country to avoid any problems.

OFWs in China face issues of overstaying, illegal recruitment and drug trafficking.

“I’m asking you to follow all the regulations of China. I am seeking your support and cooperation to remind all our countrymen in China to do the same to avoid any problems,” Binay said during his meeting with the Filipino community.

In a letter, Consul General Joselito Jimeno told the Vice President that the issue of overstaying nationals is connected to illegal recruitment.

Jimeno said victims of illegal recruitment, who later discover that their visas were not processed and thus have illegal status, prefer to stay and find employment to compensate for their financial loss.

“Drug mules often prey on willing victims to smuggle illegal substances out of desperation to earn money,” Binay said, reminding the Filipino community that smuggling 50 grams of heroin is punishable by death in China.

Two Filipinos are currently facing the death penalty for drug trafficking in China.

Binay assured the OFWs that government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are working on a comprehensive response to address their concerns.

He said President Aquino has approved a P1-billion loan fund for OFWs so they could set up businesses when they return to the country.

“The objective of the present administration is to look for solution to poverty by providing jobs and enough income for Filipinos so that going abroad will just be an alternative,” Binay said.

Fighting illegal recruitment

The Vice President has also been very active in the government’s campaign against illegal recruitment.

He asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to keep an eye on a group of illegal recruiters, composed of two British nationals and four Filipinos, who were arrested last month.

The suspects were directors and employees of the NSN Worldwide Advisers Inc., a visa consultancy agency.

“Let this serve as a warning to illegal recruiters and those who intend to take advantage of our OFWs through illegal recruitment. Remember, your days are numbered,” Binay said.

The suspects are currently detained at the CIDG office in Camp Crame and are facing charges of illegal recruitment and estafa.

Their arrest came two weeks after the Vice President formed an inter-agency task force to curb illegal recruitment and fight human trafficking.

Aside from the PNP, the task force includes the POEA, the DOLE, the DFA, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Backing the OFWs

Further championing the cause of OFWs, Binay has asked the joint congressional oversight committee to suspend the implementation of the law which required insurance coverage for agency-hired migrant workers.

Binay said Republic Act 10022 or the amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act needs to be reviewed by Congress because some issues have been raised about the compulsory insurance for OFWs.

Representatives of the joint congressional oversight committee earlier met with officials of the POEA governing board and assured them that they will convene to look into the issues pertaining to RA 10022.

Recruitment agencies decried the mandatory insurance requirement, saying the required $72 annual premium is too high and that some foreign employers have already enrolled their Filipino workers in insurance plans.

The POEA reported a 50 percent decline in the number of contracts processed three days after the Migrant Workers Act took effect, and the daily average of processed contracts dropped to 607 in November from 1,257 in October.

Housing is a priority

On the housing side, Binay led the HUDCC and six shelter agencies in a two-day planning workshop at the National Housing Authority (NHA) operations hall.

He said the six shelter agencies accepted the challenge to rationalize its respective agencies and transform them into a “strong, cohesive, responsive and energized production machinery to bring about institutional reforms and help produce affordable homes in newly established sustainable communities.”

He said the housing sector is unfazed by the limited budget allocation and even cited the Pag-Ibig fund’s commitment to provide funding to 150,000 members annually with packages ranging from P100,000 to P3 million.

Binay said that both the Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC) and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) intend to mobilize funds for housing through securitization and guaranty covers.

He said the NHMFC will build on its past success in floating the 2009 Bahay Bonds that generated P2.6 billion for housing.

The NHA, on the other hand, has taken on the challenge of providing 430,000 housing units for the next six years costing P50 billion, or an annual production of 72,000 units requiring P8.3 billion annually.

Binay said the NHA also committed to revamp its approach to resettlement by providing bigger lots and housing units in environment-friendly communities to affected families at affordable terms, while the Socialized Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) also committed to provide almost 195,000 households security of tenure for the period 2011-2016 using its Community Mortgage Program (CMP).

“Tapping local governments to handle acquired properties will enable LGUs to offer these housing units at more affordable rates to low income workers and government workers in the locality,” Binay said.

With these plans in place, Binay challenged the various agencies to work for ISO accreditation, ensure good governance, transparency and good fiscal conditions within the housing sector.

The Vice President also asked the business sector and the diplomatic community to support the government’s housing programs.

Binay said that although the government recognizes the need to focus on informal settler families, it is faced with challenges including lack of resources, politicking, intervention of groups advocating diverse on-site development approaches and concern for urban renewal and disaster risk management.

He appealed to the members of diplomatic corps to help the Philippines address its housing shortfall through bilateral or multilateral agreements. –Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star)