Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, concerned Filipino migrants denounced the ‘dehumanizing’ and ‘negligent’ conditions inside detention facilities of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the lack of support from the Philippine government amidst the worsening cases of raids and arrests.
Migrant workers overseas believe that a Philippine wage hike will be the lasting solution to the worsening cases of abuses of overseas Filipinos, claiming that the local economic crisis in the Philippines only breeds an environment for the rampant human trafficking of Filipino workers abroad.
“Without the OFW remittance that has kept the Philippine economy afloat in the last four years, maybe the Philippines would already be doomed,” said Makabayan senatorial candidate and former Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casiño.
The Migrante Middle East said that without providing an alternative to the rising unemployment and lack of living wage in the Philippines, the government will only be putting the lives and livelihood of Filipino migrant workers even more at risk.
“Now that she has been in the country for nearly a month, Marcos should use his unbound power to grant her clemency if he truly cares about our OFWs who have become victims of human trafficking. There is no more reason to delay her freedom."
An analysis made by the Migrant Forum in Asia showed that the Kafala system only favors the rights of the employers, highlighting the system’s failure to protect the rights and welfare of the migrant workers.
"Mary Jane Veloso is not a criminal but a victim of human trafficking. Her homecoming should not be treated as a prisoner transfer but as the return of a Filipino who has suffered enough." -- former Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate
Mary Jane Veloso’s accounts reveal the realities of Filipino migrant workers who are victimized by human traffickers. Mary Jane’s family and supporters call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to grant her clemency, a conditional release of a person deprived of liberty (PDL), mitigating the consequences of criminal liability.
“We hope that our government will put Mary Jane in a safe place, and that she will be granted clemency by our government,” said Celia Veloso, Mary Jane’s mother, during the program commemorating the birth of Andres Bonifacio last November 30 (Saturday).
Veloso’s case was brought to international attention after she was sentenced to die in Indonesia. Prior to this, her family spent more than five years seeking government assistance to prove that she was a victim of human trafficking.
After almost 14 years of imprisonment, Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino on death row in Indonesia, has a chance of coming back home to the Philippines.
According to Migrante International, more than 11,000 Filipinos currently residing in Lebanon. “In fact, a lot of OFWs are requesting for repatriation but there are certain circumstances that disable them from doing so.”
Regular check ups, particularly those related to reproductive health, are not covered by the free services provided by village health centers, as per the Philippine law on universal health care. Fabella wishes that the government can allocate more funds for the basic services but this has not improved over the years.
According to Migrante-Netherlands, Marikit Saturay was not allowed to talk to her lawyers and her relatives. A uniformed agent was also assigned to guard her during the entire detention period.
For Migrante International, the Marcos Jr. administration is treating OFWs as milking cows.
Mark Danielle pleaded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to seek clemency for Mary Jane as she is a victim of human trafficking. “We hope that President Bongbong Marcos will heed our call. We miss her terribly. She is a victim,” Mark Danielle said.
“I hope she will be given clemency at the soonest possible time so we can be together. Our life in the Philippines may be simple, but what’s important is that we are together.”
“Notably, none of the elements of the alleged importation of drugs into Indonesia took place in the Philippines. In fact, the Philippines as the sending country is where Veloso was illegally recruited in order to be trafficked or exploited in two other receiving states. Veloso is, thus, a victim, not a criminal who must be punished."
In this podcast-documentary, let us hear the stories of migrant Filipinos who continue to soldier on despite the personal struggles that they have to go through.
In this list, Bulatlat highlights women migrant rights activists who rose to the challenge of standing behind beleaguered Filipino migrant workers and the families they left behind.
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