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
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