Ni JOI BARRIOS Bulatlat.com Ito raw ang ibig sabihin ng pagkakadestiyero: a. sapilitang pagkakatapon sa ibang bayan; b. kusang pagkawalay sa lupang tinubuan. Ipinagluluksa ko ang sandali ng aking pagpili sa pangingibang-bayan. Pero saang puntod luluha at magtitirik ng kandila? Wala, wala. Nagpapalit-palit ng dahon ang mga punong-kahoy, Nagbibihis kahel at malamlam na pula sa…
Tags: OFWs & Migration
After 6 Months of Delay and Gov’t Inaction, OFW’s Remains Finally Arrive Home
Family of Dead OFW Bewails Gov’t Inaction
OFWs March to DFA, DOLE, Demand for Swift Government Action
BY JOSETTE EMILY Z. DE JESUS BULATLAT Migrante International with OFWs from Libya, Qatar and Taiwan along with their families marched to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) then to the Department of Labor and Employment this morning to demand for immediate government action on their grievances. The protest was held first at the Department…
2008: A Year of Confronting Attacks, Coping with Gov’t Neglect for Filipino Migrants
The year 2008 is replete with different forms of attacks against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The year is also marked by the continuing struggle of today’s modern-day heroes not only for their rights and welfare but also against government policies affecting the majority of the Filipino people. BY RONALYN V. OLEA YEAREND REPORT – MIGRANTS…
Bayani raw si Kuya
NI VIJAE ALQUISOLA Inilathala ng Bulatlat Kahit masustanya, hindi natiis ni kuya na sabaw lang ng sinaing ang sususuhin ng kanyang unang supling pagkakatapos simutin ang lata ng bona. Sa disyerto siya napadpad sa paghahanap ng gatas ng anak at bahay na iilawan ng kanyang kabiyak. Hinulma niya ang kanilang mga pangarap sa pagawaan ng…
No compensation for OFWs laid off in Taiwan
Hundreds of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned home after being laid off from Taiwan because of the global crisis were assured by the government that they would be given loans for livelihood programs, as well as legal assistance and referrals, during an orientation conducted by the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration. But an OWWA…
OFWs to Arroyo Gov’t: Compensation, Not Free Lunch
A global alliance of Filipino migrant organizations decried the Philippine government’s ‘failure to give compensation to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) laid off from Taiwan.’ More than a hundred OFWs from Taiwan went home last night. Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International said,”Instead of giving the much needed money, [Labor] Secretary Marianito Roque is offering them…
Protect Domestic Workers From Violence
Few domestic workers have access to the justice system in the countries where they work, and even those who are able to make complaints of physical or sexual violence rarely receive redress, Human Rights Watch said. BY HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Posted by Bulatlat Many migrant and domestic workers still face abuse and exploitation in Middle…
Labor Migration: A Dangerous Doctrine
The more the economy is stagnant, the less its ability to create jobs, the more dependent government becomes on overseas labor deployment. BY THE POLICY STUDY, PUBLICATION AND ADVOCACY (PSPA) PROGRAM Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) ANALYSIS Posted by Bulatlat If the state policy making and legislative agenda do not change course, the…
Migrants Speak Out! Singing Redemption in a Strange Land
That afternoon of October 29, until 7:30 p.m., the Mehan Garden in Manila was teeming with people. There were people chatting in Cantonese, in Spanish, in French, in English, in Filipino, in Nippon-go, in Korean, in Turkish. In their glances to one other, you can perceive that despite the differences in culture, in language, belief,…
Cordi, Asian Migrants in Hong Kong Hit Global Confab
Cordilleran migrant workers organizations based in Hong Kong (HK) in solidarity with other migrant workers organizations of Asia strongly criticized the objectives of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) held in Manila last week. BY KT OKUBO Northern Dispatch MIGRANT WATCH Posted by Bulatlat Cordilleran migrant workers organizations based in Hong Kong (HK)…