OFWs hit GMA on Migrants Day 06-06-11

	NORDIS WEEKLY June 11, 2006
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OFWs hit GMA on Migrants Day
*Migrants’ plight not worth celebrating* BAGUIO CITY (June 10) — Migrant groups hit the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) administration for celebrating June 7 as Migrant’s Day, saying that the plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) abroad is not worth celebrating. According to Flora Belinan, chair of Migrante-Metro Baguio, since the passage of the Magna Carta of the Rights of Migrants in 1995, the situation of OFWs has worsened. She said the welfare of OFWs remain neglected despite being the largest source of government foreign currency income. Belinan added that the GMA administration earned P18 billion in 2005 from processing fees alone. She said the government also earned billions form OFW remittances. “Yet, cadavers are being sent home even in Balikbayan boxes,” she said. According to the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), 120 human remains, 45 mentally ill, 88 physically ill and 683 distressed, were recorded in the 1st quarter of 2003 alone. Also, at least 4,775 are stranded and 14 OFWs are in death row in Saudi Arabia in 2004 and 2005, as recorded by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “The few that were pardoned by the Arabian King through GMA’s request are but a small fraction of the thousands languishing in other foreign jails” Belinan stressed. Despite this tragedy, Migrante records show that around 3,000 OFWs leave the country daily. Moreover, the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-HK) in a statement said that OFWs are treated as commodities, not given enough services and neglected by the GMA government. Eman Villanueva of the Unifil-HK reiterated that the GMA government deprived OWFs of assistance and services despite the billions of dollars the government earned from OFW remittances and processing fees such as the US$ 25 for OWWA and US$100 for the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). “The OFW funds have been plundered by this (GMA) government as shown by the anomalies and scams linked to the president such as the use OWWA funds for her reelection, the transfer of Medicare funds to PhilHealth and uncollected OWWA investments,” Villanueva said. Migrante-Metro Baguio, in a statement, also criticized the GMA administration for using OWWA funds without consulting OFWs. “The accumulated P21 million fund intended for the welfare services of OFWs and their families was spent by the administration on the US-led war in Iraq. The suspension of the General Financial Assistance Program (GFAP) and the lack of funds for livelihood program and scholarship are also hurting the OFWs and their families,” the Migrante statement read. “On June 7, being the Migrant’s Day, the government should take a moment to reflect on its inutility to halt commoditization and exploitation of its own people who have sacrificed enough,” the statement ended. # Kimberlie N. Quitasol for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article
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	NORDIS WEEKLY June 11, 2006
Home \| To bottom	Previous \| Next
OFWs hit GMA on Migrants Day
*Migrants’ plight not worth celebrating* BAGUIO CITY (June 10) — Migrant groups hit the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) administration for celebrating June 7 as Migrant’s Day, saying that the plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) abroad is not worth celebrating. According to Flora Belinan, chair of Migrante-Metro Baguio, since the passage of the Magna Carta of the Rights of Migrants in 1995, the situation of OFWs has worsened. She said the welfare of OFWs remain neglected despite being the largest source of government foreign currency income. Belinan added that the GMA administration earned P18 billion in 2005 from processing fees alone. She said the government also earned billions form OFW remittances. “Yet, cadavers are being sent home even in Balikbayan boxes,” she said. According to the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), 120 human remains, 45 mentally ill, 88 physically ill and 683 distressed, were recorded in the 1st quarter of 2003 alone. Also, at least 4,775 are stranded and 14 OFWs are in death row in Saudi Arabia in 2004 and 2005, as recorded by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “The few that were pardoned by the Arabian King through GMA’s request are but a small fraction of the thousands languishing in other foreign jails” Belinan stressed. Despite this tragedy, Migrante records show that around 3,000 OFWs leave the country daily. Moreover, the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-HK) in a statement said that OFWs are treated as commodities, not given enough services and neglected by the GMA government. Eman Villanueva of the Unifil-HK reiterated that the GMA government deprived OWFs of assistance and services despite the billions of dollars the government earned from OFW remittances and processing fees such as the US$ 25 for OWWA and US$100 for the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). “The OFW funds have been plundered by this (GMA) government as shown by the anomalies and scams linked to the president such as the use OWWA funds for her reelection, the transfer of Medicare funds to PhilHealth and uncollected OWWA investments,” Villanueva said. Migrante-Metro Baguio, in a statement, also criticized the GMA administration for using OWWA funds without consulting OFWs. “The accumulated P21 million fund intended for the welfare services of OFWs and their families was spent by the administration on the US-led war in Iraq. The suspension of the General Financial Assistance Program (GFAP) and the lack of funds for livelihood program and scholarship are also hurting the OFWs and their families,” the Migrante statement read. “On June 7, being the Migrant’s Day, the government should take a moment to reflect on its inutility to halt commoditization and exploitation of its own people who have sacrificed enough,” the statement ended. # Kimberlie N. Quitasol for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article
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