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Joanna Concepcion, chairperson of Migrante International, said that the Filipino trafficking victims in Cambodia were able to come home because of the persistent efforts and constant follow-ups of their families with various government agencies. Concepcion criticized the government’s process of providing assistance to the victims and how it delayed their return to the Philippines.
“We call on fellow Filipino migrant workers to continue fighting for the right to social service programs that are subsidized by the government and that genuinely benefit the public."
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.
The contribution rate hike, which started as 12 percent of the salary in 2019, will now amount to 15 percent of the salary in 2025.
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.
This year marks the 13th year of Mary Jane’s detention on death row. And while there is no imminent threat of execution since she was granted a temporary reprieve by the Indonesian government in 2015 to allow her to testify against her traffickers in an ongoing legal case in the Philippines as a victim of human trafficking, Mary Jane does not deserve to be imprisoned for another single day.
Women’s group Gabriela condemned the recent reports of violence against women, including the death of another overseas Filipino worker in Kuwait.
When the global pandemic reached Hong Kong, the once busy streets in Chater Road became quiet. Domestic workers were not allowed to go out and were forced to work longer hours, including Sundays, as their employers were working at home. Others had their contracts arbitrarily terminated.
“We are asking the (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) to look into this and abolish the OEC because this is an added burden and cost to our fellow migrant workers.”
Migrante said that Duterte and Bello failed to address the government’s inefficiency in conducting and releasing the results of the PCR test which is what leads to prolonged quarantine periods and additional costs.
With no salary and little assistance, some OFWs in the Middle East have resorted to scavenging for food.
“Filipino migrants are tired of being treated as milking cows by the Philippine government. We will continue to protest the unjust provisions of the law until it is totally scrapped.”
"OFWs deserve to get steady and efficient relief at this time of crisis. The Duterte regime better stop treating Filipino migrants as milking cows to subsidize big private profit in a country dominated by profit-oriented healthcare facilities."
“If Italy and other developed countries could admit that their health care systems could collapse in the advent of disease outbreak, then what more in our own country where health care is inaccessible and highly privatized? Duterte’s assurance is for the police and the military, not for us and our families in the Philippines.”
"As a human trafficking victim, these proceedings should help her to assert her rights, including the right to testify against her recruiters.”
“I am yearning for my mother. I hope to be with her soon. Please continue supporting her.”
All past administrations systematized and facilitated the export of labor.
A group of OFWs and their families present their agenda to the incoming Duterte administration.
“All our efforts have not been in vain, and we attribute this victory mainly to their fighting spirit and the collective efforts of friends, supporters and advocates.”
“This is not just about Mary Jane. We do not want other families to go through the same ordeal. It is painful to be in an island, waiting for my sister’s remains.” - Maritess Veloso-Laurente
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