15 years after Contemplacion's death, OFWs still grappling with same issues

On the 15th death anniversary of Flor Contemplacion, repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFW) on Wednesday marched to historic Mendiola in Manila to call for an end to government policies which they said continue to undermine migrant workers’ rights and welfare. The workers were mostly former employees of the operations firm Annasban Group in Saudi Arabia, who stopped working October last year due to alleged unfair labor practices by the firm such as contract substitution, illegal salary reduction, and non-payment of benefits and overtime pay.

They were repatriated early this year after staging a hunger strike following over four months of being stranded in Riyadh. (See: Protesting OFWs in Saudi ask RP to repatriate them) Garry Martinez, chair of the migrants’ rights group Migrante International, said that 15 years after the nation was galvanized into protest by the unjust hanging of Contemplacion in Singapore, the plight of OFWs has turned for the worse. “Appalling stories of abuse in foreign lands and the government’s neglectful response" have become everyday stories, he added. Contemplacion, a domestic worker from Laguna, was hanged by the Singaporean government on March 17, 1995 for the murder of fellow OFW Delia Maga and the four-year-old Singaporean child under her care. Witnesses had claimed that Contemplacion was framed by the child’s father. Sorry plight even after returning OFWs and their families, as well as supportive groups like Migrante, Gabriela Women’s Party and Anakpawis Party-list, joined the protest march from Morayta to Mendiola. In the protest, former Annasban workers lamented their sorry plight in Saudi Arabia, which they say extends even after repatriation as they have yet to get the benefits due them. “Pinapabalik-balik kami ng OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) para sa benefits namin, gaya ng medical assistance. ‘Yung financial assistance na P10,000, may ilan sa amin na hindi pa nakakakuha," caregiver Helen Manlabi said in an interview with GMANews.TV. (We’re being made to go back and forth to OWWA for our benefits, such as medical assistance. Some of us have not yet received the P10,000 financial assistance.) OWWA had earlier promised the Annasban workers medical, financial, and transportation assistance after staging a camp-out in front of the agency’s office. (See: OFWs claim ‘victory’ on 2nd day of OWWA camp-out) Riza Mabubay, a former Annasban caregiver, explained that they are also claiming reimbursement of their airfare when they were repatriated, which she said practically came from their own pockets. Their tickets are roughly 1,000 Saudi riyals each, which is equivalent to the unpaid wages they are claiming from Annasban. Philippine labor officials in Riyadh had told them that their repatriation costs would be divided among them, their recruitment agency and their company, Mabuhay said. “Manalo man o matalo, ipaglalaban namin ito. Mahirap sa loob namin na magsisi na lang sa huli, na hindi naming ipinaglaban ang karapatan namin. At least, wala kaming pagsisisihan," Mabubay said. (Win or lose, we will pursue our case. It will be harder for us to regret in the end should we choose not to fight for our rights.) The workers have already filed cases against their recruitment agencies before the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) which are scheduled for hearings this month. They have also asked the agency to permanently ban Annasban from hiring Filipino workers. (See: Group seeks permanent ban of ‘notorious’ Saudi firm for detaining 88 OFWs) POEA administrator Jennifer Manalili told GMANews.TV in a separate interview that the hearing schedules for the charges against recruitment agencies are currently being finalized. “About 20 cases have already been, and they have been raffled off to hearing officers," Manalili said. Three hearings lasting for six months are usually enough for the hearing officers to decide on the charges, she added. Manalili also said they are reviewing the workers’ complaints for possible grounds to delist Annasban from the country’s overseas employment program. 'Gov't policy flaws' In the same event, Migrante and the workers called for the scrapping of the OWWA Omnibus Policies and a halt to the government’s policy on labor export, which they said have only caused anguish to OFWs in distress The Omnibus Policies, they said, are the cause of the OWWA’s “neglect" of OFWs. For one, according to these policies, an OFW’s membership ends when his or her employment expires or is terminated. Also, the said policies provide only for selective repatriation of migrant workers, and limit the coverage of benefits that OFWs and their families can avail of. OWWA administrator Carmelita Dimzon refused to comment on the issue, saying the abolition of the Omnibus Policies is now the subject of a pending case before the Supreme Court. “We cannot comment on that. Petitions have already been submitted to the Supreme Court. We will just wait for the court’s petition," she told GMANews.TV. A challenge to presidential bets Migrante meanwhile challenged presidential candidates to propose alternatives to the existing practice of labor export, which it said makes Filipino workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. “For those aiming to become the next president, heed our call: long-term domestic job generation based on genuine agrarian reform and development of local industries is the only way out of the vicious cycle of exploitation caused by the labor export program," Martinez said. Last year, close to two million Filipinos left the country to work abroad, which roughly translates to 4,500 workers being deployed daily—a record-high in overseas deployment. Remittances by OFWs also ballooned to over US$17.3 billion last year, which grew by 5.6% from US$16.4 billion in 2008. (See: Filipinos sent home a record $17.3B last year) The Gulf States such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continue to be the top destinations of OFWs according to the POEA, despite increasing number of cases of abuse suffered by OFWs in the region.—JV, GMANews.TV