“They are obviously hiding something. The family has strong reason to believe that Masubay did not commit suicide.”
‘Foul play’ suspected in OFW’s death in Saudi
Tags: POEA
Rights violations still possible despite deployment ban in 41 countries
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA — For migrants rights group Migrante International, the recent pronouncements of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) that it is banning the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to 41 countries that have not been complying to the requisites provided under Republic Act 10022 or the law amending…
DFA ‘s plan to shut down 12 embassies, ‘insensitive to OFWs’
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“We already have a shortage of Philippine posts abroad as it is. It is unfortunate that the Aquino administration is attacking embassies and consulates as part of its austerity measures. These same posts, despite their weaknesses and frequent failure to protect OFWs, are still what consists of a support system for OFWs abroad.” — Garry Martinez, Migrante International
POEA Urged to Stop Illegal Deployment in Uncertified Countries (PR)
Media Release 31 January 2011 Global alliance of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Migrante International today urged the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to employ all urgent measures to stop illegal deployment of OFWs to countries that had not been certified as “safe for work”. The migrant group issued the statement following reports that recruitment agencies…
News in Pictures: OFW Group Launches Petition Against E-Passport Fee Hike
Migrante International launched a petition campaign on Tuesday at the seafarers’ recruitment center in T.M. Kalaw, Manila, denouncing the recent increase in e-passport fees, in light of allegations that the contract entered into by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the procurement of the new e-passport is illegal and tainted with corruption.
HK OFWs Urge Noynoy to Declare Concrete Actions on Passport and OEC in SONA (PR)
Press Release 23 July 2010 We urge PNoy to make his first SONA different from that of the previous administration that was replete with empty rhetoric and motherhood statements. Our issues are concrete, our calls are clear and these should not be drowned in mere promises: lower passport fee and issue OEC without pre-requisite…
HK-Based Migrant Groups to Address Noynoy with OFW Issues for SONA (PR)
PRESS RELEASE 22 July 2010 “In time for PNoy’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA), presidents and heads of different OFWs groups in Hong Kong will meet and lay down the OFWs’ immediate concerns that we want PNoy to categorically declare how he will resolve.” This was declared by Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of the…
Like Arroyo Like Aquino? Same Cabinet/Government – Same Anti-people Policies
By MARYA SALAMAT
Forming his team to set the direction of change or political payback? So far, except for Justice Sec. Leila de Lima, the Cabinet of Pres. Benigno Aquino III is a mixture of key figures in his campaign, representatives of big business, and old hands of the former Arroyo administration.
OFW Drivers Decry Recruiters’ Overcharging, Harrassment
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) hired as bus drivers in Saudi Arabia and their families in the Philippines are crying foul over a “double whammy.” They sought the help of Migrante International, a migrants’ rights advocacy group, after finding out that their recruitment agencies had overcharged them for their placement…
New Labor-Export Policy Commodifies Filipinos
Apart from adding to the burden of those who seek job abroad, the Labor Export Policy bill now pending in Congress could mean that the government will no longer generate local jobs because it would be easier to deploy them to foreign countries.
The Worsening Plight of OFWs
Fourteen years after the enactment of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 or RA 8042, the problems confronting OFWs remain the same and are even getting worse. Without urgent action from the government, at least 41 overseas Filipino workers in different parts of the globe stand to suffer the fate of Flor…