Arroyo accused of neglecting Filipinos in US
MANILA, Philippines - Citing various policies or the lack of it, an organization of Filipino-Americans in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday accused President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of neglecting Filipinos in the United States.
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) said in a statement that the Arroyo administration is not doing anything to protect undocumented Filipinos in the US country.
“Arroyo is guilty of being silent on the community demand for amnesty and legalization of 12 million immigrants in the US, the US-Arroyo regime shows its brazen puppetry," it said.
According to the Migration Information Source, Filipino immigrants made up 4.4 percent of all immigrants in the US in 2006.
It also said that two-thirds of the Fil-Am population were concentrated in five states: California (750,056 Filipinos - 45.8 percent), Hawaii (99,341 or 6.1 percent), New York (87,407 or 5.3 percent), Illinois (85,612 or 5.2 percent), and New Jersey (82,356, or 5.0 percent).
Together, these five states account for 67.4 percent or 1,104,772 of all Filipino-born immigrants.
Not protecting undocumented Filipinos in the US
Recent reports said that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has stepped up its efforts in catching “fugitive aliens" around their country.
It has already made 34,000 arrests in 2007, more than double the number two years ago, with still 560,000 illegal immigrants in the US.
Overall, there are about 11 million illegal immigrants living in the US in 2007.
But with the current global financial crisis, more undocumented immigrants are expected to flock the US.
Migrant groups like Migrante International have warned that with this crisis, thousands of Filipinos and migrants of other nationalities might lose their jobs and that after they are repatriated, no jobs would be waiting for them back home.
“Malinaw lang na wala din silang ibibigay na magandang trabaho kundi itutulak lang din sila sa labas (It’s clear that they don’t have any good jobs (in the Philippines) to offer but only work overseas)," said former Migrante Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado in a recent interview.
As such, the AJLPP condemned Arroyo for her “utter neglect" of the Filipino American community during the deep financial crisis in the United States.
“The US-Arroyo regime, instead of catering to the needs of the Filipino American community, exacerbates their sufferings," it said.
Criticized policy of sending Filipino workers abroad
Aside from neglecting Filipinos in the US, AJLPP also scored the Philippine government for persisting in sending our workers abroad instead of creating job opportunities in the country.
“By promoting a labor or workers export program of OFWs, the US puppet deserves our utmost contempt and condemnation," said the group.
Other militant groups have also said that there is a fundamental flaw in our labor export policy.
“Bulok ang takbo ng ekonomiya at ang lusot ay kung saan nakakapagpadala ng migrants (The flow of the economy is not good, with migration as our only scapegoat)," said Bayan chairperson Carol Araullo in an interview.
Militant women’s groups have also branded Philippine labor export policies to be “anti-women" and “anti-development," adding Filipinos should not take pride in it.
Mercy Fabros, lead convener of the Welga ng Kababaihan (Women's March) said in a recent statement that such policies are “an indictment of the failure of the national economy to provide employment and to care for its people."
She also expressed concern that what started out as an emergency measure during the Marcos regime has become the main economic development strategy of the country.
“Labor export cannot be the motor of development of the country. It will be unstable and not sustainable because it relies on the volatile and dependent on speculative global labor market," she said.
Moreover, as most migrant advocates say, even if remittances help keep the Philippine economy afloat, it cannot become the main driver of national progress.
About $12.3 billion or P615 billion were sent home by OFWs during the first nine months of 2008, a 17.1 percent increase despite the global slowdown that economists warned may bite the local economy in 2009.
The total remittances of Filipino workers abroad reached $1.3 billion or more than P65 billion in September alone, 16.9 percent higher than in 2007.
The government also predicts that the 2008 remittances will hit $15.7 billion or almost P800 billion seeing as last year’s remittances reached $14.45 billion or more than P722 billion. - GMANews.TV
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) said in a statement that the Arroyo administration is not doing anything to protect undocumented Filipinos in the US country.
“Arroyo is guilty of being silent on the community demand for amnesty and legalization of 12 million immigrants in the US, the US-Arroyo regime shows its brazen puppetry," it said.
According to the Migration Information Source, Filipino immigrants made up 4.4 percent of all immigrants in the US in 2006.
It also said that two-thirds of the Fil-Am population were concentrated in five states: California (750,056 Filipinos - 45.8 percent), Hawaii (99,341 or 6.1 percent), New York (87,407 or 5.3 percent), Illinois (85,612 or 5.2 percent), and New Jersey (82,356, or 5.0 percent).
Together, these five states account for 67.4 percent or 1,104,772 of all Filipino-born immigrants.
Not protecting undocumented Filipinos in the US
Recent reports said that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has stepped up its efforts in catching “fugitive aliens" around their country.
It has already made 34,000 arrests in 2007, more than double the number two years ago, with still 560,000 illegal immigrants in the US.
Overall, there are about 11 million illegal immigrants living in the US in 2007.
But with the current global financial crisis, more undocumented immigrants are expected to flock the US.
Migrant groups like Migrante International have warned that with this crisis, thousands of Filipinos and migrants of other nationalities might lose their jobs and that after they are repatriated, no jobs would be waiting for them back home.
“Malinaw lang na wala din silang ibibigay na magandang trabaho kundi itutulak lang din sila sa labas (It’s clear that they don’t have any good jobs (in the Philippines) to offer but only work overseas)," said former Migrante Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado in a recent interview.
As such, the AJLPP condemned Arroyo for her “utter neglect" of the Filipino American community during the deep financial crisis in the United States.
“The US-Arroyo regime, instead of catering to the needs of the Filipino American community, exacerbates their sufferings," it said.
Criticized policy of sending Filipino workers abroad
Aside from neglecting Filipinos in the US, AJLPP also scored the Philippine government for persisting in sending our workers abroad instead of creating job opportunities in the country.
“By promoting a labor or workers export program of OFWs, the US puppet deserves our utmost contempt and condemnation," said the group.
Other militant groups have also said that there is a fundamental flaw in our labor export policy.
“Bulok ang takbo ng ekonomiya at ang lusot ay kung saan nakakapagpadala ng migrants (The flow of the economy is not good, with migration as our only scapegoat)," said Bayan chairperson Carol Araullo in an interview.
Militant women’s groups have also branded Philippine labor export policies to be “anti-women" and “anti-development," adding Filipinos should not take pride in it.
Mercy Fabros, lead convener of the Welga ng Kababaihan (Women's March) said in a recent statement that such policies are “an indictment of the failure of the national economy to provide employment and to care for its people."
She also expressed concern that what started out as an emergency measure during the Marcos regime has become the main economic development strategy of the country.
“Labor export cannot be the motor of development of the country. It will be unstable and not sustainable because it relies on the volatile and dependent on speculative global labor market," she said.
Moreover, as most migrant advocates say, even if remittances help keep the Philippine economy afloat, it cannot become the main driver of national progress.
About $12.3 billion or P615 billion were sent home by OFWs during the first nine months of 2008, a 17.1 percent increase despite the global slowdown that economists warned may bite the local economy in 2009.
The total remittances of Filipino workers abroad reached $1.3 billion or more than P65 billion in September alone, 16.9 percent higher than in 2007.
The government also predicts that the 2008 remittances will hit $15.7 billion or almost P800 billion seeing as last year’s remittances reached $14.45 billion or more than P722 billion. - GMANews.TV
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