OFWs 'at risk' due to financial crisis cited
by MARIA ALETA O. NIEVA, abs-cbnNEWS.com
Filipinos temporarily working in the US, domestic workers, and seafearers on cruise ships are among the overseas workers "at risk" due to the global financial crisis, a senior labor department official said Tuesday.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Soriano said the economic crisis could threaten the employment of thousands of Filipino migrant workers in recession-hit territories such as the US, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong.
Soriano said Filipino seafarers on cruise ships are also vulnerable since travelers are shying away from luxury travels.
“Not necessarily actual na madi-displace sila. We have no way of knowing whether matatanggal sila o mare-retain. ‘Yon lang ang na-identify natin…at risk lang,” Soriano said.
So far, Soriano said officers of Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in about 33 countries reported that no notice for displacement of workers has been submitted to their office.
Although around two million OFWs in the Middle East and about 500,000 in Europe remain secure, POLO officers have said that there may be OFWs in these territories who are vulnerable to the crisis.
Soriano said Filipinos in the US with temporary working visas, for example, OFWs in hotels and casinos, and those in agriculture, are particularly at risk.
Likewise, OFWs employed in factories in South Korea and Taiwan, whose production caters to the US market, are also at risk.
She also identified household service workers in Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong whose employers are active financial players, and seafarers on cruise ships as particularly vulnerable.
Safety nets needed
Soriano was invited to deliver her keynote address during the Handog ng Overseas Filipino Forum 2008: “Reintegrating Globally Displaced Workers into the Local Economies” hosted by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Makati City.
Based on her analysis, the OFW and the export sectors are adversely affected by the crisis and “needs safety nets for possible displacement (of workers)”.
In a phone interview Tuesday, DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque belied Soriano's statement during the forum that around 575,000 Filipino overseas workers may be at risk due to the economic crisis.
“That is not correct,” he said.
The DOLE chief had earlier projected that the global crisis could affect at least 50,000 Filipino migrant workers.
“We have been saying in the past that there is an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 OFWs who may be affected by the crisis,” he said.
Soriano also said during the forum that OFWs provide essential services to employers and are active in searching for alternative jobs. These factors help mitigate the impact of the crisis. Also, she noted that the previous financial crisis in 1997 did not dampen the demand for OFWs.
Soriano assured that the government is doing everything it can to cushion the impact of the crisis. The government has put in place contingency plans to serve as interventions.
Among the interventions put in place by the government are the 24/7 monitoring of labor market displacement and redeployment to emerging foreign labor markets such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Guam to name a few, as well as strengthening the repatriation procedure for possible affected workers.
Earlier this month, President Arroyo allocated P250 million in livelihood fund for OFWs laid off in Taiwan. The President also gave the OFWs P590,000 worth of livelihood funding checks—P150,000 for laid off OFWs from Cavite; P110,000 for OFWs from the Visayas and Mindanao; P70,000 for OFWs from Laguna; and P160,000 for OFWs from Pampanga.
Filipinos temporarily working in the US, domestic workers, and seafearers on cruise ships are among the overseas workers "at risk" due to the global financial crisis, a senior labor department official said Tuesday.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Soriano said the economic crisis could threaten the employment of thousands of Filipino migrant workers in recession-hit territories such as the US, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong.
Soriano said Filipino seafarers on cruise ships are also vulnerable since travelers are shying away from luxury travels.
“Not necessarily actual na madi-displace sila. We have no way of knowing whether matatanggal sila o mare-retain. ‘Yon lang ang na-identify natin…at risk lang,” Soriano said.
So far, Soriano said officers of Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in about 33 countries reported that no notice for displacement of workers has been submitted to their office.
Although around two million OFWs in the Middle East and about 500,000 in Europe remain secure, POLO officers have said that there may be OFWs in these territories who are vulnerable to the crisis.
Soriano said Filipinos in the US with temporary working visas, for example, OFWs in hotels and casinos, and those in agriculture, are particularly at risk.
Likewise, OFWs employed in factories in South Korea and Taiwan, whose production caters to the US market, are also at risk.
She also identified household service workers in Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong whose employers are active financial players, and seafarers on cruise ships as particularly vulnerable.
Safety nets needed
Soriano was invited to deliver her keynote address during the Handog ng Overseas Filipino Forum 2008: “Reintegrating Globally Displaced Workers into the Local Economies” hosted by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Makati City.
Based on her analysis, the OFW and the export sectors are adversely affected by the crisis and “needs safety nets for possible displacement (of workers)”.
In a phone interview Tuesday, DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque belied Soriano's statement during the forum that around 575,000 Filipino overseas workers may be at risk due to the economic crisis.
“That is not correct,” he said.
The DOLE chief had earlier projected that the global crisis could affect at least 50,000 Filipino migrant workers.
“We have been saying in the past that there is an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 OFWs who may be affected by the crisis,” he said.
Soriano also said during the forum that OFWs provide essential services to employers and are active in searching for alternative jobs. These factors help mitigate the impact of the crisis. Also, she noted that the previous financial crisis in 1997 did not dampen the demand for OFWs.
Soriano assured that the government is doing everything it can to cushion the impact of the crisis. The government has put in place contingency plans to serve as interventions.
Among the interventions put in place by the government are the 24/7 monitoring of labor market displacement and redeployment to emerging foreign labor markets such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Guam to name a few, as well as strengthening the repatriation procedure for possible affected workers.
Earlier this month, President Arroyo allocated P250 million in livelihood fund for OFWs laid off in Taiwan. The President also gave the OFWs P590,000 worth of livelihood funding checks—P150,000 for laid off OFWs from Cavite; P110,000 for OFWs from the Visayas and Mindanao; P70,000 for OFWs from Laguna; and P160,000 for OFWs from Pampanga.
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