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…
Tags: OFWs
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…
More Than a Thousand OFWs Laid Off in Taiwan, More to Follow
The Department of Labor and Employment reported that 300 overseas Filipino workers have been terminated in Taiwan so far. But migrant groups said the number of retrenched OFWs is much bigger, hovering around more than a thousand. And that more would be laid off. BY BULATLAT MIGRANT WATCH The Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Mission for…
‘Shortened Absentee Voting Registration to Disenfranchise OFWs’ – Migrante
On Nov. 25, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc passed a resolution moving the date of the OAV registration to February 2009 instead of this December. This, in effect, shortens the time allotted for the OAV registration from nine to seven months. Migrante said this would result in the disenfranchisement of OFWs working in…
Gov’t Scored for Disregarding Torture, Innocence of OFWs in Death Row
Migrante International criticized Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for disregarding reports that three OFWs in death row for the killing of three other Filipinos were tortured into confessing to the crime. Her appeal for the commutation of the sentence of the three to Saudi Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, Migrante said, is tantamount to admitting…
‘Anti-Worker, Unconstitutional, Repressive,’ Migrants Say of POEA’s Sample Contract for OFWs
A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) called for the scrapping of the sample contract being promoted by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) for OFWs. BY BULATLAT MIGRANT WATCH Bulatlat A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) called for the scrapping of the sample contract being promoted by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) for OFWs.…
Undocumented Workers, the Most Vulnerable, the Most Exploited
Undocumented workers are the most vulnerable among migrants. While they are denied legal status and are exploited in so many ways, they are also treated as criminals.
Malls, Migration and the Philippine economy
The three biggest shopping malls in the world are located in Metro Manila. Malling (not to be confused with shopping) has become the national pastime. Why do malls thrive in a poor country like the Philippines? One reason is the emergence of the overseas Filipino workers, or OFWs, and their families as reliable customers of…
Black Friday Protest Set for Beheaded OFW
BY BULATLAT An alliance of overseas Filipino workers’ organizations based in the Middle East has set October 17 as a “Black” Friday to protest against and condemn the Arroyo administration for acting ‘too late with too little efforts to save an overseas Filipino worker from execution.’ The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed the execution…
Solon Debunks Andaya, Says OFWs Not US Recession Proof
BY BULATLAT In reaction to Department of Budget and Management Rolando Andaya, Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Liza Maza said the global financial crisis and the US recession will have ‘a substantial impact on our economy and on Filipino migrants in the United States.’ Andaya earlier claimed that jobs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the…
Groups Stage Protest vs Global Forum on Migration
he Philippines will host the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GMFD) this October. Filipino migrant workers, however, deem that the forum will only aggravate their conditions. BY ANGIE DE LARA MIGRANT WATCH Bulatlat Various groups led by Migrante International staged a protest action in Manila, Sept. 19 to oppose the 2nd Global Forum…