Filipino OFWs in HK to protest against imposition of mandatory insurance


Published 
By Chito Chavez
Filipino domestic workers are up in arms over the mandatory insurance being imposed by the Philippine government on them.
Describing it as “merely a money-making scheme,’’ Dolores Balladares chairman of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK) said their right to maximize their hard-earned income is being trampled with this imposition.
UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK / FACEBOOK)
UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK / FACEBOOK)
To show opposition, the group will lead a protest march to the Philippine consulate on January 27 as they called on other Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and employers who oppose the new fee to join the protest.
In airing the grievance of the OFW, Balladares accused the Philippine government of concocting “a new way to extort from us through the mandatory insurance’’.
“They are not satisfied with all the fees they have been overcharging us and is desperate to collect some more at the expense of overseas Filipino workers,’ Balladares said.
Balladares explained that officially, the mandatory insurance will be paid for by the employer per contract.
She asserted the insurance will be a burden to the employers and is actually redundant as “our employers already have purchased insurance for us’’.
“This makes the new insurance unnecessary,’’ she added.
Balladares said that the OFWs in the area are one in saying that “such new scheme may create friction between employers and the domestic workers’’.
She asserted that “in the end, it may most probably mean that the domestic workers will be the one to shoulder the payment as employers already paid for the insurance under Hong Kong policies’’.
The OFW official said that “in truth, the Philippine government does not care who will finally pay for the insurance as its only concern now is how to accumulate the largest fund at the soonest possible time.
With Philippine elections nearing, the group insisted funds have become a necessity that may “come from the public coffers or contributions from businesses including companies that may benefit from this compulsory insurance’’.
“As usual, the convenient cash cows are the Filipino overseas workers whose vulnerability is exploited by the Philippines for its money-making schemes,” said Balladares.
“Show our rage. We demand for the revocation of the mandatory insurance,” the group ended.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more

LIST: 21 medicines added to VAT-exempt list Ian Laqui - Philstar.com

Pixabay MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has expanded its list of medicines which are exempt from the value added tax (VAT). Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 17-2024 released by the tax bureau exempted 21 medications following the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration. The VAT-exempted medications on the list are for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney disease, mental illness and tuberculosis. Below is the full list of additional VAT-exempted medications: For cancer Panitumumab (100mg/5ml) (concentrate solution for infusion) Fulvestrant (50mg/ml) (concentrate solution for infusion) For diabetes Teneligliptin (as hydrobromide hydrate) (20 mg) Sitagliptin (as phospate monohydrate) + Metformin HCI (50mg/500mg) Sitagliptin (50 mg) Sitagliptin (10 mg) Metformin Hydrochloride (500 mg) For high cholesterol Atorvastatin Calcium (20 mg) Atorvastatin + Fenofibrate (40 mg/160 mg) For mental illness Desvenlafaxine
Read more