KASAMMAKO Statement on the Occasion of Philippine VP Jejomar Binay Visit in Seoul

KASAMMAKO STATEMENT ON ISSUES AND CONCERNS
VICE PRESIDENT JEJOMAR BINAY
SHOULD KNOW AND APPROPRIATELY RESPOND TO
25 March 2012

We leaders, members and friends of member-organizations of the Katipunan ng mga Samahan ng Migranteng Manggagawa sa Korea (KASAMMAKO) together with the community of OFWs and other Filipino expatriates, welcome Vice President Jejomar Binay to South Korea.

The visit of Vice President Jejomar Binay to South Korea, we believe, is not just a social occasion in spasmodic and harried preoccupation of the Philippine Embassy officials and staff, but a down-to-earth and truthful engagement in dialogue with OFWs in South Korea. We would like to present the following issues and concerns of OFWs and the Filipino people in general to Vice President Jejomar Binay for his careful consideration and appropriate action:

1. The 160% increase in Philhealth premium and budget cut on allocations for assistance to nationals in distressed situations. We oppose the Circular No. 022 of Philhealth Board that prescribes 100% to 160% increase in premium contributions for National Health Insurance Program (NHIP). This is one form of legalized exaction and an additional financial burden laid on the shoulders of OFWs. This violates the very intention of the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) that stipulates OFWs should not be subject to any form of taxation and this directly affect even agency-new hires who are obliged to enroll with Philhealth for them to get an OEC. More so, the national budget for social services should be at the upbeat with the increasing needs of OFWs.

2. We urge the Philippine Congress to amend Article 26 of the Revised Family Code that infringes on the right of Filipino citizens who are married to foreign nationals to re-marry after initiating a divorce. This law is unfair, especially to Filipinos in abusive conditions. It is discriminatory and makes every Filipino marriage migrant more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. This law should be amended to allow Filipinos married to foreign nationals to re-marry after a divorce, regardless of who, between the two parties involved, initiated the divorce. KASAMMAKO has been involved in an international signature campaign for the amendment of Article 26 of the Revised Family Code.

3. Pursue legalization of undocumented migrant workers and put a stop to crackdown as a deportation strategy of the Korean government in curbing the number of undocumented migrants while denying the need for skilled and culturally well adopted migrant workers in the Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs). The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea need to enact a law that will give amnesty to undocumented migrants workers who have worked in the country for a definite period of time and has proven competency and skills in their particular occupations. The UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrants and their Families is the blueprint of what is possible in the legalization process of undocumented migrant workers. We oppose all forms of crackdowns on undocumented migrant workers for these are violations of their human rights.

4. The Employment Permit System (EPS) foreign workers employment term extension by way of amendment has been duly approved by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea last December 29, 2011 but was officially woven into law in February 1, and thereafter become effective in July 2, 2012. Many EPS OFWs whose term of employment end prior to effectivity date are excluded and have to go the tedious and expensive processing to be able to return and find jobs in Korea. We believe that POLO can present policy recommendations to MOEL to make the amendments to EPS law inclusive.

4. Scrap the Oil Deregulation Law and remove VAT on oil, LPG and all petroleum products. The unabated oil price hikes has deepened economic difficulties, pulling down greater number of the Filipino people to the abyss of poverty. The monopoly pricing by giant oil companies keeps prices high - or overpriced way beyond actual costs and actual demand which has been protected by the Oil Deregulation Law. Oil prices are being artificially pushed up due to the insatiable greed for profits of giant oil companies, speculators, financial investment houses and banks and not by any supernatural, abstract entity that economists call as the market.

In conclusion, KASAMMAKO believes that forced migration has been a product of social injustice in the Philippines and the EPS is an instrument of enslavement of the neo-liberal capitalist globalization. The failure of the present and past Philippine governments to provide decent employment for its people in the home country and the need for cheap and docile workers in destination countries are the root causes of this. The social costs of forced migration are irreversible and grievous circumstances evolved as the global economic recession worsens. Therefore it is an imperative that the Philippine government should immediately change its policies and create decent and meaningful employment for the potent working population of the Philippines. +++

References:
Pol Par
Chairperson, KASAMMAKO
Tel. 010-4607-7526

Carry your cross and follow Christ

PROK Staff Morning Prayer
22 March 2012

Text: Mark 8: 34

God of compassion and love:
We thank you for this day and for the renewed strength of body and mind.

At this hour of prayer we are reminded of the words of Jesus, that if we want to follow a life leading to love and peace, we have to deny our own personal vested interests and carry the burden of the suffering people.

It is not an easy life to follow the sufferings of Jesus. But we thank you that we are constantly reminded to serve God with the whole of our lives. Also, we thank you for the courageous struggle of common people for food, water, home, security and peace.

We remember in our prayers, the sufferings of people in many communities where life has been threatened: Kangjeong maul, Syria, Palestine, Tohoku, and in many communities where people are treated like commodities. May the liberating power of Jesus be the source of inspiration for attaining greater access to the source of abundance and justice.

We especially pray for today's strategic planning conference/symposium at Kangnam church. May the Holy Spirit guide and inspire the Church leaders and staff who will participate in process.

Unite us in faith and response to the many forms of separation in our world today, through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

GABRIELA International Women's Day Assessment of the Aquino government stance on women issues

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today said President Aquino is doing Filipino women a great disservice by refusing to give women’s legislation a push. “President Aquino has deliberately ignored and refused to prioritize measures that will give women much needed relief from the onslaught of poverty and protection from abuse.”



“The unabated increases in the prices of oil, basic commodities and utilities weigh heavily on women and their families. Women have long been denied of any government action needed to lift the burden off women’s shoulders and give them relief,” said Ilagan.



The Gabriela solon said the Aquino government ignored calls to suspend if not permanently remove the 12% Value Added Tax on petroleum products. “This alone could have made a huge difference. By bringing down the prices of gasoline and diesel by as much as P6.00 per liter or the price of an 11-kg LPG tank by P90, women will have more to spend for food and other basic needs.”



Also included in the list of women’s poverty relief measures are the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law, the repeal of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and the People’s Mining Bill also known as the Philippine Mineral Resources Act.



Ilagan also said President Aquino would have done well by giving Filipino women and mothers access to health services by allocating bigger slice of the national budget for health and endorsing the Reproductive Health Bill for passage.



“The RH bill is long overdue. Women are spending less and less of their family budget for healthcare. It would certainly help if the Aquino government would help ensure that health services are provided free of charge in barangay centers and public hospitals, instead of making a turn towards privatization that will inevitably make health more of a business than a social service.”



The Gabriela solon also said that other women’s legislation that would increase awareness for women’s rights and promote the protection of women against abuse should also be prioritized. These include HB1800 Increasing Maternity Leave Benefits from 60 days to 120 days; HB 4822 Designating Special Courts for Illegal Recruitment cases; HB6274 Prescribing Penalties for Employers and Superiors who deny VAW victims’ application for leave; HB1479 Introducing Amendments to the Sexual Harassment Act and; HB1799 Introducing Divorce in the Philippines.

Feminization of migrant labor

Statement of Migrante International on 2012 International Women’s Day

Forced migration has become the worst cause and manifestation of all forms of abuse, oppression and exploitation of Filipina OFWs all over the world.

The “feminization” of labor migration was most marked in the decade and a half since 1990, driven by the rise in number of domestic workers and caregivers going abroad due to the intensification of the labor export policy by past and present Philippine governments. By 1995, according to the National Statistics Office’s Survey of Overseas Filipinos (NSO SOF), there were 91 female OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) for every 100 male OFWs. This figure steadily increased to a peak of 102 female OFWs per 100 male in 2006. To date, Filipina OFWs still make up more than half (around 60%) of the stock estimate of OFWs, outnumbering male OFWs especially in the service sector, with 135, 168 female new hires to 19,367 to male new hires in 2010.

Far beyond the absolute numbers, however, are the very specific vulnerabilities that Filipina OFWs migrant workers face because they are women – sexual discrimination and other gender-specific abuses, exploitation and violence – and also in the sorts of work where they tend to predominate. This is especially the case when Filipina OFWs migrate for work that is in line with their traditionally-defined reproductive roles in society (i.e., domestic workers, nurses, caregivers, etc).

The current onslaught of the global economic and financial crisis further intensifies abuses and violations faced by Filipina OFWs. The global crisis makes them more vulnerable to illegal recruitment, human/sex trafficking, criminalization (of the irregular/undocumented), and tolerate abuses at work. The worsening crisis conceives for them more desperate conditions, locally and abroad.

The US-NATO-led wars of aggression in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region are forcing millions of migrants, especially women, to choose between a rock and a hard place – to either flee the conflicts or face unemployment and poverty in the Philippines, or to stay at risk of their well-being and lives in exchange for income. In these conditions, Filipina OFWs become victims not only of violence and war but also of labor and human rights abuses.

In strife-torn Syria, for instance, almost 100% of OFWs are women domestic workers. Of the estimated 17,000 Filipino population there, more than 95% are irregular or undocumented, with reports of more being trafficked into the country despite the escalating conflict. A mere 6% of Filipina OFWs have so far been repatriated by the government while the death toll is now dangerously close to 6,000.

Today, marching with us are some of the brave Filipina OFWs who survived the US-NATO war of aggression in Syria. They continue to call for the immediate repatriation of thousands more of Filipina domestic workers in Syria. They also unite with other sectors of society in calling to a stop to US wars of aggression in the MENA region and opposing intensified deployment of US troops in the Philippines and elsewhere in the goal to gain a stronghold in the Asia Pacific region for the imperialist greed for oil.

Today, Migrante International marches with them in solidarity with the women’s struggle for freedom, democracy and national sovereignty and against imperialist plunder and military intervention. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we salute and honor them and other Filipina OFWs around the world. ###