Migrants' rights group Migrante has launched an online petition against a proposed law requiring OFWs to send money to their legal dependents or face non-renewal of their passports. The contested House Bill 3576, filed by OFW Family party-list Rep. Roy Señeres, empowers ambassadors, consul generals, chiefs of mission, or charge d’ Affaires to withhold passport renewals unless migrants prove they regularly send remittance to their families. HB 3576 states that “OFWs, whether sea-based or land-based, are required to remit regularly a portion of their foreign exchange earnings to their family or legal dependent recipient.” The online petition, launched by Migrante's chapter in the United Arab Emirates, can be seen here. It has 10 signatures as of posting time. In their petition, Migrante compared HB 3576 to the late President Ferdinand Marcos' "draconian Executive Order 857," which mandated migrant workers to regularly remit 50 to 70 percent of their earnings to their beneficiaries in the Philippines. “Nag-aala-Marcos itong si Rep. Seneres, shame on him for once again shoving this down our throats," said Migrante chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado, in a statement. "It is a blast from the past and a slap in the face of OFWs around the world who are already knee-deep in debt and barely coping with the global economic crisis," she added. Nhel Morona of Migrante-UAE told Gulf News that the bill is not favorable to OFWs, and insisted that cases of abandonment by migrant workers was not enough to make remittance mandatory at all. Contradictory to the group's belief, Senares' office told the news agency in a letter that only erring OFWs will be covered by the bill. “Over the years Congressman Seneres and this office have received numerous complaints of housewives being abandoned financially by their husbands abroad. This bill is only intended for ‘irresponsible OFWs’,” Terrado told Gulf News in a phone interview from Manila," Señeres' chief of staff, George Terrado, told Gulf News. — Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
Four victims of the alleged sex-for-flight scheme have accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of not giving them enough help in persecuting the embassy and labor officials who abused them.
“Parang wala namang nangyayari,” one victim, identified only as July, told GMA News Online on Wednesday. “Sabi dati nila sa Witness Protection [Program] daw, pero sa media lang nila sinabi, hindi naman kami ang pinangakuan.”
She said she and fellow victims instead sought the help of jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam, who now heads the Whistleblower’s Association of the Philippines.
“Nagpapasalamat talaga kami kila Ma’am Sandra, kasi sila na ang tumutulong sa amin ngayon,” Analiza, another victim, said.
GMA News Online was still trying to reach the DOJ for its comment as of posting time.
Rep. Walden Bello, who heads the OFW affairs committee at the House of Representatives, was the one who bared the alleged scheme of some Filipino labor officials stationed in the Middle East who extorted sex from Pinay OFWs in exchange for plane tickets home.
Under the scheme, the victims were promised tickets home, but then were told that they had to pay or be prostituted to be able to pay for the tickets.
The DOJ has created a special task force specifically meant to probe the alleged scheme.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier assured the victims that the DOJ is ready to provide them with protection under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
But Cam and the victims said they have yet to see that promise materialize.
“Etong may mga kailangan ng tulong hindi nabibigyan ng attensyon,” Cam said, adding De Lima seems interested only in high profile cases like the pork barrel scam.
“They [sex for flight victims] were waiting for witness protection but it never came. There is a double standard in the Witness Protection Program. The end goal for us now is to get justice. We will not stop until we get that desired justice for everybody,” Cam told GMA News Online.
“Dito sa sex for flight, the labor attaché should be punished and other members of the POLO should be charged,” she added.
The four victims under the care of the Whistleblower’s Association of the Philippines could file administrative and criminal charges as early as next week, she said.
“We have Atty. Rey Bagatsing, who is a pro bono lawyer who will help the victims file possible grave charges of lasciviousness,” Cam said. — KBK, GMA News
“Parang wala namang nangyayari,” one victim, identified only as July, told GMA News Online on Wednesday. “Sabi dati nila sa Witness Protection [Program] daw, pero sa media lang nila sinabi, hindi naman kami ang pinangakuan.”
She said she and fellow victims instead sought the help of jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam, who now heads the Whistleblower’s Association of the Philippines.
“Nagpapasalamat talaga kami kila Ma’am Sandra, kasi sila na ang tumutulong sa amin ngayon,” Analiza, another victim, said.
GMA News Online was still trying to reach the DOJ for its comment as of posting time.
Rep. Walden Bello, who heads the OFW affairs committee at the House of Representatives, was the one who bared the alleged scheme of some Filipino labor officials stationed in the Middle East who extorted sex from Pinay OFWs in exchange for plane tickets home.
Under the scheme, the victims were promised tickets home, but then were told that they had to pay or be prostituted to be able to pay for the tickets.
The DOJ has created a special task force specifically meant to probe the alleged scheme.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier assured the victims that the DOJ is ready to provide them with protection under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
But Cam and the victims said they have yet to see that promise materialize.
“Etong may mga kailangan ng tulong hindi nabibigyan ng attensyon,” Cam said, adding De Lima seems interested only in high profile cases like the pork barrel scam.
“They [sex for flight victims] were waiting for witness protection but it never came. There is a double standard in the Witness Protection Program. The end goal for us now is to get justice. We will not stop until we get that desired justice for everybody,” Cam told GMA News Online.
“Dito sa sex for flight, the labor attaché should be punished and other members of the POLO should be charged,” she added.
The four victims under the care of the Whistleblower’s Association of the Philippines could file administrative and criminal charges as early as next week, she said.
“We have Atty. Rey Bagatsing, who is a pro bono lawyer who will help the victims file possible grave charges of lasciviousness,” Cam said. — KBK, GMA News
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