Filipino Teachers: Beware of US Recruitment

Dear fellow teachers from the Philippines,

I am teaching overseas right now. Please do not allow yourselves to be victimized by recruiters. Please read the article about Filipino teachers held in 'servitude' in the USA in the link below.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-27-filipino-teachers_N.htm

You don't need recruiters. You don't need middlemen/middlewomen. You can take control of your job search.

Let me share with you how I applied for my overseas job.

As an Overseas Filipino Worker, my first overseas job was a teaching position at the Da-Yeh University in Changhua, Taiwan. I taught there for 5 1/2 years. I applied online by posting my resume on Dave's ESL Cafe. It was free. Afterwards, Dave's ESL Cafe sent me job ads posted by schools and language centers.

I sent my application portfolio to several universities in different countries. After considering the offers, I chose to sign up with Da-Yeh University in Taiwan. Everything was free in the sense that I didn't have to pay any middleman/woman (the recruiter). Of course, I paid for my passport at the Department of Foreigh Affairs and my visa at the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Makati City.

I applied personally for my passport and my visa. I didn't allow any recruiters or travel agents to make money off me. I was a direct hire.

Right now, I am teaching at the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore. How did I apply for this job? I surfed the web, found advertised job openings for academic staff in reputable institutions, and sent my application documents in 2007 to some.

After going through the usual interviews and waiting for several months, in November of the same year, I received from NIE an air parcel sent through a 24-hour courier. It contained my letter of appointment and other relevant documents. I signed an acceptance letter which I sent back through a 24-hour courier, too. A notice was e-mailed to me to pick up my air ticket from the nearest Philippine Airline sales office.

On Nov. 30, 2007, I flew to Singapore. I checked into the university's executive centre for free, then transferred to a faculty flat on Dec. 3, 2007. I received my first paycheck on Dec. 15, 2007.

I was a direct hire. I didn't allow any recruiters or travel agents to make money off me.

It breaks my heart when I hear of fellow teachers who are victimized by recruiters. I understand the dream that you dream. For heaven's sake, don't let it become a nightmare!

Concerned,

Carmelita C. Ballesteros

OFWs and Tita Cory

by Noslen Sonnel

August 5, 2009 12:45 a.m.

Far from the land of our birth

We thrive on this one land called earth

To be back home our constant dearth

Our fatherland, our countrymen, our mirth.

Adopted, yet unwanted.

Paid yet unneeded.

Seen yet unseen.

Here yet keen.

Keen to see the day of our return.

Hoping and weeping, graceful and silent

Struggling, striving and always benevolent.

Sending our dollars like we've tons to burn.

Keen to see our nation's rebirth.

See Happy Pinoys with none so poor.

Humble leaders with diminished girth.

'Tis what we'd like to see at the end of our tour.

The death of Cory increased our sorrow.

Yet we struggle on ‘cuz there’s still tomorrow.

She was the mother who wouldn’t let us leave
A fellow Pinoy who wanted us not to cleave.

She believed what many of us abandoned
The road she travelled, we scorned and disowned.

Yet in the depths of our hearts we are brown.

We knew then and we know now that we can.

That we Pinoys can never be let down.

And we may yet prove that we are her avid fan!

The death of Cory increased our sorrow.

Yet we struggle on ‘cuz there’s still tomorrow.

Tita Cory's Wake

by Ms. Juliet Guanlao

A friend of mine in the Philippines forwarded to me an e-mail about Tita Cory’s wake at the La Salle Greenhills. The original writer of the email has given Barangay OFW her permission to publish her email.

From: Juliet Guanlao _________________

To: usths80@_______________________

Sent: Sunday, August 2, 2009 10:35:31 PM

Subject: [usths80] Tita Cory's Wake

I was there last night. It took me, a friend, and three nieces more than three hours to get to Tita Cory's coffin, where we were able to spend a few seconds to say thank you.

I could not pass up on this chance to feel "People Power" all over again. I went there with the hope of witnessing and feeling the same fever that gripped all of us 23 years ago. I was at EDSA (it happened three months after I came home from an 8-year stay in NY). I was squeezed at the gates of Malacañang with the passionate mob who rushed there after hearing the news that the Marcoses had fled. I was in Luneta during the rally after the dictator was ousted.

I just felt that this is the last chance to feel Tita Cory's fervent hope to unite us, even up to her death.

I was not disappointed. The unity of our people and the desire to be with Tita Cory for the last time are very much alive. The line started from Gate 5 and extended all the way to the corner of EDSA and Ortigas, and snaked 4 times. Four layers of people peacefully and orderly lined up along Ortigas, in the midst of traffic and the smoke-belching vehicles. But there were no complaints, no rowdiness among the crowd, just the usual noise of people chatting, waiting patiently in line.

There were a lot of smiles, nods and short comments exchanged among strangers, as we passed by or faced each other in our respective spots. As expected, there were a lot of entrepreneurs who were able to produce yellow shirts and yellow ribbons in such a short time.

We arrived at around 8:30 pm and were able to join the 2nd layer of the line. Those who were in the first line had been there since 4 o'clock. There was a mass at 8pm and they stopped letting people in at 7.

We were feeling impatient at around 10:30 pm when, to our surprise, there was activity behind us. Tita Cory's grandsons, Jiggy (the one who looks like Ninoy) and the other one (we didn't get his name but I think he was the other one who was frequently seen with Jiggy, but this time without his Ninoy glasses), were walking through the lines, shaking people's hands, profusely thanking and apologizing to everyone about the long wait.

Of course there were a lot of posing and picture-taking, and these two young lads were game! It was probably a nightmare for the two security personnel who tailed Tita Cory’s grandsons. Their presence gave everyone the much-needed boost, and we were able to keep our spirits up for the next 2 hours. There was even one lady behind us who shouted, "Iho, ano nga bang pangalan mo? Iboboto kita!" It was indeed an unexpected but heartwarming gesture from those two young men.

When we had gone through the gates, we saw young people handing out Kopiko candies and Hershey's Kisses chocolates. Feeling nasa wake talaga! Kulang na lang Boy Bawang, Happy peanuts, butong pakwan and Zest-o. But there were water dispensers and cups in different spots inside the campus.

Flowers lined up the corridors, and Tita Cory's enlarged portraits were placed along the hallway leading to the coffin. Inside the gym, celebrities were everywhere. But despite the fact that there were showbiz stars and politicos everywhere, I didn't think it replaced the feelings of the people that they were there to pay their respects to Tita Cory. The mood was calm and solemn.

In two's, we were allowed only a few seconds in front of the coffin. Not enough to digest and take in the minute details of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was there with a friend and my three nieces, and when we were back in the car, we pieced together all that we were able to store in our memories.

Tita Cory was wearing a simple bright yellow dress with sparkling stones. Brownish hands folded clutching a rosary. Jet black hair combed back, bright red lips, heavily-foundationed face. She looked very different... she looked like a Chinese mestiza but decades younger... The face was different from the Tita Cory we are all familiar with. But her expression was very serene... very peaceful...

The way she looked in the coffin got us distracted. We were hoping to see the sweet, motherly face of Tita Cory. We walked back to the car pensive, and disturbed. We did not want this to be the last memory we will have of her.

My initial feeling was, I wish I did not go.... But now, the morning after, things are clearer in my mind. She must have suffered so much in her ordeal that they had to hide the pain.. The face may have masked the sufferings but the color of her hands exposed them anyway... Now I feel that even up to her death, she wanted us to see her strength, not her sufferings. And for that, I admire her more...

Tita Cory suffered so much in her life....as a wife, as a mother, as a person...We are the ones who benefited from those sufferings. As a nation, we are free. But, as a people, we have a lot more to do. My fervent prayer is for all of us to show the same unity that we showed Tita Cory and do our share in addressing the ills of our country.

Twenty-six years ago, I was marching in the streets of New York City, together with the members of the anti-Marcos movement, because Ninoy had been assassinated. I live now in Manila, but for the 26 years that I have lived here, my sense of obligation has centered around myself and my loved ones. Other than doing my best to be a law-abiding citizen, the occasional bouts of nationalism demonstrated during the People Power and now for Tita Cory, I have not really done much. I hope now, I can start...

I have been a silent reader in our e-group for the past 8 years.. Now I cannot resist na magparamdam because I want to share this experience with all of you.

To those who are overseas and cannot make it to the wake, I hope this gives you a glimpse of what it was like to be there, from my perspective. To those who can make it to the Manila Cathedral, you still have a chance.

Let's pay our respects to Tita Cory. It's the least we can do. And let's hope that the spark that this visit rekindles will stay and ignite us to move.

Yeng

OFWs at NAIA Terminal 3

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

Dear readers: Please share your observations of international airports and/or any airport in the Philippines, domestic or international, by e-mailing barangay.ofw@gmail.com

Terminal 1
Are you ashamed of Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila? Compared to other international airports, it is dilapidated and shabby. However, it is a functional airport, although its toilets don’t work all the time.

According to Wikipedia, it handled 22 million passengers in 2008.Wasn’t that a feat? Supposedly, it was built to handle only 4.5 million passengers.

The most significant thing about Terminal 1 is its historic value. It was where Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983, moments after he was escorted out of a China Airlines flight by Marcos’ soldiers. So consider it a unique privilege to arrive and depart from such a rare and aging airport. It’s like time travel. On top of that, it’s an airport where a modern-day hero was assassinated.

Terminal 2
It is a little newer and its toilets seem to work all right. It is used exclusively by the Philippine Airlines for all of its domestic and international flights. However, the last time I arrived at Terminal 2 in 2007, I remember a really awful experience.

There were very few trolleys for the passengers’ baggage. I remember that there were at least 500 passengers fighting for about 20 trolleys. My family was worried sick because it took me more than an hour to get out of the airport.

I advised a colleague who was flying to Manila after me, and also flying via Philippine Airlines, not to check in any baggage so that he could get out of the airport fast.

Terminal 3
What about the newest terminal of NAIA? With its tattered reputation of being at the center of legal disputes and charges of corruption, I wanted to find out for myself how Terminal 3 compares with its older siblings.

Having heard that Cebu Pacific uses it exclusively, I used this airline for my trip from Singapore to Manila and back last June. I was pleased that Cebu Pacific already offers day flights. It used to offer flights only on graveyard shifts – late evening, midnight, and wee hours of the morning.

My flight from Singapore to Manila on June 18 was at 10:35 a.m. I flew out of Changi’s Budget Terminal which is miles better than Terminals 1 and 2 of NAIA. My plane touched down at 2:05 p.m. in Manila and I was out of Terminal 3 by 2:45 p.m. It was a breeze!

I was in a hurry to get home, and didn’t look around. The only impression I got was that there were no crowds and the airport was quite cold and quite bare.

Time flew, literally. Two weeks were gone and I had to head back to Singapore on July 1. My flight being at 1:30 p.m., my family dropped me off at Terminal 3 at 10:30 a.m.

Check-in Process
Unlike the annoying, multiple layers of security checks at Terminals 1 and 2, I got the pleasant, but ‘uneasy’ feeling that security at Terminal 3 was lax. I remember only one security check before I queued up to the airline counter check-in.

The Security Profiler Queue

On my way to the airline counter, there was a security profiler from a private agency. He looked only at passengers’ tickets and passports. He was not from POEA, and I wasn’t sure what his ultimate aim was. He didn’t ask to see my OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) Certificate nor my OEC (Overseas Exit Clearance). Anyway, it took only a few minutes.

The Airline Counter Check-in

There were several flights en route to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei but there was no crowd. The airline counter clerk asked me if I was an OFW. I said yes and offered her my green OEC. She took one sheet from the set of four copies, then returned the remaining three to me.

(By the way, I didn’t need to pay the Philippine travel tax of Php1,620.00 as an OFW privilege. My OEC, which cost me SGD5.50, is the proof that I am a documented OFW. If you are an OFW in Singapore, you must go to the Philippine Embassy on Nassim Road and pay the equivalent of USD25.00 to get an OWWA certificate. Only then will you be allowed to purchase an OEC.

Cebu Pacific, for its part, collects the travel tax from departing non-OFW Filipinos when they buy their airline tickets. Thus, Cebu Pacific has cut down a usually slow and disorderly step from the check-in process of passengers at Terminals 1 and 2.)

On my way to the Immigration Counter, I passed by the booths which collect the terminal fee of Php750.00. I approached the booth for OFWs and gave my OEC to the clerk. She tore off one copy and returned the remaining two to me. I didn’t need to pay anything. Altogether, I was spared from spending Php2,370.00 in exchange for the OEC which cost the equivalent of Php180.00.

Finally, I walked in towards the immigration counter through the terminal fee counter. There were only two immigration counters and there were only three of us international passengers.

The immigration officer waved me through. I was a little disappointed that my transaction was so ordinary and uneventful.

Airport Amenities
I walked farther inside Terminal 3 and had lunch in one of its cafes. It was a 90-peso lunch of rice and chicken. There were pricier choices but I wasn’t interested.

I checked out the wash room, of course. It’s almost as good as Singapore’s. That’s a big improvement.

Was there a duty-free shop? I don’t remember any. For the second time, I noticed that Terminal 3 was quite bare. With nothing to while away my time, I looked for my boarding gate. The clerk ripped off half of my boarding pass using the cover of my passport. Without even looking at me, he waved me in.

There was hardly anybody in the departure lounge. People started streaming in only at 12:45 p.m. After 10 minutes, we were asked to board through a short tube. The plane was probably two-thirds full. We took off promptly at 1:30 p.m. and landed at Changi Airport at 4:40 p.m., 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Both Cebu Pacific pilots who captained my return flights were great landers. The landing was so soft and gentle that I didn’t feel the landing gears touching the ground at all.

An OFW’s Impression
So what’s the verdict? NAIA Terminal 3 is efficient and Cebu Pacific is using it effectively. OFWs, aside from the submission of the green OEC, are inconspicuous. It means that OFWs at NAIA Terminal 3 are treated decently just like any other passenger, whether Filipino or foreigner.

I sure hope the decent treatment of OFWs remains that way. On a different note, I hope some sprucing up of Terminal 3 will be done to make it look friendlier and more attractive.

Alert OFW Lady Foils NAIA ‘Magician’

by Flori Tuazon
Sweden

Her mother had been sick so my wife Marilyn went home to the Philippines on April 9, 2009. Marilyn’s arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was uneventful.

She was overjoyed the moment she saw the smiling face of our daughter Melanie. Melanie who has recently learned how to drive had come to fetch her mother from NAIA.

My wife Marilyn spent most of her short visit caring for her sick mother and playing with our young grandchildren.

Time flew and Marilyn had to depart the Philippines on April 26, 2009. Melanie took her mother to NAIA where they said bitter-sweet goodbyes and embraced each other tightly and lovingly.

After checking in at the airline counter, Marilyn proceeded to the Bureau of Immigration area for the usual passport and visa check. She chose to line up behind a counter manned by Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’

The name of the immigration officer rang an alarm bell in Marilyn’s head and she wanted to change lanes. But she would have to go to the end of a kilometric line, so she stayed put.

Marilyn keeps her passport in a leather passport wallet with a zipped-up side pocket. Before leaving her mother’s house on that day, she put some dollar bills in the fabulous amount of US$70.00 in the zipped-up side pocket of her leather passport wallet.

Marilyn prayed that her transaction with Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ would be uneventful. And so it was, she thought. But she was wrong.

From the immigration counter, Marilyn went directly to her boarding gate. A few minutes after settling down in the departure lounge, she felt thirsty and wanted to buy bottled water. She took her passport wallet from her handbag to pay for the bottle of water. To her embarrassment, there wasn’t any dollar bill in the zipped-up side pocket of her passport wallet. It was empty.

After apologizing to the sales clerk, she sat down and collected her thoughts. As sure as she was sitting there at the NAIA, she knew that she had put US$70 in the zipped-up side pocket of her passport wallet.

Who else aside from her had access to her passport wallet? Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’!!!

Marilyn rushed out of the departure lounge to go back to the desk of this NAIA ‘magician.’ She nearly bumped into the duty airport police officer whom she promptly asked for assistance. Together, they approached Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’

Mr. NAIA ‘Magician’ feigned innocence at first. But my wife Marilyn stepped on her gas pedal, so to speak, and screeched and screamed and shrieked! Soon, a crowd gathered around the desk of Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’

Mr. NAIA ‘Magician’ came to the rescue of his invisible twin, Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’ He pretended to look for the US dollar bills among his things, then bent down and – surprise! – found the fabulous amount of US$70.00 on the floor. He gave it back to my wife with a sheepish grin.

Mr. Regalado Medalla, the Duty Immigration Supervisor, noticed the commotion and approached the desk of Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’ Mr. Medalla asked my wife, the duty airport police officer, and Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ to come with him to the Immigration Office in the airport.

My wife Marilyn argued that it was impossible for her dollar bills to fall out of her passport wallet because they were inside the zipped-up side pocket. Accusing Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ of theft, Marilyn insisted that her complaint be written down in the airport police blotter.

Mr. Regalado Medalla, the Duty Immigration Supervisor, promised Marilyn that the Immigration Office would pursue the matter and would not let Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ off the hook. Mr. Medalla advised Marilyn to follow up her complaint.

As Marilyn was leaving the Immigration Office to catch her flight, Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ clasped his hands on his chest and begged Marilyn to have pity on him. He might lose his job.

As Christians, my wife and I do pity Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’ We don’t want him to lose his job. But he doesn’t deserve his job as an immigration officer at the NAIA. Surely, there are many upright men and women who can be recruited for the job Mr. ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ will lose.

Since Mr. ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ is gifted with sleight of hand, he will surely find a niche as a clown and magician in children’s parties!

Obama nation

by Randy David

This article was originally published in Professor Randy David's column, PUBLIC LIVES, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on November 8, 2008 (Manila time). He has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach him at public.lives@gmail.com

He was, by any measure, the superior candidate: clear and eloquent where his opponent often mumbled and stuttered; cool and even-tempered even when the other would dish out sharp rebukes. Barack Obama projected a high-mindedness that made the veteran John McCain sound petty and insular. He was charming and attentive, where the latter appeared condescending and guarded.

Never cynical or arrogant, his confident retorts and measured replies to questions during the debates were always thoughtful and respectful. Even those who strongly disagreed with his views found him amiable. He was fresh and inspiring, where the other seemed stale and boring.

All these qualities are more familiarly summed up as charisma. Obama has lots of it, but he knew it wasn’t enough to win an election.

US commentators say America has never known a more focused and methodical politician. Nothing seemed to distract him. But that is also because Barack Obama ran a tight, energetic, and highly-motivated campaign.

Instead of hiring professionals, he relied on a corps of volunteers, mostly young people who could navigate the politically untapped world of cyberspace with ease. So disciplined was the campaign that the media could not get any inside story except from its authorized spokesmen. There were no leaks about internal rifts, resignations, apprehensions, or the onset of panic. Obama’s machinery hummed steadily and coherently until the last vote was counted.

Here is a politician who ran on a theme of change—change in the way politics is conducted, and change in the way government works. No better way was there to demonstrate the seriousness of this purpose than to radically deviate from the proven ways of raising campaign funds.

Campaign funds in US elections are normally raised by so-called “political action committees” (PACs) that represent the myriad private interest groups seeking to shape electoral outcomes. They hire professional lobbyists who make a living working the levers of congressional and executive power on behalf of corporate America.

John McCain relied almost entirely on this existing infrastructure of traditional politics. In contrast, Obama raised money directly from the voters who believed in his vision, appealing for individual donations of less than $200, while refusing any help from big corporate interests and lobby groups.

In this manner, he not only managed to raise more money than McCain, he also freed himself from the many restrictions on campaign expenditures that were attached to the usual sources of electoral finance. This allowed Obama’s campaign to dominate the airwaves, and, in the final stretch, to buy an expensive block of 30 minutes of prime time on US television to sum up the nature of his crusade for change.

Obama has set a high bar for all politicians everywhere in the modern world. But if one looks closely at his spectacular success, there is really nothing in his two-year trek to the White House that is new or magical.

I suppose it is possible for anyone with the right education to acquire the famous Obama demeanor through long arduous practice. But, if it is not anchored in character, it will surely come out as phony during unguarded moments.

Obama was effective because nothing he did seemed put on or studied. He made no effort to feign experience, even as he was aware that the record of government service by which many sought to test him is perhaps the thinnest among those who have aspired for the US presidency.

Neither did he offer virtuous innocence or naiveté, but only vision, dynamism, and hope in an uncertain world. Instead of the fear and paranoia of a post-9/11 America that George W. Bush had so viciously exploited, Barack Obama hitched his campaign to the awesome energy of an awakened popular optimism.

This has always been America’s strength—ungrounded hope, the driving force behind its boundless pragmatism. There is no theory of society or a philosophy of history here. Underpinning Obama’s program is a consistent problem-solving orientation founded on pure hope.

But foolish or not, the optimism that Obama has injected into American politics has already laid the foundation for a transformed society. The energy it has unleashed not only in America but in the rest of the world provides the kind of game-changing impulse that we all sorely need in this complex crisis-ridden era.

Few leaders have earned as much goodwill in an election campaign as Obama has. He stuck to the issues even when it was more tempting to trace America’s problems to the personal shortcomings and greed of its leaders. He spoke without resentment even while alluding to the historic injustices committed against his country’s racial minorities.

A few black leaders derided him for not being black enough, but he held on to the promise of the nation’s founders of a single nation emerging from the diversity of its peoples, united in the dream of an equal society.

This is quite different from the secular modernity of European democracy. In America, we encounter a large residue of frontier-type spirituality that thrives in small gospel communities. Obama traces his faith to such intimate churches, where members find themselves, in his words, being “summoned” and “moved” by a “higher truth” to “embrace a common destiny” and to achieve what had seemed impossible.

This unique blending of spirituality and secular pragmatism is expressed in the writings of William James. If the American nation has a homegrown philosophy, this is what it is, and President-elect Barack Obama has abundantly tapped into it.

(Barangay OFW sought to re-publish this article by Prof. Randy David because of the transformative change that the President-elect of the USA represents. It is the kind of change that we must seek as OFWs and as Filipinos. )

'No' to Bilateral on OFW Pension Funds

by Elizer Peñaranda

South Korea

The author, Editor-in-Chief of Sulyapinoy Newsletter in South Korea, has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach Mr. Elizer Peñaranda at elizer_penaranda05@yahoo.com

SEOUL, South Korea--Various Filipino organizations are opposing the National Pension Scheme-Social Security System (NPS-SSS), a bilateral agreement on social security between South Korea and the Philippines.

An ongoing signature campaign widely recognized and supported by the majority of the 51,051 members in different Filipino communities here is paving the way for all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to band together in protest. With the help of the religious sector, information and encouragement on the issue are also disseminated to churchgoers.

Regardless of gender, religion and visa status, OFWs are currently calling for immediate revision of the agreement and its planned transfer of the NPS lump-sum refund to SSS. Workers are worried about the vested interests of some allegedly greedy public officials in the Philippines, whom they fear will use their money for anomalies, unscrupulous plans and personal interest.

OFWs, owners of the NPS Lump-sum Refund benefits, feel they have been inadequately consulted by the SSS and the Korean officials on this Bilateral Agreement.

Article III - Bill of Rights, Section 7 of the Philippine Constitution states that "The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions... shall be afforded the citizen…"

The procedure in the formulation of the Bilateral Agreement clearly violated our constitutional rights, resulting in the loss of workers’ small business opportunities upon return, unfair compulsory coverage in the NPS-SSS social security agreement, and the vulnerability of our refund to corruption at home.

All these have triggered the EPS workers, led by the Filipino EPS Workers Association (FEWA), to launch a massive campaign for social awareness and participation by all OFWs.

The Filipino Employment Permit System Workers Association (FEWA) and SULYAPINOY spearheaded the signature campaign, supported by the Hyehwadong Filipino Catholic Community (HFCC) led by its chaplain Fr. Alvin Parantar, MSP;

the Kasan Migrant Workers Community (KMWC); Changhyun Filipino Catholic Community; Human Rights Welfare Organization Filipino Community (HRWOFC); Ansan Filipino Catholic Community (AFCC); Philippine Migrant Workers Association in South Korea (PMWAK); Filipino communities in Busan and other parts of South Korea.

The SULYAPINOY website’s current online signature campaign has demonstrated the online participation of other workers, who cannot sign the petition letter in person. They number an unprecedented 1095 at this writing.

With support from Philippine radio program like DZME, the issue has reached the Philippine Senate through the office of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Our campaign program against the NPS-SSS social security agreement continues to empower all concerned workers with the necessary information. We strongly believe that justice should be served for the general welfare of all OFWs, to foster solidarity among Filipino communities and awareness on issues concerning Filipino migrant workers all over the Korean peninsula.

Our struggles are for our families in the Philippines who have been making great sacrifices due to our migration. They keep on praying while waiting for our return, hoping against hope that our end-of-contract refund-resources would be sufficient to rebuild the broken pieces of our lives under social injustice, poverty and unemployment in our own country.

Eugenia and Evelyn: Fellow OFWs

Eugenia Baja and Evelyn Milo were both Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

According to a Bulatlat news report, Eugenia Baja, 24, left the Philippines for Saudi Arabia on May 6, 2007. She went back home on June 12, 2008 in a cargo box. She was deployed by Aisis International Manpower, Inc. as a domestic helper although she had signed a contract as a patient server.

The cause of Eugenia’s death was uncertain. First, it was reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippine government that she had died of an illness. But later, the DFA claimed that she had committed suicide by hitting her head with bathroom tiles.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report headlined its story that the family of Evelyn Milo, 24, did not believe her alleged suicide in Abu Dhabi, UAE on August 9, 2008. Her remains were flown back to the Philippines on August 19, 2008.

Evelyn, a saleslady in Abu Dhabi, allegedly jumped off from a building to her death. But her family told reporters that her body bore marks of foul play. They pointed out that if she had really jumped off from a tall building, her body wouldn’t be intact any more.

Mrs. Thelma Milo, Evelyn’s mother, protested indignantly that Bright International Manpower, the agency which recruited Evelyn, added insult to injury by offering her three hundred pesos!

Senator Manny Villar heard and immediately heeded Mrs. Thelma Milo’s heart-rending appeal for help on QTV Channel 11 so that she could bury her daughter. By inference, one could conclude that the DFA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) had been sleeping on the job. It is a reputation both offices do not endeavor to change.

Evelyn will be buried today, Saturday, August 30, at the Makati South Cemetery.

As an OFW myself, my heart goes out to Eugenia and to Evelyn. As a mother, I feel Mrs. Thelma Milo’s grief, indignation, and unspeakable pain.

If we had known one another, what would I have told Eugenia and Evelyn? What could I tell other women out there in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, Japan, Italy, Singapore, Israel, Hong Kong, etc.?

What must I tell everyone back home in the Philippines?

The OFW dream is not for everyone. For some, the OFW dream is a nightmare which choke them in their sleep. A new day never dawns for them. They leave the Philippines dreaming of a good life, but they come back with battered bodies, broken spirit, and shattered dreams.

Stop being a victim!

Stop being a victim of recruitment agencies, government offices, and foreign employers. Stop working as domestic helpers or whatever euphemism it’s called.

Stay in the Philippines!

Better be a poor mouse in your own country than a slave or an object in a foreign land!

To All Filipinos Everywhere

by Dina Sembrano

Ang Kapatiran Party, Philippines

This article was originally published in the website of Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) on February 19, 2008 (Manila time). Mr. Eric Manalang, President of AKP, has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach Mr. Manalang at angkapatiranparty@yahoo.com

I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn't true. It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excuse do these rich, educated people have that could possibly explain their bizarre behavior?

And to think I was always so relieved when petty snatchers got caught and locked away in jail because I never fully realized that the big time thieves were out there, making the laws and running our country. Can it get any worse than this?

Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my TV to watch the latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. They are not men. They are caricatures of men - too unreal to be believable and too bad to be real. To see these "honorable" crooks lambast each other, call each one names, look each other in the eye and accuse the other of committing the very same crimes that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and appalling that I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainmentat its worst!

I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered and looking smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strut around with the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and awe from the very citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like "Honorable", "Senator", "Justice", "General", and worse, "President".

Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law, make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder why our policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders, and the leaders of this nation Robin Hoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their motto? "Rob the poor, moderate the greed of the rich."

It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and what kind of upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for all the world to see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to, what kind of teachers they had, what kind of environment would produce such creatures who can lie, cheat and steal from an already indebted country and from the impoverished people they had vowed to serve.

It makes me wonder what their children and grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding a whole new generation of improved Filipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad more style but equally negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!

I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a job that pays for my needs and those of my family's, even though 30% of my earnings go to the nation's coffers. Just like others in my lot, I have complained time and again because our government could not provide enough of the basic services that I expect and deserve. Rutty roads, poor educational system, poor social services, poor health services, poor everything.

But I have always thought that was what all third world countries were all about, and my complaints never amounted to anything more. And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidents pointing fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes. Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting on his boss only after his interminable term has ended, Enrile inquiring about someone's morality!

The already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more money than they or their great grandchildren could ever spend in a lifetime. Joker making a joke of his own "pag bad ka, lagot ka!" slogan. Defensor rendered defenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security men providing anything but a sense of security.

And it's all about money, money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imagine in his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent and hardworking citizens are leaving to go work in other countries? And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungry president whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship.

"Love (of power) is blind" takes a whole new meaning when PGMA time and again turns a blind eye on her husband's financial deals. And still blinded with all that is happening, she opts to traipse around the world with her cohorts in tow while her country is in shambles.

They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippines are no longer capable of showing disgust. I don't agree. Many like me feel anger at the brazenness of men and women (Ed.) we call our leaders, embarrassment to share the same nationality with them, frustration for our nation and helplessness at my own ineffectuality.

It is not that I won't make a stand. It is just that I am afraid my actions would only be futile. After all, these monsters are capable of anything. They can hurt me and my family. They already have, though I may not yet feel it. But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I need to let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to issues that would later affect me and my children.

I want to make it known that there are also Filipinos who dream of something better for the Philippines. I want them to know that my country is not filled with scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there are citizens left who believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak, a right to voice out ideas, a right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us that they have abused their power and that it is time for them to step down.

I refuse to let this country go to hell because it is the only country I call mine and it is my responsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it. Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs to battle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power of good.

We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. We can offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask others to pray, too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. And we can offer sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get the message to Him of our desperation in ridding our nation of these vermin.

After all, they cannot be more powerful than God! I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way you can. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of the material comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teach them that there are more important things in this world.

I beg all fathers to spend time with their children, to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair play, sharing, dignity and compassion "right from the sandbox" till they are old enough to go on their own.

Not just in your homes, but at work, in school, everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining examples for your children so they will learn to be responsible adults who will carry and pass on your family name with pride and honor.

I call on educators and teachers. We always underestimate the power of your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a love of their country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance in order to gain real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable men and women.

Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do what they can to lift this country from the mire our traditional politicians have sunk us into. The youth is our future and it would be largely because of you, our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the seats of power with good leaders, presidents, senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law enforcers and lawful citizens.

I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhere, to look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harsh realities you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because we need your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdom of your elders.

YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Do what you can for this land that gave you your ancestors and your heritage. Use technology and all available resources at hand to spread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because I promise you will not regret it when you become parents yourselves.

You will look back at your past misdeeds and pray that your children will do better than you did. Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running this country. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. We are tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will think of the greater good before anything else.

I voted for Atty. Martin Bautista and his team and I sure hope they will run again. Do your utmost to excel in your chosen field. Be good lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer techs, engineers, doctors, military men so that when you are called to serve in government, you will have credibility and a record that can speak for itself.

For love of this country, for the future of our children, for the many who have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us to perdition. We owe ourselves this. And we owe our country even more.

Alternative Insurance, Anyone?

by Freddie P. Base
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The heading I believe will be more interesting if I tell you the story of two employees working in the same department of an insurance company in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both suffered from medical conditions which required the support of their medical insurance coverage.

Danilo Pagdanganan
Company: The National Company for Cooperative Insurance
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Diagnosed with colon cancer
Medical Insurance coverage: SR100,000 per annum
Life Insurance Coverage: 36 months of basic salary
Died: August, 2004
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Danilo's medical surgery including radiotherapy and chemotherapy had exceeded the SR100,000 per annum limit. In a very rare circumstance, the employer approved the continuity of his chemotheraphy and radiotheraphy sessions beyond the medical insurance limit. Estimated additional expenses had reached more than SR30,000 when the patient died of cancer-related complications.

Danilo's remains were repatriated to the Philippines after 21 days. This was considered by many as faster than any known repatriation recorded in Saudi Arabia. The average number of days to repatriate a cadaver takes about three months to process. The procedure is indeed time- consuming owing to the many governmental procedures one has to follow in getting the required documents and approval.

Life Insurance Benefit

Danilo's surviving wife and three adult children each received US$16,320 being the equivalent of Danilo's 36 months salary as indicated in his life insurance coverage in case of death.

OWWA Insurance Benefit

Danilo's beneficiaries received from OWWA the maximum Php100,000 being his insurance coverage in case of death.

Freddie P. Base
This is me telling you my story.
Company: The National Company for Cooperative Insurance
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Diagnosed with Acute Myocardiac Infarction
Medical Insurance coverage: SR250,000 per annum
Life Insurance Coverage: 36 months of basic salary
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Early morning of December 10, 2006, I felt a pain in my left neck while applying body lotion after a morning shower. It was a cold day and I thought I would have a stiff neck (as usual during winter) the whole day.

Getting out of the bathroom and putting my clothes on in preparation to getting to work, my stiff neck became a stab-like pain in my back just opposite my heart. I thought it was a really cold day and so I asked my house mate to rub my back with vicks vaporub.

Suddenly, I started to sweat profusely and my hands became almost numb and too weak to hold anything. I realized that I wouldn’t be able to drive myself so I asked my house mate to call our neighbor to take me to the nearest hospital.

I had the feeling that I was having a heart attack, judging from my symptoms which I had read about from the Internet. I started coughing loudly (as recommended to a person having a heart attack) and managed to guide my driver-neighbor to the nearest hospital.

The emergency room was immediately filled with doctors and nurses in seconds. The attending doctor announced my condition: Acute Myocardiac Infarction. One nurse was yelling my blood pressure at 70 over 40 while another nurse yelled that my temperature was no more than 30 celsius. I heard the doctor instructing another nurse to administer morphine. The nurse’s face was contorted and she advised me to hang on. From her looks, I told myself I was dying.

With God's blessing, I survived the ordeal. I underwent angio-plasty surgery. The medical bill cost more than US$10,000, all paid for by my medical insurance. I was discharged from the hospital after 7 days with life-time prescription of medicine worth no less than Php500 daily. Without the medical insurance coverage, which OFW will survive spending at least the equivalent of Php15k per month?
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Both stories above tell you of one similarity: availment of medical insurance coverage in the country of work. While one succumbed to cancer, another lived to tell these stories. Both were recipients of a comprehensive medical insurance. I could have died without my medical insurance coverage. Both of us had the same life insurance policies. For the late Danilo, his beneficiaries were able to receive the much needed money in times of grief. With the payout, his beneficiaries have continued to live a normal life.

In contrast, there are many cases reported in the newspapers and media of OFWs who had died because they did not have the kind of insurance to cover the medical and hospital bills during confinement. Sad to say, these cases go on and on until today.

What must the OFW do? What must be done today? What is Alternative Insurance?

Group Insurance Policy

With an ordinary income, insurance premium if taken individually will cost too much for any OFW. Also, the benefits depend on how much premium is paid to the insurance company. Low premium means less benefit. More premiums paid mean more benefits.

If grouped together into a single policy, the premium cost decreases as the number of insured increases while retaining the same benefits for every member. This is called group insurance policy – a group of individuals duly insured in a single policy but having each insured receiving the same insurance benefit.

With this concept, the OFWs can group themselves together and apply for a group insurance policy. In the Philippines there are insurance companies which accept the concept of group insurance policy and insure a group of individuals with common benefits. If you cannot afford as OFW an individual insurance policy, try and get this group insurance with less premium yet with the same benefits if you were to pay for a single policy.

But why get another insurance policy? Is this not provided by the Overseas Worker Welfare Administration (OWWA)? What about Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth)?

The Real Score about OWWA and… Philhealth

The Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA) has never been an insurance company. It was a government agency formerly known as the Welfare and Training Fund for Overseas Workers created by law (presidential decree). Renamed as OWWA, it was expanded to provide for compulsory Medicare coverage which was later transferred to Philhealth, another agency created out of OWWA funds.

Originally envisioned by the government, OWWA imposes the US$25 contribution from the employer of every Filipino (the Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW) going out of the Philippines to work abroad. However, this amount has been shouldered by the OFWs because no foreign employer can be fooled to pay this mandatory fee to the Philippine government yearly or every contract renewal of the OFW.

The US$25 constitutes the fund which in the original omnibus policy shall be used exclusively for the benefit of the OFW. The fund has grown into hundreds of millions of pesos according to the latest claim by several NGOs notably Migrante International.

Sad to say, being a government agency, OWWA is subservient to the whims and caprices of the government bureaucracy. It is said that the OWWA fund can be diverted easily with mandate from the Office of the President as in the case of the creation of Philhealth.

One of the objectives of OWWA reads: To provide social and welfare services to OFWs, including insurance, social, work assistance, legal assistance, cultural services, and remittance services. Its quality policy says: OWWA measures its worth by total member-OFW satisfaction with timely interventions and quality standards set forth.

While insurance is one of OWWA's objectives, it has never been properly administered and the benefits have never been paid consistently by its management. There isn’t any OFW who can unconditionally claim being satisfied with the services provided by OWWA.

Let’s take the case of a very recent tragic incident.

Eugenia Baja’s death and much-delayed repatriation of remains were featured in the media and leading newspapers in June 2008. Reading this kind of news always breaks my heart -- not so much the sad story of the death of Baja but the delayed repatriation of her remains. Let's face it, death in whatever form – tragic or natural - is inevitable.

It is a pity the following should happen first before the remains of Baja could be transported back to the Philippines. As gathered from the news:

1. Lilibeth Baja-Garcia followed up the repatriation of her sister’s remains with the

Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs

for three months to no avail.

2. When Garcia felt that her pleas were being ignored, she brought along representatives

from the 700 Club, a news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

3. ...because of the presence of media, OWWA officials immediately promised to give them

P20,000 ($450.349 at an exchange rate of $1=P44.41) for burial expenses, and a

P100,000 ($2,251.745) life insurance policy... The OWWA also gave them a direct contact

number to a certain Ed Lamparas who is working in the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

In her own words, Garcia summarized it: “Nag-iiba sila kapag may kasama kang media. Samantalang dati pinabalik-balik pa nila ako."

And do we have to add political color in the midst of grief?

4. …through the help of Migrante International, an organization of OFWs and their families,

Lilibeth Baja-Garcia was able to ask Senate President Manny Villar for assistance. Villar

gave money for the plane tickets of Garcia and two other relatives going to Bohol for

Baja’s wake. Congressman Edgar Chato of Bohol promised to shoulder the funeral

expenses for Baja.

5. Gladys Garcia from the legal department of Senate President Manny Villar was able to

negotiate with the NAIA administration to allow the relatives to fetch the casket.

What’s the real score?

We cannot change OWWA - how it is managed the way we would like it to be managed. It is not an insurance company that can invest the premiums collected in order to sustain claims when due. Because it is not an insurance company, OWWA cannot issue an insurance policy. Thus, the payment of benefits can be subjected to discretion by any OWWA personnel. This has been proven many times and only corrected (if ever) when exposed to media scrutiny.

With alternative insurance, OFWs will be assured of a well-managed, competitive premium payment, on one hand, and the insurance benefits consistently and uniformly applied to all members unlike with OWWA.

Worldwide Insurance

What is worldwide insurance? How is this made possible? How can the ordinary OFW be assured that his alternative insurance will have a worldwide coverage?

In every insurance contract, a premium is paid for by the insured to cover a certain risk which is assumed by the insurer. The premium, as we know of, is way below the assumed risk. The best example here is the OWWA contribution of US$25 (premium) with a return maximum claim (assumed risk) of Php100,000 in the event of death by the insured OFW.

In the case of OWWA, the individual contribution of US$25 is deposited in any accredited bank inside the Philippine territory and is expected to grow into millions what with contributions pouring in from millions of OFWs every year.

With this system, the funds remain inside the Philippine territory and the assumed risk is totally absorbed by OWWA itself. In the event of a catastrophe, this system will not be able to sustain a very large loss of the OFW population.

So how do you make the US$25 get a worldwide coverage?

If managed by a private insurance company, part of the US$25 would be paid as re-insurance premium to an insurance broker with worldwide acceptance among the leading re-insurers outside the Philippines. This is called re-insurance contract.

The concept of re-insurance is to spread the risk so that in the event of a claim, every member of the re-insurance contract will have to share the burden of claims payment. In a very competitive insurance market, we can expect any local insurance company to provide the best and most efficient management of claims applied for by the beneficiaries.

In the US, every citizen is encouraged to buy medical insurance coverage. Most often than not, hospitals do not accept payment in cash but prefer medical insurance to cover patient's hospital bills. Cash is accepted to pay for hospital service that is not covered by the medical insurance. For added premium, repatriation of remains is included in the coverage.

In Saudi Arabia, the government has made it compulsory for all employers to provide free medical health insurance coverage to all employees effective 2005. This compulsory medical insurance covers Saudis and Non-Saudis; thus, making this country the leader in terms of providing free medical insurance to its workforce in the Middle East. Lucky employees are provided an additional free life insurance coverage by large companies.

If such worldwide insurance coverage is possible in countries like Saudi Arabia, it is also possible to have this kind of insurance coverage in the Philippines.

What is Alternative Insurance with worldwide coverage?

An alternative insurance coverage is another insurance premium paid for by the OFW to secure insurance coverage both for himself/herself and family. The benefit is worldwide and covers OFW repatriation (dead or alive). It will include the medical health benefits of the family in the Philippines during the tenure of the OFW working overseas. After the long sojourn, the OFW may opt to continue the coverage while re-integrating himself/herself and may have the option to terminate the insurance coverage at any point in time.

Before working overseas, an OFW should buy this special kind of insurance so that in the event of death or when incapacitated, it is the insurance company that will work toward the fulfillment of the claim applied for by the OFW or the beneficiary.

In the Philippines, there is an actuarial study (feasibility study) being conducted by one of the biggest insurance companies providing this kind of alternative insurance cover for OFWs. The study is considering payment of affordable premium similar to the payment of US$25 while the benefits triple or quadruple the benefits you get from OWWA.

If this alternative insurance cover is realized, OWWA's term will have to end and instead a more responsive and competitive insurance scheme will take place. OFWs will embrace the alternative insurance. NGOs will request the government to discontinue the existence of OWWA.

With the alternative insurance, OFWs wherever they may be deployed, will have the comforting thought that come what may, during their tenure in their country of work, their loved ones left in the Philippines will be supported financially.

Unlike with Eugenia Baja's remains that had to wait for political and financial patronage in order to be repatriated, beneficiaries of a worldwide insurance coverage only need to submit the required documentation by the insurance company located in the Philippines and wait for the OFW’s remains to be delivered at the beneficiary's doorstep.

And unlike with OWWA, the beneficiaries need not beg. They need not wait for three months or more. They need not go to the Department of Foreign Affairs for assistance. They need not employ tactics like contacting media to get the attention of the government authorities.


Copyright © 2008 to Barangay OFW. All rights reserved.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

This article, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" by Teresita Cruz-del Rosario was originally published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on July 17, 2008 (Manila time). Dr. del Rosario has given Barangay OFW her kind permission to re-publish this article. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. You may reach her at tdelrosario@nus.edu.sg

From nanny-cum-cook-cum-laundry-woman in an Asian city, Maria promptly plunged into work in an export garments factory eight years after her return home. Wages were better, work conditions allowed her one-day-a-week off, and there was handsome overtime pay. Her life as migrant worker was irretrievably over.

Then one day she fell mysteriously ill. What started as a suspicion that she inhaled too much cotton dust from cutting fabric ended with a much deeper malaise, diagnosed six months after a cough that wouldn’t go away. She had contracted the HIV/AIDs virus.

She was promptly thrown out of her home that she helped build and sustain through eight years of monthly remittances. Her husband remarried and her children put her in a government hospital that has since become her home. Along with other patients, like her usually migrant returnees, she is hidden from view, a secret scourge that society has wished away into non-existence.

Maria’s mini-narrative mirrors the vulnerabilities that somehow disappear in the reckoning of advantages to both labor-sending and labor-receiving countries. Remittances and strong labor demand remain at the top of a list of economic justifications for why governments would adopt, however unofficially, the export of labor as government policy.

Yet it is also a central feature of the global labor market that the majority of foreign workers are young able-bodied women, hardly equipped with the socio-cultural-psychological resources to navigate the complexities of the global marketplace. Like Maria, many of them fall through the global cracks. Those who suffer from extreme misfortune plunge into a deep dark hole, unable to redeem themselves.

Some countries have stepped up to the plate, however. Sri Lanka, for one, has negotiated bilateral agreements with a Jordanian insurance company to provide cover for all Sri Lankan domestic workers. The costs borne by Jordanian employers are reflected in model contracts that embody all contractual obligations between employer and employee. Similar arrangements are currently being worked out with the Kuwaiti government.

Recently Thailand entered into bilateral agreements with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to manage the logistical arrangements involving 50,000 to 100,000 guest workers. This move aims to curb illegal migration through registration, and provide better monitoring and surveillance of cross-border migration. Such agreements are however silent on migrant labor’s rights or social protection measures available to them.

Singapore’s open admission that its continuing viability as a city-state hinges on constant labor importation translates into a series of policy and programmatic interventions to entice foreign workers to join the Singaporean workforce at all levels. Training for skills upgrading is an option to domestic helpers who can acquire a diploma as a nursing aide.

At the high-end of the labor market, Singapore allows professionals to apply for permanent resident status within three months, a recognition of their worth to the Singaporean economy, and a policy move to retain professional labor.

Most labor-sending countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines require pre-departure training for migrants, provide protection shelters for migrant workers in designated countries, and have institutionalized an overseas welfare fund to provide insurance benefits to workers and their families in case of death, repatriation, partial and total disablement. Membership in these funds is mandatory; hence migrant workers are automatically covered even before they have left for their work destinations.

Maria’s predicament, however, remains unresolved. Current social insurance schemes miss out on various other contingencies that afflict migrant workers the world over. The majority of complaints center on issues of non-payment of salaries, breach of contract, onerous conditions of work and cultural adjustment problems.

Workers arrive in these countries stranded, left to their devices when agencies in the receiving countries fail to show up at the designated pick-up points. Others are officially employed to work in single homes yet are asked to double-up at a family-owned restaurant or clean up a mother-in-law’s house. The worst cases forcibly end up in their master’s bed for sexual favors and much like Maria, their brutal predicaments are known only much later.

For those fortunate ones whose migration experience was all-around trouble-free, their return home is a tale of sudden insecurity. They have provided for everyone but themselves, accumulated no savings, despite long careers overseas. A long line of children, nephews and nieces would have grown up and been educated on remittance money, the family home refurbished, the land title fully secured and paid for, the sari-sari (convenience) store abundantly stocked with monthly shipments of goodies.

But the migrant worker returns home with only a suitcase of clothes and perhaps a television set purchased at the duty free shop in Dubai. Relatives teeming at the airport await a final dole-out of leftover cash. The migrant worker’s first day at home is a wash-out.

To date, there is no pension or forced savings scheme for migrants. For while countries with aging populations worry about the availability and longevity of social security funds and depend on migrant caregivers, there is little thought given to migrant workers’ desires to retire from overseas work someday. Yes, Virginia, migrants become old too.

Perhaps these additional social costs should be factored in when charting supply and demand curves in the global labor market equation. More pointedly, time has come to put more balls in migration governance.

Key OFW Issues and Proposed Reforms

by Mark Serrano

Dubai

As if living in strange lands -- far away from home and their loved ones -- is not hard enough, OFWs have to deal with the challenges imposed upon them by their own government and people.

OFW horror stories emanate from POEA, OWWA, Immigration and Customs at the airport, and the recruitment agencies back home. The supposed "heroes" are actually "martyrs" in their homeland, subject to the opportunism and ill treatment from their fellow Filipinos.

Barangay OFW has come together to bring to the forefront these key issues. It has also taken the pro-active stance to propose reforms in a holistic manner.

In one document, Barangay OFW would like to share the collective experiences, thoughts, desires and bright ideas of OFWs from all corners of the globe with the Philippine government, the Filipino nation and the rest of the world.

This is a tiny step toward, “Reforming the Present, Creating the Future.”

Indifference has been the ally of oppression; conviction its antidote. Fellow OFWs past, present, and future, if we all make a stand and take a tiny step forward today, we shall soon claim the magnificent destiny we all deserve. Mabuhay!

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Copyright © 2008 to Barangay OFW. All rights reserved.