De Castro told The STAR yesterday that he has recommended to the President to raise this matter with her counterpart, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, on behalf of the more than 80,000 Filipino overseas performing artists (OPAs) who stand to lose their jobs once Tokyo’s stricter hiring rules take effect on Jan. 20.
"At this late hour already, I told the President that this is a matter I think is best handled at her level with the Japanese Prime Minister himself," De Castro said.
Attending the New Year vin d’honneur cocktail reception for the diplomatic community at Malacañang Friday night, De Castro said he has given this recommendation to Mrs. Arroyo before she left for Jakarta, Indonesia where she joined world leaders in last Thursday’s international conference on the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
However, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said it was Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo who took up the Philippines’ concern with his Japanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, on the sidelines during the summit.
"Both agreed that it was in the best interest of both countries to curb illegal trafficking of women," said Bunye, who was with the official delegation to Jakarta.
But he added Romulo was assured that "there would be no limitation as far as legitimate entertainers are concerned."
In his talk with Machimura, Romulo asked to effect a five-year "adjustment period" for the new anti-trafficking legislation.
Romulo admitted he did not get a definite commitment from his counterpart.
De Castro’s recommendation to the President came after his assistance on the issue was sought by Mrs. Arroyo’s election lawyer, Romulo Macalintal.
Macalintal has for clients Japanese promoters under the umbrella of Zengeiren and Rengokai industry associations, which employ Filipino OPAs in various hotels, nightclubs and entertainment establishments all over Japan.
Under Tokyo’s new rules, its government will no longer accept the Artist Record Book (ARB) as the primary document included in a Filipino entertainer’s application for a visa.
Tokyo instead reverted to the old system, which was in place until 1994, requiring Filipino entertainers applying for a visa to have two years’ training at a foreign educational institution or two years’ experience as entertainers outside Japan.
In dialogues with their Japanese counterparts, Philippine officials argued that the new Artist Accreditation Card (AAC) system that replaced the ARB is practically fool-proof and has addressed all the flaws in the old system.
Nearly 300,000 Filipinos work in Japan, many of them women "entertainers" at bars and other nightspots. Filipino officials estimate that up to 77,000 of them have entered the country illegally.
Bunye admitted the Philippines needs to "review" its accreditation procedures "and that includes replacing the much discredited artist record book."