OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS
Facts:
In 2014, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) reached 2.3 million, and total OFW remittances amounted to PhP 173.2 billion (US$ 26.93B). These remittances have cushioned the economy from shifts in the volatile global market and have dubbed OFWs the “modern-day heroes.”
However, despite the crucial role that OFWs play in keeping the economy afloat, stories of OFWs who experience physical abuse at the hands of their employers, or of OFWs who were duped into being drug mules and have found themselves on death row, or of aspiring OFWs who have been victims of illegal recruiters, still plague our modern-day heroes. These situations point to the need for more mechanisms and stronger commitment from the government to protect the dignity and welfare of OFWs.
The most vulnerable of OFW populations are the unskilled or semi-skilled workers who are forced to take low-income jobs or accept posts that are different from what they had been promised before leaving the Philippines. Women, who comprise 50.5% of the total number of OFWs, are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution.
The government must take a more proactive approach in protecting OFWs from these situations, starting from pre-departure, to their arrival in a foreign country, to their arrival back in the Philippines.
Vision:
We envision a country where no Filipino will be forced to work abroad due to the lack of economic opportunities; and for those Filipinos who choose to work in other countries, that they may enjoy the full protection of the law and efficient government services, that their human rights be upheld; and that they live a life of dignity in their host countries.
What We Will Do:
- Encourage labor-receiving countries in the Middle East to abolish the Kafala system through diplomatic channels. Urge Middle Eastern governments to set minimum labor standards for all migrant workers and to make their national legislation compatible with international standards such Convention No. 189 of the International Labor Organization;
- Enact Senator Poe’s (1) SB No. 2162 to allow illegally terminated OFWs to get their remaining salaries for the unserved periods of their contracts and (2) SB 1421 to allow prospective OFWs who have a valid contract certified by the POEA to avail of a PhP 50,000 loan from OWWA to “defray the living expenses of his family during the first few months of his absence.”
- Establish tech-based services for OFWs—from registration, to database maintenance, to legal consulting, and acquisition of other services. Integrate these services in a one-stop OFW resource center. Create a central database and system for all OFWs.
- Transform government post offices into remittance centers. Amend the Bank Secrecy Law and coordinate with private sector in creating mechanisms for mobile/digital remittance transfers.
- Eliminate trafficking by strengthening the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Aggressively monitor trafficking hot spots locally and internationally.
- Establish in the POEA a reliable database of blacklisted employers to stop the cycle of abuse.
- Redesign pre- and post-departure seminars to include basic rights of employees and human rights.
- Prosecute and terminate the contracts of erring embassy officials and staff who have been subject of complaints of abuse.
- The deployment of DFA, DOLE, and DSWD personnel should be made commensurate with the work load and population of OFWs at overseas posts specifically in the Gulf States where the need is high.
- Hire trained social workers and/or psychologists in embassies/consuls who will provide counseling, psychosocial support, life coaching, debriefing and all other interventions for OFWs.
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