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Press Release
13 February 2008
For reference: Dolores Balladares
Chairperson
Tel. No: 97472986
“No more plunder of people’s and OFW
money”
HK OFWs say NBN-ZTE deal shows gov’ts “extreme greed and total
bankruptcy”
“Be it in corruption or exaction, this government shows extreme greed
and disregard for morality, legality and the interest of the Filipino
people and migrant workers.”
This was declared today by Dolores Balladares, chairperson of the United
Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK) in a protest action of OFWs to
denounce corruption in the government as revealed in the testimonies of
Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr on the anomalous US$329.5-million NBN-ZTE deal.
“In the light of what have been exposed, we, Filipino migrant workers who
labor abroad just so our family can survive, are enraged by how blatant
this government led by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband robs the
people and plunders public funds,” she added.
According to Balladares, the NBN-ZTE scandal has just shown the “total
bankruptcy” of the GMA government.
“While they let the people contend with economic problems such as the
continuing burden of the sliding value of remittance of OFWs, GMA and her
cohorts are siphoning off public resources for their own good,” she
added.
Balladares said that the NBN-ZTE scandal should be pursued to its
conclusion.
“GMA and company should not be allowed to worm their way out of this
case. They must be made accountable and must be prosecuted for this
serious crime,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, the group also hit GMA for her order to “relax” the POEA
Guidelines on Direct Hiring for skilled workers saying that the move is
made to thwart the unity of all Filipinos abroad against the rule.
“Again, what this government is trying to salvage is the money that it
can generate from this new policy. At first they offered exemptions of
three countries and now they are dangling the same offer to our fellow
migrants who are not domestic workers, factory workers or in other related
jobs. This government is courting the middle section of OFWs in order to
take off some heat from the various attacks it has been experiencing,”
she explained.
Balladares encouraged all OFWs not to allow the government to extort money
from any Filipino abroad and especially from those working in low-paying
jobs.
“Let us not let GMA and her kind gain hold over more resources they can
plunder. Her government’s corruption must be stopped,” she declared.
The group called for the Senate to get to the bottom of the NBN-ZTE
anomaly. They also called for the House of Representatives to pursue an
impeachment case against GMA.
“More importantly, we call on to our family and our compatriots back
home to continue the call to address the ills of our society and remove
the current main source of the people’s woes: GMA herself,” she
concluded.#
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