Cebu City council assails deportation of undocumented OFWs in EU

MANILA, Philippines - The Cebu City council has adopted a resolution assailing the forcible deportation of more than 60,000 undocumented Filipino workers in Europe by the European Union (EU) Parliament. In a resolution drafted last July, the Cebu City council said it supports the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) in opposing the draft legislation approved by the EU parliament that provides rules on the deportation of undocumented workers in all EU 27 member-countries. According to a copy of the resolution furnished to GMANews.TV, the council said the legislation contradicts the proposed EU free-trade deal with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). It further said, “although we welcome the free trade with EU, we can only decipher the great advantage of EU over Asean on the free trade." “EU companies and products are far more sophisticated and trendy than their Asean counterparts. Hence, it is only in labor export that Asean countries like our country cope with the EU advantage," it said. The council said the EU parliament must consider the legislation’s impact on the large number of undocumented workers in its member-countries. The legislation will affect about 40,000 undocumented workers in France and some 20,000 in Italy who are mostly caregivers and domestic helpers. Filipino migrant workers in Europe have increased significantly since the 70’s, estimated to be at 800,000. They are spread out in European cities like Rome, Milan, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Athens. - Kimberly Jane Tan, GMANews.TV