Recall of OFW rep to OWWA Board sought

Filipino migrant groups in Hong Kong are demanding the recall of the appointment of OFW Joselito Sapio as land-based sector representative to the Board of Trustees of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

In a petition being distributed to other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) worldwide, the groups headed by the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-Migrante-HK) said the appointment was “biased" and “politically motivated."

Sapio was given the board seat only because of his personal relationship with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said the statement.

“We are aware of the controversies surrounding many appointments of (Arroyo) – from Supreme Court justices to National Artist awardees. We are alarmed that this trend of rewarding trusted allies has now been extended to an OFW post," it said.

The groups said Sapio headed the campaign of Mrs. Arroyo in Hong Kong during the 2004 presidential elections. He was also reportedly known to have organized events in Hong Kong for the President.

“During GMA’s (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s) frequent visits to Hong Kong, Mr. Sapio is known to have organized or participated in events held in her honor, such as the most recent one in June. That unexpected side trip was projected to the media as a consultation-meeting with OFWs but, in reality, was meant to merely celebrate Mike Arroyo’s birthday," said the petition.

See no evil

OWWA chief Carmelita Dimzon said she sees nothing wrong if Sapio was in fact a strong supporter of Mrs. Arroyo.

“The President appointed him. What is so wrong if he is a supporter of the President?" Dimzon told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Friday.

Unifil-Migrante-HK said they were worried that this close connection with Mrs. Arroyo would only “consolidate (the President’s) hold" over the P12-billion OWWA fund.

“Now that the election is again nearing, we fear that OWWA’s money will again be used for purposes not related to providing concrete welfare services to OFWs," it said.

Dimzon, however, was quick to explain that Sapio would have no power to manipulate the OWWA fund for the use of the President.

“Hindi mangyayari yun (That would never happen). We have internal control," she said.

She said that aside from having other members at the Board of Trustees, they also have an auditor from the Commission on Audit who look after the agency’s fund.

The Board of Trustees is the policy making body of OWWA. It is a tripartite body composed of 12 members from the government, management, and labor sector.

The board is currently composed of Labor Secretary Marianito Roque as chairman and OWWA Administrator Dimzon is vice chairman.

Its members from the government are Labor Undersecretary Luzviminda Padilla, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban B. Conejos, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration head Jennifer Manalili, Budget Director Arturo Bumatay, and Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran.

From the non-government sector are Victorino Balais (labor), Rene Soriano (management), Gregorio Oca (sea-based), Bai Omera Dianalan-Lucman (women), and just recently Sapio (land-based sector).

Corazon Carsola

Sapio replaced Corazon P. Carsola, who showed her true mettle as an advocate of OFW rights when she stood her ground in opposing the transfer of P530.38 million in OWWA Medicare funds to the PhilHealth.

She was outvoted, however, and as proposed by then PhilHealth president Francisco Duque (now health secretary), part of the fund was used to boost the re-election bid of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004.

Dolores T. Balladares, chairperson of Unifil-Migrante-HK, urged other OFW groups and individuals worldwide to support the petition to have their voices heard.

So far, the petition has the support of the following organizations:

• Abra Migrant Workers Welfare Association (AMWWA-HK),
• Abra Tinguian Ilocano Society (ATIS-HK), Alay Kapwa Catholic Group
• Association of Concerned Filipinos (ACFIL-HK)
• Cordillera Alliance in Hong Kong (CORALL-HK)
• Cuyapo Association Hong Kong
• Filipino Friends in Hong Kong (FFHK)
• Filipino Migrant Workers’ Union (FMWU-HK)
• Filipino Migrants’ Association (FMA-HK)
• Filipino Women Migrants Association (FILWOM-HK)
• FMWU – Chater Garden Chapter
• FMWU – Chater Road Chapter
• Friends of Bethune House (FBH-HK)
• GABRIELA Hong Kong
• Gabriela – HSBC
• Gabriela – Chater Road
• Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI - Hong Kong) Mission Council
• Mars Balaoro, Filguys Association Hong Kong
• Migrante – HSBC
• Migrante – Naguilian (Isabela) Hong Kong
• Migrante – Shatin
• Pinatud a Saleng ti Umili (PSU)
• United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK)
• United Pangasinan Hong Kong (UPHK) - GMANews.TV
| | More

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more