RP's migration system far from being 'the best' - OFW leader

MANILA, Philippines - The government’s migration management system is far from being “the best," contrary to the belief of international labor groups and other neighboring countries as claimed by a Labor department official.

This was the opinion of John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, in reaction to the statement of Labor legal section head Ricardo Gloria Jr that the International Labor Organization and the International Organization on Migration have commended the Philippines for a good job in handling the situation of migration.

Gloria is among the 44-member Philippine contingent who presented the country's human rights record before the United Nation's Human Rights Council (UNCHR) in Geneva, Switzerland.

“In no way is [the government’s] labor export program a model for other countries, for no pro-migrant government would allow its overseas workers to be degraded, abused and harassed and be treated like a commodity where their labor is being sold cheap in the labor market; no pro-migrant government would allow to see its people being hanged to death; and no pro-migrant government would allow to see at least 10 cadaver of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) daily arriving in the airports," Monterona asserted in a statement on Wednesday.

Migrante has been documenting the numerous cases of runaway and stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia as well as other countries in the Middle East including Lebanon, Jordan, and Kuwait where hundreds of OFWs are in the deportation centers and shelter run by Philippine Embassies and Philippine Consulates, while some are also languishing in jails.

“The ILO and the IOM would not commend the Arroyo administration for handling well the situation of migration if only they are well aware of the worsening plight of OFWs in the Middle East," he said.

According to the group’s statement Migrante chapters in the Middle East through its Migrant Rights and Welfare Assistance Committee have been receiving calls and e-mails from distress OFWs in a rate of three cases a day.

“To date, we are reaching to almost 500 OFWs in distress and runaways in Saudi Arabia alone, both inside the deportation centers, shelters and in the houses of fellow OFWs to seek refuge," said Monterona.

“In Jordan and Lebanon, we are receiving reports direct from OFW-victims inside the shelter managed by the Philippine Embassy that there are almost 200 OFWs, respectively who are there now for more than 3 to 6 months already, while Embassy officials just keep on promising them for repatriation," he added.

According to the Palace statement, the Philippine delegation outlined the institutions and programs of the Arroyo administration which addressed the welfare of migrant workers and fight human trafficking and illegal recruitment.

This includes the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking, and Office for Migrant Workers Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The country is the 10th in the first batch of 16 countries that would undergo the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The UPR is a new review mechanism for the 192 members of the UN which seeks to look into the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments.

Meanwhile, Monterona further said that a provision in the supposed agreement between the Philippine government and the host country where an employer should immediately issue an exit visa or exit permit to its OFW-employee if the latter decides to leave.

“The government could do a lot more to upholding and promoting OFWs rights and welfare, only if the government is sincerely recognizing its responsibility to the sector that is keeping the Philippine economy afloat for quite sometime now," Monterona explained.

About 10 million Filipinos are scattered all over the world as migrant workers with last year's remittance breaching the $13 billion mark. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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