5 December, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
Reference: Garry Martinez-Chairperson

A global alliance of Filipino migrant organizations today trooped to the office of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to decry the Philippine government’s continued failure to give due compensation to OFWs who were laid off from Taiwan due to the global financial crisis.

According to Migrante Chairperson Garry Martinez, government officials from OWWA and Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) promised services to the retrenched OFWs such as livelihood funds, legal assistance, and referrals for local employment among others through PGMA One-Stop Shop Services, a program allegedly created for returning OFWs displaced by global financial crisis.

Martinez casts doubt on these promises. He cited the case of stranded OFWs from the Middle East early this year that were also promised livelihood program by the government but received nothing up to this moment.

Martinez said retrenched OFWs are demanding payment for their unexpired portion of their contracts. They also want the government to intervene to address their loans in lending companies before they went abroad, he added.

“OFWs are not the ones liable in the premature termination of their contract. Returning their airfare expenses alone is therefore an injustice to them. It is utterly infuriating that DoLE Secretary Marianito Roque himself seems to be working only for the interest of the recruiters and employers,” decried Martinez.

Migrante suggests that DoLE should immediately release the bonds posted by recruitment agencies to the POEA amounting to P1 million each recruitment agencies. The group insists that the said bond should recompense the laid off OFWs in full contract payment.
 

“OFWs should not be punished for something they are not at fault of and should be compensated accordingly. Secretary Roque should stop protecting the recruiters. It is the OFWs who are paying their salary. Unless he is receiving pay-off money from employers and recruiters,” Martinez rebuked.

Migrante also scores the government’s announcement of providing P50,000 loans for retrenched OFWs for their livelihood programs.

“OFWs already have outstanding debts, why is the government putting them into more debts? The government should use OWWA funds to compensate these OFWs. After all, OWWA’s funds are OFWs’ funds,” Martinez said.

Instead of genuinely addressing the problems of these distressed OFWs, the Arroyo government would rather use them for a photo opportunity to cover-up for their inutility. This is nothing but a display of government’s utter callousness to the plight of the retrenched OFWs,” exclaims Martinez.

Migrante claims that most of the repatriated OFWs had complained that they have to even pay for their own airfare since the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei only gave NT$1,500 for each OFWs whose airfare is more than NT$5,000. The group claims that OFWs were forced to sell their belongings to pay for their own ticket.

According to Migrante most of the OFWs were retrenched from companies like in manufacturing textile, electronics, metal-work, among others. The group expects that the situation will even get worse next year. According to the Taiwan’s Minister Jennifer Wang of Taiwan’s Council of Labor Affairs, “Taiwan will terminate 50,000 migrant workers next year and 11,550 Filipino workers could be affected.

Press Release
4 December 2008
Reference: Garry Martinez, Chairperson
Mobile: 0921-7229740
Rescue flights for OFWs urged

Soaring undocumented migrants blamed on gov't scheme

A global alliance of Filipino migrant organizations claimed that the number of undocumented OFWs will dramatically increase due to government's policy to pass on repatriation costs to OFWs affected by the global financial crisis.

"Thousands of laid off OFWs will be stranded in their host countries simply because government refuses to release its repatriation fund," says Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International.

Migrante claimed that the OFWs who were recently retrenched from their jobs in Taiwan were asked by MECO to shoulder their fare as it was unable to enforce employers and recruitment agencies to pay, as provided by law.

"We have received reports from our chapter in Taiwan that most of those recently retrenched from 21 companies in Taiwan were forced to stay beyond the expiration date of their visas because they had no money to pay for their airfare. Thus, they will now be considered as illegals and have to suffer the consequences," Martinez added.

 

The group cited statistics from the Department of Foreign Affairs that irregular or undocumented migrants in East and South Asia already stands at more than half a million as of 2006. They also mentioned that, according to POEA, there are about 4,500 undocumented migrants in Taiwan alone yet they also say that the number can be twice over.

"With the government's continued refusal to release repatriation funds as stated in the law, we can expect that the numbers of undocumented migrants to dramatically increase by early next year!" Martinez added.

Migrante pointed out that in the provisions of R.A. 8042 or the Magna Carta for Overseas Filipinos, 100 million pesos were allocated annually just for repatriation of distressed OFWs. The said law was enacted in 1995 after the hanging of Flor Contemplacion, a domestic helper in Singapore.

"Undocumented migrants, considered as illegal in most countries, are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. The increase in their numbers would also mean an increase in numbers of cases of maltreatment and unfair labor practices against OFWs," Martinez concluded.

The group also noted that government's rescue flights for Filipinos who were stranded in Bangkok, Thailand just proved that government has resources for repatriation, contrary to government claims there is no budget.

"If the Arroyo administration could readily spend millions of pesos to rescue Filipino tourists in Bangkok, it should likewise do the same for the OFWs whom they regard as Modern Day Heroes." Martinez lamented.