Statement on the State of the Nation Address of Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on July 23, 2012

KATIPUNAN NG MGA SAMAHAN NG MIGRANTENG MANGGAGAWA SA KOREA
(KASAMMAKO)

Statement on the State of the Nation Address of Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III
on July 23, 2012

No amount of brandished presentation in the SONA would convince us

We have opted for what it takes us and our families to have a decent life!

We have few options as OFWs in Korea, we would rather stay and find all the means to hold on to our jobs here than go back home without employment. Many of us have opted to remain in the country (South Korea) as undocumented workers and the government is not doing something for our legalization. Legal, financial and moral assistance from the Philippine embassies and labor officers are hard to come by, unless demanded. The non-stop crackdown imperils our lives.

We are sending more amounts of money to our families back home to compensate the dwindling dollars. And the Aquino administration rejoices in our dollar remittances making the Philippine economy afloat in the midst of global economic crisis and depression at the expense of our rights and welfare. We have always been considered as milking cows by government agencies, such as the POEA, collecting various kinds of fees before we leave the country, the PhilHealth which increases the monthly premiums, the mandatory membership to PAG-IBIG housing program, the increased fees of passport and other related documents. The labor export program of the Philippine government becomes a business venture.

No amount of brandished presentation in your SONA would convince us, Mr. President that you are doing something to change the course of history and provide for a sustainable future for the Filipino people. Needless to say, that the distorted sociological data you have in hand would not prove anything because the real situation in the Philippines speaks for itself.

Labor situation in the country is appalling.

You said in your SONA that you have created jobs at home but why is it that every day not less than 4,500 Filipinos leave the country to seek employment abroad. This is a shameful situation of forced migration and slavery to foreign employers, companies and institutions. The POEA claimed that the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) reached around 1.4 million a year. The National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that in April 2012 there are 4.4 million unemployed and 7.3 million underemployed. Wages meanwhile remain too low for decent living. The mandated minimum wage of Php446 in May 2012 is just 44% of the Php 1,017 family living wage (FLW).The government failed to provide regular, decent and meaningful jobs for the Filipino people. How can we have hopes for our families and the Filipino workers in general when the labor situation is really bad?

Poverty is a malignant social disease and remained untouched. The Philippine economy favors the rich and the powerful and the rural-agrarian economy controlled by big land-owning families, transnational corporations and mining corporations, a clear manifestation of social injustice.
You said that you have provided poverty alleviation fund like the “Pantawid ng Kahirapan” but why is that we see millions of Filipinos in the depths of poverty, many child beggars on the streets, children and youth could hardly go to school in spite of free basic education? The government failed to institute social justice, but has encouraged the profits of a few while the needs of tens of millions of Filipinos remain unmet. In contrast to the conditions of most Filipinos who remain poor, the wealth of elite few and corporate profits have continued to soar. Amid poverty and economic underdevelopment the collective wealth of the 40 richest Filipinos more than doubled and grew by US$24.6 billion (108%) from US$22.8 billion reported in 2010 to US$47.4 billion in 2012. For comparison, US$47.4 billion is equivalent to over one-fifth (21%) of GDP last year. The present government is engaged in infrastructure, health, education, mining, energy, transportation, telecommunications, water and housing with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) that ensured huge profits of big private corporations owned by local and foreign investors.

You have mentioned agrarian reform as vital for rural development. Yet the present government has the worst performance of land distribution by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of any post-Marcos government. It distributed an average of 9,324 hectares in 2011 and at the current rate, is five years behind schedule with its June 2014 target under the extended agrarian reform program CARPer. Also, you do not have a genuine land reform agenda, which is another program that can create a huge number of jobs. Instead, you have been promoting public-private partnership (PPP) in agriculture that tends to displace farmers and farm workers, while peddling the deception of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms. There is no industrialization plan anchored on vibrant domestic production on agriculture and consumption.

There has been a total neglect of education, health and social services.
You were proud to mention about the increased budget for education, but despite the seemingly large increases in budget allotment basic education still remains wanting in resources. As of School Year 2011-2012, the estimated gross shortages of classrooms reached almost 153,000; school seats, more than 13,000; textbooks, almost 96,000; sanitation facilities, more than 151,000; as well as teachers, almost 104,000, according to the Department of Education (DepEd). Similarly you mentioned about the presence of nurses and midwives in rural health centers, but what about doctors? How are you supporting community based health programs and reproductive rights of women?

We believe that a healthy workforce and people can sustain the economy but the government does not ensure affordable and accessible health services. In addition, the acute need for medicine, supplies and equipment in public hospitals forces beneficiaries to shoulder the expenses for such needs while those in far flung areas, where majority of the poor live, could hardly find Philhealth-accredited hospitals. The total budget proposed for the Department of Health (DOH) next year is inadequate, it is just a little fraction of the estimated ₱243.5 billion that the sector needs to cover the costs of public health care delivery system, health human resource maintenance and development, and preventive and public health programs and promotion.

The culture of impunity remains intact in the Aquino government.
What did you say about the state of human rights in the country? Your government’s failure to address threats and killings of environmental advocates worsens a climate of lawlessness just as your administration is pushing for new mining investments. On July 2, 2012, you have signed Executive Order No. 79, which aims to institutionalize reforms in the Philippine mining sector by “providing policies and guidelines to ensure environmental protection and responsible mining.” You enacted decrees to encourage mining investment in the Philippines but have done little to stop attacks on environmental advocates. Put a stop to the culture of impunity and stop extra-judicial killings in the Philippines!

We, members, leaders and supporters of the OFWs in South Korea, urge and demand from the government speedy disposition, action and commitment for sustainable change in the Philippine society, to the end that Filipinos will no longer be forced to seek employment abroad and live abundantly with their families and communities.+++


(Sgd.) Pol Par
Chairperson, KASAMMAKO
Seoul, Korea
July 24, 2012