Global migration forum to draw migrant rights violators, says group
MANILA, Philippines - A migrant workers advocacy group on Wednesday said delegates who will be participating in the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) on October 27 to 30 are actually the leading violators of migrant rights worldwide.
"Hindi kami nagtitiwala sa GFMD, 'yun pong mga bansang mag-uusap sa GFMD ay ang mga bansang numero unang umaatake sa mga migrante sa daigdig," said Emmanuel Villanueva, vice chairperson of the Filipino Migrants Workers Union, during a media briefing in Quezon City on Wednesday.
(We do not trust the GFMD, the countries who will be talking during the GFMD are actually the top countries who attack migrants all over the
world.)
He said that countries like the United States are the leading promoters of massive crackdowns on undocumented workers. Villanueva said the first-world country arrests, jails, and deports such migrants back to Mexico.
He also cited the recent crackdowns in Malaysia, resulting in thousands of Filipinos and Indonesians being physically, emotionally, and sexually abused.
He said South Korea is no different, having been known for its strict migration policies, most specifically in arresting and deporting leaders of migrant trade unions to Nepal and Bangladesh.
Not for migrants
Villanueva said the GFMD was not meant for migrants or migrant workers at all.
"Hindi totoong para sa migrante, walang migranteng dadalo (It's not true it's for migrants, no migrants will attend the forum)," he said.
Moreover, he told GMANews.TV in an interview that GFMD organizers did not invite migrants on purpose.
"Ginagamit lang ang GFMD, hindi naman kasi well-represented ang grassroots (They are just using the GFMD, the grassroots are not well-represented," he said.
He said that even the civil society days of the forum on October 27 and 28 do not give enough space for migrants who have something to say.
"Only international organizations and those linked with the church are invited," said Villanueva.
He added that they are not complaining because they will not be able to participate in the event but because they already know who will be there and what they will be talking about.
Real agenda
Villanueva said that these countries only mean to tackle the issue of economic development using migration, and nothing else.
"At tunay namang kaduda-duda na magiging agenda daw ay migration (And it's really suspicious that their agenda is allegedly migration),"
he said.
Moreover, Villanueva said he was doubtful that a "human face" to migration would really surface from the talks, as promised by Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs' office of migrant workers affairs.
"Ang ibig sabihin lang naman ng kanilang human face ay papaano pa pararamihin ang mga migrante at ang remittances nila (What they mean by 'human face' is how to increase the number of migrants and their remittances.)," he said.
He said that according to World Bank records, migrant workers' remittances totaled to $337 billion in 2007, only counting those that went through the 'normal' or legal channels.
In other words, he said they are only "sugar-coating" the real agenda of the GFMD, which is to use dollar remittances to make up for the global financial crisis.
"Magreresulta lang ito sa mas matindi pang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng mga migrante sa daigdig (This will just result in more human rights violations of migrants all over the world)," he said.
Benefits of forum
Government officials earlier explained that the Philippines has a lot to gain from the international forum.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the GFMD would showcase the government's "best practices" in migration, which he said is being emulated by the world over.
"The Philippines' hosting of the 2nd GFMD draws the attention of the world to our efforts and milestones in the protection and empowerment of Filipino overseas and their families," Romulo has said.
He said the government would have a chance to show its three-decade lead in its policy toward migration before the 192 countries being represented in the forum.
Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said the exchange of ideas in the forum would push the government to come up with better ideas to perfect structures for OFWs.
"(It will also) widen our global network contact to ensure that our OFWs will always be protected," he added.
An alternative assembly
Just recently, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza dared "skeptical" migrant groups to join them in the three-day forum instead of protesting in the streets.
"There is a proper forum for them to have their own activities," he said.
But Villanueva said they will go ahead with their own global conference.
"We don't need the GFMD, kaya namin magsalita para sa sarili namin (we can speak for ourselves)," he said.
Militant group Migrante International is sponsoring, together with the International Migrants Alliance (IMA), the International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees on October 19 to 30 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila.
The said event is supposed to be "a genuine gathering of migrants and migrants organizations from various countries of the world."
He said they also plan to hold simultaneous protests in countries like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, United States, Canada, and Australia.
Pickets will also be held in embassies and consuls known to be "notorious" human rights violators, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United States. - GMANews.TV
"Hindi kami nagtitiwala sa GFMD, 'yun pong mga bansang mag-uusap sa GFMD ay ang mga bansang numero unang umaatake sa mga migrante sa daigdig," said Emmanuel Villanueva, vice chairperson of the Filipino Migrants Workers Union, during a media briefing in Quezon City on Wednesday.
(We do not trust the GFMD, the countries who will be talking during the GFMD are actually the top countries who attack migrants all over the
world.)
He said that countries like the United States are the leading promoters of massive crackdowns on undocumented workers. Villanueva said the first-world country arrests, jails, and deports such migrants back to Mexico.
He also cited the recent crackdowns in Malaysia, resulting in thousands of Filipinos and Indonesians being physically, emotionally, and sexually abused.
He said South Korea is no different, having been known for its strict migration policies, most specifically in arresting and deporting leaders of migrant trade unions to Nepal and Bangladesh.
Not for migrants
Villanueva said the GFMD was not meant for migrants or migrant workers at all.
"Hindi totoong para sa migrante, walang migranteng dadalo (It's not true it's for migrants, no migrants will attend the forum)," he said.
Moreover, he told GMANews.TV in an interview that GFMD organizers did not invite migrants on purpose.
"Ginagamit lang ang GFMD, hindi naman kasi well-represented ang grassroots (They are just using the GFMD, the grassroots are not well-represented," he said.
He said that even the civil society days of the forum on October 27 and 28 do not give enough space for migrants who have something to say.
"Only international organizations and those linked with the church are invited," said Villanueva.
He added that they are not complaining because they will not be able to participate in the event but because they already know who will be there and what they will be talking about.
Real agenda
Villanueva said that these countries only mean to tackle the issue of economic development using migration, and nothing else.
"At tunay namang kaduda-duda na magiging agenda daw ay migration (And it's really suspicious that their agenda is allegedly migration),"
he said.
Moreover, Villanueva said he was doubtful that a "human face" to migration would really surface from the talks, as promised by Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs' office of migrant workers affairs.
"Ang ibig sabihin lang naman ng kanilang human face ay papaano pa pararamihin ang mga migrante at ang remittances nila (What they mean by 'human face' is how to increase the number of migrants and their remittances.)," he said.
He said that according to World Bank records, migrant workers' remittances totaled to $337 billion in 2007, only counting those that went through the 'normal' or legal channels.
In other words, he said they are only "sugar-coating" the real agenda of the GFMD, which is to use dollar remittances to make up for the global financial crisis.
"Magreresulta lang ito sa mas matindi pang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng mga migrante sa daigdig (This will just result in more human rights violations of migrants all over the world)," he said.
Benefits of forum
Government officials earlier explained that the Philippines has a lot to gain from the international forum.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the GFMD would showcase the government's "best practices" in migration, which he said is being emulated by the world over.
"The Philippines' hosting of the 2nd GFMD draws the attention of the world to our efforts and milestones in the protection and empowerment of Filipino overseas and their families," Romulo has said.
He said the government would have a chance to show its three-decade lead in its policy toward migration before the 192 countries being represented in the forum.
Esteban Conejos Jr, DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs, said the exchange of ideas in the forum would push the government to come up with better ideas to perfect structures for OFWs.
"(It will also) widen our global network contact to ensure that our OFWs will always be protected," he added.
An alternative assembly
Just recently, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza dared "skeptical" migrant groups to join them in the three-day forum instead of protesting in the streets.
"There is a proper forum for them to have their own activities," he said.
But Villanueva said they will go ahead with their own global conference.
"We don't need the GFMD, kaya namin magsalita para sa sarili namin (we can speak for ourselves)," he said.
Militant group Migrante International is sponsoring, together with the International Migrants Alliance (IMA), the International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees on October 19 to 30 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila.
The said event is supposed to be "a genuine gathering of migrants and migrants organizations from various countries of the world."
He said they also plan to hold simultaneous protests in countries like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, United States, Canada, and Australia.
Pickets will also be held in embassies and consuls known to be "notorious" human rights violators, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United States. - GMANews.TV
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