Multiple challenges to our migrant workers

As the sage would say: When it rains, it really pours. The Filipino migrant workers are currently facing a lot of problems, which all pose serious and imminent dangers to their job security in their respective host countries. The raging political conflicts and military operations in Syria, the unfinished revolutions in Libya, the threats of full Saudization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the on-going contentious issues affecting our household service workers in Hongkong, as well as the present racist prejudices in Singapore, the dangers to life, security and work security in London, the sharp decline of the US economy that also endangers the jobs of the millions of Filipinos in America. 

Added to all these are the continuing illegal immigration to Sabah, Sarawak and other parts of Malaysia, and the usual broker issues that continues to  prejudice our workers’ rights, benefits and interests in Taiwan. All these issues and problems are happening at the same time, at this point when our country is currently grappling with domestic issues of a run-away population growth, high unemployment and underemployment and a slow economic growth, exacerbated by recurring socio-economic domestic pressures.

A raging war in Syria, Libya, etc.

Let’s start with Syria. The government’s aggressive crackdown of its political enemies’ concerted actions is finding about at least twenty thousand OFWs, mostly undocumented (that’s the politically correct term, not ‘’ illegal’’) in the crossfire. Our government has already ordered compulsory evacuation. About 40 of them, mostly domestic helpers, are now in the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, awaiting repatriation by the Department of Foreign Affairs and OWWA. The problem is that we don’t have a permanently accredited labor attache and welfare officer in the Syrian capital. We need to deploy a DOLE representative to work with DFA in the difficult and expensive task of repatriation these beleaguered migrant workers. 

Another problem is that many of these OFWs refuse to be repatriated. They would rather die trying to hold on to their livelihoods than come to an economically-depressed and highly labor-excess and employment scarce home provinces. Thus, the fundamental question is whether or not our government has the inherent police power to compel Filipinos to be sent home, if they insist on their human rights to decide on this matter of transcendental implications.

Migration issues in Hongkong, Singapore, etc.

There is a very contentious issue now confronting the hundreds of thousands Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong. There is a HK law that allows aliens who have resided in that former English colony for a number of years to apply for a permanent resident status. Availing of this law, one Filipino domestic helper has filed an application to elevate her immigration status. Serious oppositions were poised by many Hong Kong nationals fearing that an approval of said application would open the floodgates of too many similar applications. The locals are afraid that Filipinos and other foreign workers would exacerbate their overpopulation, the exceeding pressures to their economy and the political implications of that possible precedent.

There is a similar rise of racial prejudice against Filipinos in Singapore. It started with an inter-personal conflict between a local and an OFW on the issue of Filipinos being a continuing threat to job security of Singaporeans. There is a grave danger of Singaporization of work opportunities in that bustling city-state that currently hosts hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, both documented and undocumented.

Economic issues in USA, conflicts in London

The current economic downturn of the US economy and the security issues in London brought about by terroristic activities and the Government’s military and police responses are putting OFWs’ jobs in those preferred Filipino destinations in grave danger. Added to these are the recurring diaspora of undocumented Filipinos who are being jailed by Malaysian authorities in Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Sandakan, Sarawak and in the rest of the thirteen states inside the Federal State of Malaysia. 

The  issues in Taiwan concerning multiple and excessive collections of placement fees and brokers’ fees are being looked into, thus pushing Taiwanese employers to look for less expensive and more ‘’cooperative’’ foreign workers from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and other labor-sending economies. All these problems come in full unison and at a time when the least that we need is an exodus of homecoming OFWs at these very trying times in our country. There is much burden in the shoulders of our Labor Secretary and ultimately, the President. We will either swim or sink with these problems.  By these trials, we shall test once again the resiliency of the Filipinos. Ampo, amping ug panlimbasog. The worst is still to come.