CNMI House nixes bill seeking better immigration status for OFWs
CAPITAL HILL, Saipan - Thousands of overseas Filipinos workers (OFW) in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) encountered another roadblock in their attempt at having a better immigration status and job security in the CNMI.
The CNMI House of Representatives on Friday rejected House Bill 16-86 that seeks to allow long-time nonresident workers in the Marianas to apply for a more permanent immigration status.
Voting 13-2, the House adopted the Judiciary and Government Operations (JGO) Committee report recommending the shelving of the bill.
Though the measure does not offer permanent residency, resident status, citizenship, or nationality to Filipinos and other foreign nationals who have been in the CNMI for at least five years, it would enable them to live and work “at will" in the Marianas like permanent residents.
The bill also gives preference to long-term nonresident workers over other foreign workers.
The Human Dignity Movement, which has thousands of OFWs and other Asian workers as members, expressed disappointment over the bill’s rejection.
“We are not happy with what happened to the bill. However, we salute Rep. Tina Sablan for her efforts in stabilizing the Saipan workforce," the group’s president, Jerry Custodio, of Tacloban, told GMANews.TV on Sunday.
Most of the over 18,000 foreign workers in the CNMI are Filipinos.
Workers’ groups in the CNMI seek the bill’s passage to protect long-time foreign workers from deportation during the transition period from a CNMI-controlled to a US-controlled immigration system.
Only Sablan and Rep. Edward Salas, who co-authored the bill, opposed the adoption of the JGO committee report.
After a long deliberation on the measure, Rep. Victor Hocog announced his withdrawal as co-author of the bill. Another co-author, Rep. Heinz Hofschneider, was absent.
Lawmakers who were against the bill said acting favorably on the measure was a “moot point" because the new US immigration law applying federal immigration to the CNMI would already be implemented next year.
Rep. Rosemond Santos, who chairs the JGO committee, said the bill gave “false hopes" to foreign workers in the CNMI.
Other lawmakers said that while thousands of jobs were being given to guest workers, thousands of local residents remained jobless.
But the lawmakers nevertheless agreed that the CNMI did not have enough local workers to run the economy, thus it continued relying on foreign contract workers.
Custodio said his group was waiting for a 22-page report on the plight of guest workers in the CNMI. The report is being prepared by Florida-based activist Wendy Doromal for submission to the US Congress.
Doromal actively seeks the US government’s granting of “green cards" to long-term guest workers in the CNMI. - HAIDEE V. EUGENIO, GMANews.TV
The CNMI House of Representatives on Friday rejected House Bill 16-86 that seeks to allow long-time nonresident workers in the Marianas to apply for a more permanent immigration status.
Voting 13-2, the House adopted the Judiciary and Government Operations (JGO) Committee report recommending the shelving of the bill.
Though the measure does not offer permanent residency, resident status, citizenship, or nationality to Filipinos and other foreign nationals who have been in the CNMI for at least five years, it would enable them to live and work “at will" in the Marianas like permanent residents.
The bill also gives preference to long-term nonresident workers over other foreign workers.
The Human Dignity Movement, which has thousands of OFWs and other Asian workers as members, expressed disappointment over the bill’s rejection.
“We are not happy with what happened to the bill. However, we salute Rep. Tina Sablan for her efforts in stabilizing the Saipan workforce," the group’s president, Jerry Custodio, of Tacloban, told GMANews.TV on Sunday.
Most of the over 18,000 foreign workers in the CNMI are Filipinos.
Workers’ groups in the CNMI seek the bill’s passage to protect long-time foreign workers from deportation during the transition period from a CNMI-controlled to a US-controlled immigration system.
Only Sablan and Rep. Edward Salas, who co-authored the bill, opposed the adoption of the JGO committee report.
After a long deliberation on the measure, Rep. Victor Hocog announced his withdrawal as co-author of the bill. Another co-author, Rep. Heinz Hofschneider, was absent.
Lawmakers who were against the bill said acting favorably on the measure was a “moot point" because the new US immigration law applying federal immigration to the CNMI would already be implemented next year.
Rep. Rosemond Santos, who chairs the JGO committee, said the bill gave “false hopes" to foreign workers in the CNMI.
Other lawmakers said that while thousands of jobs were being given to guest workers, thousands of local residents remained jobless.
But the lawmakers nevertheless agreed that the CNMI did not have enough local workers to run the economy, thus it continued relying on foreign contract workers.
Custodio said his group was waiting for a 22-page report on the plight of guest workers in the CNMI. The report is being prepared by Florida-based activist Wendy Doromal for submission to the US Congress.
Doromal actively seeks the US government’s granting of “green cards" to long-term guest workers in the CNMI. - HAIDEE V. EUGENIO, GMANews.TV
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