3,000 Pinoys lose jobs monthly as Taiwan sanction runs, but DOLE offers OFWs hope

MANILA, Philippines – About 3,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan are rendered jobless every month that the hiring freeze imposed by the Taiwanese government runs, officials of Taipei’s main political office in the country said Wednesday. But Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said alternative jobs and enterprise opportunities await those displaced.

The hiring freeze arose from the May 9 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard men trying to board the Guang Da Xing No.28, suspected of poaching in the Balintang Channel off Batanes.

In a round table discussion with journalists at a Makati city hotel Wednesday, Andrew Tung-Heng Lin, Political Division Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines said the longer it takes the government to release the final report on the incident, the more OFWs are being deprived of their chance to renew their contract to work in Taiwan.

Tung-Heng Lin said about 6,000 OFW had already secure their working permits since May 15 and are only waiting for their visas, but because of the hiring freeze, these workers are now being sidelined. By the end of July, he estimates that at least 10,000 OFWs should have been issued visas for deployment to Taiwan.

Currently, Taiwan chooses to hire workers from Vietnam and Indonesia to replace the OFW slots– with 3,000 monthly contracts expired and not renewed because of the conflict. Statistics show some 80,000 workers based in Taiwan, but with the 3,000 workers having their contracts expire monthly and not being able to have these renewed, in two years all of the OFWs will have their contracts expired.

He claimed the number of Taiwanese tourists entering the Philippines has dropped by almost 50 percent compared to May last year, with an estimated loss of P200 million monthly since the ban was implemented .

But Tung-Heng Lin quickly added that “with regards to the issue of the OFWs in Taiwan, we would like to reiterate that they are well protected by the ROC government and that there have been no further reports of mistreatment.” He was referring to initial reports of OFWs being harassed by overzealous Taiwanese after the fisherman’s shooting.

The ROC government, he said, is determined to do its best to ensure the OFWs’ safety and welfare in Taiwan. But, he added, “we hope that the Philippine government may expedite the resolution of the shooting death incident so as to mend the bilateral relations between ROC (Taiwan) and the Philippines”.

Taipei has been pressing Manila to release the results of its investigation to the public and to let perpetrators face criminal and administrative charges. Taiwan also wants to discuss fishing rights with the Philippines.

Not the end of the road for OFWs – Baldoz

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz Wednesday assured OFWs in Taiwan affected by the reported hiring freeze that employment and business opportunities await them upon their return to the country.

Baldoz made the assurance in response to news reports that some 10,000 OFWs in the Philippines are unable to return to work in Taiwan due to the reported freeze on the hiring of Filipino workers.

“The report came from a member of Congress who bared it in a press conference. We are still verifying the report. Initially, it appears that the figure of 10,000 is grossly off the mark. POEA historical records show that the deployment to Taiwan is only on the average of 2,000 to 2,500 a month,” Baldoz explained.

She stressed that local employment is a viable option for displaced OFWs in Taiwan. “Those who are already here in the Philippines and those whose contracts are expiring and may not be able to go back to Taiwan can apply for the 129,180 available job vacancies as posted in the PhilJobNet, the official online job search and matching portal of the government which include the following positions: plant and machine operators and assemblers (13,544 vacancies); factory workers (6,040 positions); engineers and technicians (2,956 positions); and machinists (323 positions),” said Baldoz.

They may also explore jobs in the business process outsourcing sector, such as call center agents, technical support staff, and customer service assistants. Those who have low skills may also apply for skills training/upgrading in TESDA-accredited training providers, she added.

Other job markets abroad

Baldoz also said Taiwan-displaced OFWs may apply in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, which have need for production workers and personal services, such as care-giving.

“Based on balances of available job orders of licensed recruitment agencies approved by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, they can apply for work in these countries without need for further training/retraining,” she said.

Reintegration at home is best

But Baldoz said their best option will be to stay home in the Philippines and engage in enterprise or business activity. “They may avail of the government’s entrepreneurial development assistance under the National Reintegration Program for OFWs which include training and capability-building, as well as business capital loans of P300,000 to P2 million from the P2 billion Reintegration Loan Fund offered by the Land Bank of the Philippines and guaranteed by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration,” Baldoz explained.

The loan carries an interest of only 7.5 percent per year and has a repayment term of five years extendible to seven years.

She encouraged them to accept the invitation to invest their hard-earned savings, if they have any, in agribusiness, a priority area under the reintegration program partnership between the DOLE and the Department of Agriculture.

Under the DOLE-DA partnership, the agencies promote agribusiness as an investment option for OFWs. The DA has developed 37 agribusiness modules which OFWs can choose from. These ‘ready-to-roll’ modules contain detailed information on needed capital, location of business, market, cost, and rate of return on investment. “No less than the Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alacala has pledged to deliver all possible technical assistance to OFW-investors for free. On the other hand, the DOLE is ready with its services,” Baldoz emphasized. –Eric B. Apolonio, InterAksyon.com