News from home: Delayed Saudi OFW payouts, 51% of Pinoy families feel poor

MANILA, Philippines — From news of a longer delay for payouts to overseas Filipino workers owed salaries by Saudi Arabia companies to 51% of Filipino families feeling poor amid the rising cost of living, these are among our headlines from the past week we think you should know if you’re a Filipino based abroad.

Overseas Filipinos 

• Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said their counterparts in Saudi Arabia asked to defer a meeting, where the two countries were supposed to discuss paying back overseas Filipino workers their salaries owed to them for years.

• The Philippine Consulate General in New York expressed their support for Filipino-American nurses who joined the strike for better wages and working conditions earlier this week, noting their “indispensable role" during the health crisis. 

• The Department of Foreign Affairs said its embassies and consulates will continue to assist OFWs until the Department of Migrant Workers is ready to fully take over responsibilities. This means that the DFA will continue to fund all assistance provided to migrant workers.

• President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will meet with the Filipino community in Switzerland and nearby European countries during his trip there this week. Marcos Jr., along with his economic team and business leaders, is participating in the World Economic Forum held in Davos, his second overseas trip in two weeks.

  While at the forum, he plans to “soft launch” the proposed Maharlika Wealth Fund, which is still awaiting a green light from the Senate. 

Work and employment

• More Filipino families felt poor in December last year. According to a poll by the Social Weather Stations, 51% of their respondents classified themselves as poor, rising from 49% in October. Many attributed this to the rising prices of commodities, as inflation quickened its fastest pace in 14 years.

• The country is losing its aviation experts as more professionals seek employment abroad. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said the government cannot match wages and benefits offered by other countries, such as those in the Middle East. 

• Influencer Donnalyn Bartolome sparked outrage and renewed conversations around working conditions in the Philippines after posting a status over social media on calling out people who were sad over the end of the holiday season, which many deemed out of touch considering the state of the local economy and employment.

  Former senate candidate and labor lawyer Luke Espiritu raised that the “Just be grateful” line is “what the capitalists usually reply when workers air issues with their jobs,” but he also noted that this was a good opportunity to highlight labor issues in the country.

Politics and the nation

• Various weather systems, including the shear line and low pressure areas, that caused rains and flooding have led to the death of 27 and the displacement of 112,596 individuals in the country. 

• There was a shuffle on the national security front – the country now has a new defense chief. Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., who previously served as the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity. This comes after Jose Faustino Jr. resigned, pointing to being blindsided by the appointment of a new Armed Forces chief but the Presidential Communications Office said he knew of Gen. Andres Centino’s appointment. 

  Marcos Jr. also appointed former Interior Secretary Eduardo Año as his new National Security Adviser, replacing Clarita Carlos.

• A Quezon City court cleared 10 human rights activists of perjury, dropping charges filed by former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. 

• The Manila City government logged around 514,000 devotees who flocked to Quiapo Church last week in a more muted celebration of the Feat of the Black Nazarene, which, in pre-pandemic times, would attract millions of devotees for the procession of the image called Traslacion. 

• Philippine passports ranked 66th most powerful on the Passport Index compiled by Arton Capital, with visa-free entry privileges to 34 countries and territories and visa-on-arrival issued in 41. Philippine passport holders need to apply for visas for a whopping 121 countries and territories.

• Filipino-American R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned as this year’s Miss Universe, while the Philippines’ own bet – Celeste Cortesi – did not make it to the Top 16, breaking a 12-year streak for the Philippines.

You can view last week’s rundown here or sign up for the newsletter here.