New Release

February 23, 2008

 

Sons and Daughters ask OFW Parents to join Anti-Arroyo protest Actions – Migrante Middle East

 

An alliance of overseas Filipino organizations based in the Middle East said that many of their Officers and members are receiving calls and short messages from their sons and daughters who are studying in Metropolitan Manila and other Cities in the Philippines .

 

 “Some of Migrante Officers and members whose sons and daughters are studying in Metro Manila and other Cities such as Metro Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Tacloban, Dunmaguete, are receiving calls and text messages from their children who are studying in different Colleges and Universities asking permission if they could join protest actions initiated by their respective Student Councils and students organizations joining other sectors’ call for Mrs. Arroyo to resign,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator.

 

Students in different Universities and Colleges in Metro Manila have been seen for the past few days in streets protests with banners and placards calling for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation following the revelations made by Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. linking the President’s husband, Mike Arroyo, to the controversial $329.48-million broadband project contract with China ’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Corp. (ZTE).

 

Manong Carlo, a Migrante member in Riyadh said he received call from his daughter who is studying at the University of the East in Recto taking up Business Administration on her second year now saying that they have irregular classes since Mr. Lozada have spoken about the ZTE broadband anomaly, and their Student Council along with the organization where she is a member, are spearheading the campaign for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation.

 

“I could not say ‘don’t join’ in the rallies to my daughter. She too has her own political beliefs and opinions that should be respected. Maybe she, like many students, just want to have a more democratic and transparent government to replace Mrs. Arroyo’s government, a government that is truly serving its people,” Manong Carlo added.

 

On her part, Manang Julie, Migrante-UAE member said that her son who is taking up law studies at the University of Santo Thomas have called her and his husband saying that their law students organization have already joined the call of many sectors for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation and he will be joining rallies on the Feb. 25, Edsa Revolution I anniversary.

 

Manang Julie further that her son has asked her to send him an extra amount aside from his tuitions so that he could all join the protests actions until Mrs. Arroyo resigned.

 

“Due to this positive response from OFWs’ sons and daughters joining the call for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation, once again Migrante is calling our families and relatives to join without fail in the coming people’s protest actions to demand for Mrs. Arroyo’s immediate resignation,” Monterona added.

 

During the Feb. 14 Valentine’s day, Migrante chapters in the Middle East have agreed to give calls to greet Happy Valentine’s Day to their loved ones and encourage them to join the scheduled mass actions on Feb. 15 held in Makati City.

 

“This is really enlightening. Could you imagine the sons and daughters of OFWs, themselves are now actively involved in social actions like these so that their voices can be heard too, representing their OFW-parents abroad in this historic people’s concerted actions to remove a corrupt and anti-OFW Arroyo,” Monterona added.

 

Migrante said that empowering OFWs is not only amongst the ranks of overseas Filipino workers themselves but as well as their family members and relatives who undeniably are always there to support OFWs cause and ever willing to extend support to their loved ones working abroad for their future and their children’s children future.

 

“For OFWs cause, our family members and sons and daughters, will not fail us to joining mass actions scheduled on Feb. 25 Edsa Revolutions Anniversary and February 29 picket rally at POEA office to demand total scrapping of MC-04 and POEA Guidelines on Landbased Recruitment, both an anti-OFW policies, to represent in our behalf as they knew very well how their OFW-parents struggled here to advance OFWs rights and welfare,” Monterona ended. # # # .

 

For reference:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante Middle East Regional Coordinator

Mobile No.: 00966 564 97 8012