Kapihan Middle East

Where Buffalos Roam

2008-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

Where Buffalos Roam

The following was written by a friend in cyberspace. I am taking this opportunity to share it with all of you.

THE RANGE WHERE THE BUFFALOS ROAM
by: Glo Abaeo Tuazon

O give me a home, where the buffalos roam.....where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.

I was very sick most of the day, but we have something planned and I so much wanted to see it. A friend told me of a place up the mountains of Samoki, Bontoc, where some incurable ailments were sometimes healed. Not that I'd go there for the purpose but it got me all curious, besides I heard the place was really pretty too. With legs like logs and my head bursting to infinity I followed and trudged uphill.

Taking the route of the Bontoc-Banaue road running parallel the river we took a sudden hitch and left the paved road. From here the ricefields of "Faniash" can be seen. Green in all expanse, broken only by the white, grays and browns of the river traversing next to it. I looked away and started a painful but uncomplaining climb. The pine trees here are huge, some are mother trees I say. Curling up their limbs or stretched all the way to Heaven, like creatures communing with the Great Being. Looking at them made the hike a little bit better, draining away my pains and soothing my thoughts. We came to a place where a previous bonfire took place and was told we need to burn something for the forest dwellers, like a safe passage to the mountains.

And then we came to a small hut. Strewn inside were relics of tobacco leaves hanged on small poles staked to the ground. Bottles of empty and half empty gins were around too and the ashes of old fires. This I learned is one of those places, "wawalikan" or "wawalitan". "Walit" or "walik" to mean the ritual, to invoke and call upon the spirits for the ease of those who are sick, and leave sacrifices that they might delight in. Modern days would see people going to hospitals and resorting to medicinal drugs for cures, but even those sometimes could not heal a man.

In the pagan belief of sacrificing to the spirits, or to ancestors gone ahead, people here sometimes resort to doing this traditional practice, hoping against all hope for a reprieve. I once saw a similar ritual in another place, and i can feel the hair on the nape of my neck rising. I know it would not be far from what they do in these places. In an area ahead called Pula, we smoked the trees again. It reminded me of the American Indian practice of doing the smoke signals.

As we trudged ahead I could sense the life in this place; in the silence of everything, you could almost hear the whispers of the leaves as we passed by. The pine needles cushioning our feet on the forest floor added to the echoing silence, yet nevertheless the chirping of birds were so pronounced that the sounds seem to stretch to eternity. The swishing of the winds through the gaps among the trees annihilated most of my bad moods and pains when we first started. The beauty of the place is unlike the other places I’ve been into. This place is raw beauty; raw and comforting in a different way.

The last few yards to the destination saw the rain catch up on us. I decided I’d love the rain on me this day and like kids catching the rain on a summer day, we welcomed the soaking embrace of cold, cold streams draining the fatigue of the weary souls. The clearing soon appeared, to my surprise. It was a wide span of ground, naked and bald except for the carpet of grass. On the left side was a shallow lake, something like a marshland, a little bit wider than the clearing. Its banks lined with old and ferocious pines and some willows, the branches dipping their fingertips on the waters. My eyes were all aglow with glee, like a kid left on a prairie and running wild among the dandelions. The city left me hungry for places like these. And I took it all in, wallowed in it like an animal caged too long and tasting the first licks of freedom. Every mountain has a certain effect on me, different in every place. Here was freedom and solitude and healing. You can shout your heart out for all the pains you have and the world would care for once. This is "Posong".

In the wonder of it all, I wished for this place (and similar places like these) to stay the way it is; with the herds of cows and buffalos roaming the place wild and free. The untamed rural beauty, something you would give a day (or forever) to stick in the mind, a reminder that God does have a way of making us realize the simplest of everything is much more precious than the complexities of modern services. Given the warmth of the campfire and the smell of smoked meat on the fireside was enough to sate me today, downed with a dose of cold spring water. I don’t mind the dirt and grime, my toothy grin is enough to compliment my aesthetics today. In this place, I found another home in my heart.

Are OFs the Modern Rip Van Winkles

2008-09-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

It is true the Overseas Filipinos while a potent force has remained asleep. It reminds me of the story of Rip Van Winkle.

I am sure some of you still remember the story of this adventurous fellow who left his family in the midst of a storm promising his daughter that he will come back with plenty of wonderful stories. But as it happened Rip Van Winkle slept for twenty years, as a punishment for accepting a gold coin from the Spirit that was guarding the gold chest of the Hudson pirates. When he finally woke up and went back home, he found that so much has happened; his wife was already dead, and her daughter already a grown up lady. His country has a new name and a new president – George Washington.

What our teachers did not tell us, maybe because we will not understand the implications anyway, was that during the twenty years Rip Van Winkle was asleep his country was undergoing a tremendous change, a revolution. Yes, Rip Van Winkle slept through the social revolution that transformed his country, the United States of America, to what it is now.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once pointed out that: “One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of the status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. But today our survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenges of change.”

Are we, overseas Filipinos, the Rip Van Winkles of our time or are we the modern day heroes we are fondly called, by our presidents of the past and present?

Most of us have left our families ten to twenty years ago, some maybe more, in search of better opportunities. When we go back home what will be our answers to our grown up sons and daughters when they ask, “Dad, what have you been doing all those twenty years that you were away?”

Like Rip Van Winkle I know we will delight our children with stories of the happy and sad experiences we had in the country were we worked; of the loneliness of being away from them especially during the first couple of years. I am sure we will proudly tell them that our remittances contributed to keeping the economy of our country from going down the drain.

Our children will probably say, “That’s true, we heard those stories over and over in the radio, tv, and even read them in the papers.”

I believe it will make a difference if, unlike Rip Van Winkle, we are able to tell them that through all those years that we were away, we kept track of what are happening back home; that we stayed vigilant, and initiated direction actions whenever the need arise; that we took active role in the founding of an OFW led political party that has been responsible for introducing reforms in government; the Party that was responsible for gradually bringing down the level of greed in government offices until it was totally eradicated; the Party that was responsible for introducing more benefits to the working class including their very own parents. If we are able tell them of those accomplishments, our children will surely be proud of us. Not only did we provide them with food, clothing, shelter, and education; we also provided them a better Philippines to live in.

So how do we move on towards making those dreams a reality?

Stay awake, remain vigilant, learn from new ideas, and take courage to face the challenges of change. But that will be subject of another date.

Please End our 21 Years of Waiting

2008-08-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

The following is an open letter of a friend from Riyadh to Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. We are giving space to this letter in the hope that one of our readers might be able to help. Thank you.

Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace, Manila

Dear President Arroyo,

For the last 21 years I and my wife have been waging a lonely battle for the delivery of the title to a piece of land we bought back in 1985.

The first ten years of that battle was fought in the halls of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) where three decisions, all in our favor, were rendered by the Honorable Board of said agency.

The other eleven years were spent at the Legal Department under the Office of the President, where the case was appealed by the owners and developers of the subdivision from whom we bought our land. During that period, under three presidents, three more decisions were rendered; again all in our favor. In the absence of an appeal to higher court, the last decision rendered by the Legal Department became final.

Last February, my attorney filed a petition for writ of execution with the local HLURB office in Baguio City. Eager to take possession of the title to our property after 21 years, the first thing I did when I went home for my annual vacation last March was to follow up the status of our petition. I was told by the Baguio office of HLURB that they are still waiting for the records of the case to be forwarded to them by the main office in Quezon City .

Having known from experience how slow things move if no one follows up personally, I went to HLURB Quezon City to ask when the records will be sent to Baguio. The staff at the Appeals Division informed me that they do not have the records of the case. In fact they do not know its present status and where the records are. I have to tell them that it is with the Legal Department in Malacanang. I was then asked to request the Legal Department to forward the records of our case to HLURB so that our petition can be acted on.

I went to Malacanang the following day, April 2, 2008, and as instructed requested the office of the Honorable Manuel Gaite to forward the records of our case, OP Case 98-F-8397, to the Appeals Division of HLURB.

When I returned here in Riyadh after my vacation, I made it a point to call either Richard or Olga of the Legal Department to inquire if the records were already forwarded to HLURB. Unfortunately, though, up to now after almost five months the records are still with Malacanang. I was told last week that the task was reassigned to another lawyer because the previous lawyer handling the task resigned. Only God knows what reason will be given to me the next time I call Malacanang; and only God knows how long will I and my family still wait.

Your Excellency, kindly knock at the doors of your staff at the Legal Department so that they may wake up from their deep slumber, and end our waiting.

Most sincerely,

OWWA's Undeclared Priority

2008-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last September the Filipino cyber community was flooded with letters of appeal addressed to various government agencies back home, particularly OWWA, seeking assitance for and in behalf of Roberto Panganiban, an OFW in Dubai who was sent home after being diagnosed of cancer.

After four months of waiting and follow up none of the government agencies concerned lift a finger to find out what help can be given to Roberto, one of those 'modern day' heroes.

Last December Roberto wrote Malacanang and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas telling them that he can no longer stand nor move his legs. I thought that was a last effort on his part to touch the heart of those who have the power to ask the PCSO, PGH, and yes OWWA to come to the rescue of Roberto. But nobody moved. Last Thursday, February 7, Roberto joined his Master.

The case of Roberto is a classic example why OFWs have always complained about OWWA. To many OWWA is just good at collecting fees. In the vernacular, maraming nagsasabi na ginagatasan lang ng OWWA ang mga OFW. And the government cannot blame those people for such comments, because the fact is helping the OFWs is not OWWA's priority. Otherwise OWWA should be spending more than the 3% of fund balance that it currently spends on services. Administrartor Marianito Roque was quoted once as saying that the main goal of OWWA at present is to achieve the TEN BILLION PESOS reserve which is estimated to be the amount needed to repatriate almost all the OFWs in the Middle East in case of civil disturbance in the region. Kaya seguro hindi nila matulungan si Roberto even if his is a case of life and death. Reading what the OWWA administrator said, I asked myself: why are we being tasked to build up our own repatriation fund? Is it not enough that we contribute to the nation's economy? And where is the repartriation fund that Congress is supposed to budget for every year as mandated by the Migrant Workers Act?

When we questioned why OWWA funds were used to repatriate the OFWs stranded in Lebanon during a meeting with CFO Chair Dante Ang two weeks ago, the good chairman of CFO said "mga Filipino pa rin naman ang mga yon, kaya kahit hindi sila member ng OWWA bayaan na natin." Oo nga naman, bakit natin ipagkakait ang tulong sa kapwa Filipino. But here is a case of a bonafide member of OWWA asking for help. The member is dying yet OWWA said NO, that case of Permanent Disability is not covered by the member's "insurance poliicy". On one hand OWWA makes use of the members money to help non-members; on the other OWWA refuses to help a legitimate dying member. Where is justice in this case?

A couple of days ago, I was informed by Miss Jennifer Gonzales, executive director of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, that OWWA is now willing to pay the family of Roberto some One Hundred Twenty Thousand Pesos in insurance benefits.

I would have jumped with joy. But then I thought of the days when Roberto was agonizing in pain. And I asked myself, why only now?

To this date, the government is still to fulfill one of two wishes Roberto had asked. That is, for the POEA to investigate the work invironment of the Maritime Industrial Services, Roberto's employer in Dubai, to determine if it was the cause of cancer that killed Roberto, so that the lives of other Filipinos still working in that company may be spared.

This time we pray, POEA and OWWA will act without hesitation.

My OFW Daughters and the Rising Peso

2008-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Today I am sharing with you the post of former Congressman and SBMA administrator Felicito C. Payumo in the Inquirer as it is very much related to my earlier post.

MANILA, Philippines- -MY THREE OFW daughters came home, briefly, for the wedding of their brother. Over breakfast, I asked Ani, who works in New York City doing structured finance for a financial guarantee company, if she thought that the United States is deliberately keeping the value of the dollar low. She said she didn't think so--not as matter of policy. "Because of the recession or its anticipation, the Fed is being
pressured to reduce interest rate to perk up the capital market. But as the interest rate is slashed, funds tend to leave the United States to seek higher interest rates elsewhere. As a consequence, the dollar falls, but it's not as if the United States has designed to keep it low."

"But isn't the recession caused by the deluge of manufactured goods from third world countries?" I countered. "China now swamps the US market with food, apparel, toys, electronics and hi-tech gadgets. This takes away jobs from Americans, so the United States now wants the dollar kept weaker vs. other currencies so that manufactured goods from other countries will be more expensive, that is, less competitive. So, it is
by design," I pontificated to end the argument.

"But if that is so, how come the Euro remains strong even though Chinese products are all over the stores in Europe," my other daughter, Ela, joined in. She works with a retail company in London, so she should know. I could only reply, "Maybe the Euro is getting strong because the dollar is getting weak."

All the while, my third daughter, Aileen, was listening but remained clueless in the discussion. She had dabbled in the theatre earlier but now works for a hip-hop magazine in Manhattan. All these were strange to her. "Ah, basta. What I know is my dollars now get me fewer pesos to buy gifts for my former yaya," Aileen, ended the argument...and the tutorial lessons.

I asked myself "if my daughter who has no dependents immediately felt the effect of the rising peso, what about the dependents of the rest of the 8.2 million overseas Filipino workers?" That's 10 percent of all Filipinos, and assuming they each have five dependents, they would number 41 million or nearly 50 percent of our total population. And the profile isn't pretty. Household and related workers category topped the list at 28 percent of land-based new hires. This was followed by construction workers (14 percent), and factory workers (14 percent). The rest are in the service industry with professional, medical and technical workers in the minority. An estimate of OFW money flows puts $11.2 billion (80 percent of total official remittance) for living expenses, medical and educational expenses, house construction and improvements, and consumables. The majority are unable to set aside for savings or investments. And this was before March 2004 when $1 exchanged for P56.36. Since then the peso has strengthened so that the OFWs and exporters have lost 26.5 percent of their income. Today, the value of the dollar is about P41. That means for every $100 they receive, OFW dependents now get P1,500 less.

But what about the cost of living? When I checked, the general price level had increased by 43.1 percent from March 2004 to October 2007, with year 2000 as a base. The sharpest increases were noted in fuel, light, water and services (79 percent), pushed obviously by the increase in crude oil price. Food and beverage prices which account for half of the consumer basket rose by 37 percent.

What do these all mean? It means that our OFWs and their dependents, which account for half of our population, are being hit by a double whammy of decreasing incomes and rising prices.

No wonder, everyone throws his two cents' worth on how to alleviate their plight--from having a fixed exchange rate for OFW remittances (in effect a subsidy, but who would bear the cost?), or a forward cover (which very few OFWs avail of), to prepaying and refraining from taking dollar loans and switching to borrowing in pesos, to suspending
collection of the EVAT for fuel, as suggested by Sen. Mar Roxas (which makes the most sense) as EVAT is directly borne by the end-consumers, that is, the masses.

The response from the government is, unfortunately, a tepid one—a one-percent reduction of the tariff on fuel imports by oil companies at certain trigger prices. Not only does it come too little, too late—it is misdirected. It is the oil companies who will benefit from the tariff reduction, as a militant labor group observed, so much so that President Macapagal-Arroyo will have to tell them to pass on the savings to the consumers. The Department of Finance opposes the suspension of the EVAT because that would mean P54 billion in foregone revenues. It fears that the budget deficit will increase and this may trigger increase in prices. But what can be worse as inflationary trigger than a direct tax such as the EVAT on rising oil prices borne directly by the masses? As to the concern on foregone revenues, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has lost that much amount already in defending the dollar!

Meanwhile, we can only cry with our OFWs. Yet we hail them as our heroes. But then, praise is cheap.

A Christmas Petition

2008-01-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

The year 2007 saw the continuous decline of the US dollar against major currencies, including the Philippines peso. With the decline, the income of Overseas Filipinos (OFs) in the Middle East also depreciated in value. But the dollar’s decline against the peso was just one side of a double-bladed attack. At the jobsites, the cost of living – basic commodities, services, and apartment rent – also went up. The OFs in the Middle East were caught between two mountains, each trying to squeeze whatever is left out of their blood.

Back home, prices of basic commodities and services also continued to rise despite the government’s claim of a strong Philippine economy. This added more pressure on the OFs, who are trying to maintain the same amount of dollar remittance despite the increase in their own expenses, and their families back home who, with less peso remittance income received, also are trying to cope with the ever increasing cost of living.

Alarmed by this worsening situation, two appeals were sent by the OF community to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in August 2007. Both appeals urged the government to find ways and means to mitigate the impact of the dollar’s continuous decline on the income of Overseas Filipinos. No less than Vice President Noli de Castro himself accompanied the petitioners to the Office of the President. But after the photo sessions and a little media coverage, no result has yet come out of those petitions.

During the Christmas and New Year season, a group of over a thousand overseas Filipinos from the Gulf States greeted President Gloria Arroyo with yet another appeal, following up on the petition sent in August. The petitioners are aware that their appeal might again fall on deaf ears. Yet they also believe that the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must be kept aware that the OFs in the Middle East are still waiting for their actions.

The Christmas-New Year Petition was led by the Economic Sector leaders of the Riyadh OFW Consultative Assembly. Members of the group and community leaders who played vital roles in the launch of the petition were Pete Vicuna of Saudi Telecom, Ed Estrada of National Food Industries, Julius Cordova of Dallah Hospital, Gil Mamaril of Faisaliah Group, Janice T. Banga of Hammadi Hospital, Jackie Mendoza of Oleya Medical Center, Willy Morden of Royal Saudi Naval Force, Joel Macaburas and Rodel Cansanay of Sabic, Florante Supapo of Mirnah Company, Rose Cansanay of Riyadh Military Hospital, Jubie Paner of King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital, Jilbert Mejia of Rezayat, Earl Mateo of Picpa Riyadh and Tasnee, , Alan Caseres, Noel Lansangan, Marco Ibanez, and George Bocobo all of Saudi Telecom Company, Ernesto Santos of GHD Group in Qatar, Vic Candilanza of UAE, and Freda Contreras of Kuwait.

The petitioners hope that this document will not end up in some dark corner in Malacanang, or in the CD copies that were distributed to media and overseas Filipino organizations. They hope that this petition will spark the launch of a national discourse on other fundamental issues that affect the welfare of overseas Filipinos and their families, and for the overseas Filipinos themselves to engage in intense dialogue to find the will and leadership to mobilize their organizations and resources and participate actively in the much needed reshaping of the economic and political landscape back home.

Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President, Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace, Metro Manila
Philippines

Thru: Honorable Ma. Lourdes P. Varona
Correspondent Secretary

Dear President Arroyo,

Last August, when the value of the US dollar dropped from P55 to P45, we sent you a petition seeking intervention of government in the alarming appreciation of the peso, and requested that the peso-dollar exchange rate be pegged at P50 to $1.

While so many suggestions on ways to control the peso’s hurting appreciation were floated by finance experts from both government and private sectors, the government failed to implement any that will help ease the our problem.

Meanwhile, during the five months that passed the dollar continued to decline and is now trading at almost P40 to $1. And there seem to be no end in sight to this down trend yet.

Therefore, we the undersigned overseas Filipinos in the Middle East are again appealing to you to please do what is needed to bring back the exchange rate to P50 to $1. Make this your gift to us, your heroes, this New Year.

Happy New Year, Madame President.

(Please see attached list of signatories)

MPI Study on OWWA

2007-12-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago the Washington-based Migrant Policy Institute (MPI) released a study on OWWA. Titled "Protecting Overseas Workers: Lessons and Cautions from the Philippines " the paper was written by MPI's Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, together with Neil G. Ruiz of the Brookings Institute.

Following are my reactions:

1. It is surprising to note that as of May 2007, OWWA reported having just over a million members. Those numbers almost just equal the number of Overseas Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.

2. Spending only 3 percent of the Fund balance for services to members and their beneficiaries is a disservice. Direct services to members and their beneficiaries must be given first priority; achieving Fund stability must only come second.

3. The OFW OWWA members must not be tasked to raise the Ten Billion Pesos ($200 million) needed to repatriate OFWs in the Middle East in case of civil disturbance. What must be done is for the government to increase the amount of annual Emergency Repatriation Fund appropriation required under RA 8042, which is currently set at 100 million pesos per year. Portion of the Foreign Exchange savings realized by government from OFW remittances must be set aside for this purpose.

4. The 10 billion pesos set aside for use in case of mass repatriation must instead be used to start up an OFW Cooperative Savings and Insurance System that will provide savings, remittance, pension and insurance services to the member-owners. An OFW Healthcare system, which should address the healthcare needs of retired OFWs including the construction of an OFW hospital, should also be considered. If these types of services are provided, it may not even be hard to ask the member-OFWs to increase their annual contributions.

5. OWWA’s role under RA 8042 is to manage the contingency fund needed for large-scale repatriation. RA 8042 provided for the sources of that fund, and OWWA members’ contribution is not one of them. OWWA, as the lead agency during the repatriation of Filipinos from Lebanon in July last year, should not have used 169 million of OWWA fund. The 169 million should have come from the Emergency Repatriation Fund, which is being given an appropriation of 100 million pesos every year.

6. Administrator Marianito Roque was quoted as saying that the repatriation program, which aims to “facilitate the immediate repatriation of distressed and physically ill contract workers, as well as the remains of those who die while working abroad” as the backbone of the agency. This is great, but is not what we see in Saudi Arabia. In many cases, it is the Filipino community who takes care of their fellow distressed OFWs and raises the money for their tickets. There were even cases where POLO and OWWA officers refused to entertain distressed OFWs saying their safe house is already full. Most recent of these cases is that of Catherine Sarabia in Riyadh.

7. The 75 million disbursements on loans to members must not be classified as expenses as those are to be repaid by the borrowers at a later date.

8. I agree that OWWA must consult extensively with different stakeholders, especially the OFWs on key migrant related issues. This is one area where OWWA has miserably failed, both at home and onsite.

Some music and magic

2007-10-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Watch Riyadh's finest show band: The hitwave band

Measures Needed to Mitigate the Dollar's Decline

2007-08-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President, Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace, Metro Manila
Philippines

Dear Madam President:

We are writing to you today to raise our concern over the continued appreciation of the peso to a level which is now hurting each and every one of us Overseas Filipinos and our families.

The following realities will help you appreciate the predicament we are in:

Ø While our salaries during the last few years remained the same, our cost of living here in the Kingdom, like anywhere else, have increased. This means less income available for remittance to our families back home;

Ø The situation became worse when the peso appreciated from 55 to 45 versus US dollar during the last ten months. The continued peso appreciation effectively reduced the value of our remittances by an average of 18%;

Ø On the other hand the rising prices of commodities back home, which ironically should have decreased due to the strengthening of the peso, aggravated further the already worsening situation;

Ø We estimate that with the 18% reduction in the value of our remittances plus, say a 10% increase in household expenses of families back home, an OFW who used to remit $300 monthly, will now have to send $405 to maintain his family’s current living standard. To be able to do this, he will have to work longer hours and/or tighten his belt.

Ø For those of us who have planned to go back home for good within the next couple of years, will now have to reconsider our plans, and might have to extend our stay here in the Kingdom for a few more years.

We believe that a strong peso will help improve our country’s balance of payments, and allow the government to service the country’s debts at a lower cost. However, we also believe that the gains the government will earn from its debt servicing agreements must not be at the expense of those providing those benefits. It must not be at the expense of us Overseas Filipinos and our families.

We therefore respectfully request your good Office to look into ways and means to mitigate the negative impact of the continuing dollar decline on our remittances. Please ask the appropriate officials in your cabinet to study how the following alternatives may be implemented:

Ø Special exchange rate for OFW remittances;
Ø Peg the Peso – Dollar exchange rate at P50 to $1;
Ø Creation of an OFW Stabilization Fund, like the one proposed for the export sector;
Ø Provision of incentives or rewards based on the amount of OFW remittance, in order to encourage OFWs to continue remitting the same amount to their families.

We believe that with enough political will, your good Offices will be able to find a solution to this problem which is most equitable to all affected parties.

Thank you for your time, and may God bless you and your family.

A One Woman Campaign to Bring Home Cortez

2007-07-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Almost a month since we wrote President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo requesting that the blood money rejected by the family of the Pakistani victim of Reynaldo Cortez be given to the wife and children of executed OFW instead, all we got was a “for information” note from Assistant Secretary Lourdes Varona, head of the President’s Correspondence Office.

Attached to the letter of Secretary Varona was a letter to Undersecretary Esteban Conejos of the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs, endorsing for appropriate action our appeal. Up to this date we have not heard a word from Undersecretary Conejos. He is either too busy or found it useless to spend his precious time paying attention to a letter coming from an ordinary Filipino overseas worker.

As we wait any response from our government officials, one lady has launched a campaign to bring back the remains of Cortez. She has written to heads of offices and embassies, including Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Ignacio Bunye, urging the government to do everything in its power and influence to make the Saudi government agree to the repatriation.

Norma B. Hennessy, author of the book Philippine Heritage in Australia, believes that we should “not abandon our culture, lest we sign off our right over the earth we stand on. Our culture in our grief and loss continue to define us as a people and such values dignify our self-worth as a collective cultural global community.”

She argues that to uphold our culture is “to keep alive that which is priceless in us - our being Filipinos; people who are compassionate, humane and highly tolerant of other cultures.” She stresses that it is this same culture which asks of us to pray over our dead and bury them home.

Norma found support from a Netherlands-based Filipino humanitarian, Peter Payoyo. Peter says that “humanity also extends to the deceased, and the culture embodied in the dead; and yet somehow everyday we witness tragic scenes of humanity's desecration by people who indulge in the illusion that their culture, or their nation, or their religion, is above the rest of humanity.”

I agree with Norma that however wasted his life was, Reynaldo was no less a Filipino. It is in due respect to the right of the culture he belonged, that his remains must be returned.

I have urged Norma to take her campaign to the attention of the international community. I advised her to post his appeal in the Petition Online where advocates like me can signify their support.

Alone, Norma’s voice may not be heard by those concerned; yet with the voices of you and me, of Filipinos and well meaning individuals around the world added, perhaps Norma’s wish could be granted. Let us join Norma in her quest, and pray that for once a miracle happens.

Dapat bang Ibasura ang Omnibus Policies ng OWWA

2007-06-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

With the revival of discussions on OWWA issues in the various Overseas Filipino discussion boards, I am reproducing here an article I wrote three years ago. Please read on.

Dapat bang Ibasura ang Omnibus Policies ng OWWA

Nitong mga nakaraang araw ay natunghayan natin sa mga pangunahing pahayagan ang mga pagbatikos ng mga OFW sa pahayag ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) na ang kompanyang pinapasukan ang siyang nagbabayad ng kontribusyon ng OFW sa OWWA. Ang pahayag ang siyang ginawang depensa ng pangasiwaan ng OWWA laban sa kasong isinampa ng Philippine Migrant Rights Watch (PMRW) para sa pagpapawalang bisa sa Omnibus Policies na ipinasa ng OWWA noong Septiembre 19, 2003 sa pamamagitan ng Board Resolution No. 038.

Ano nga ba ang nilalaman ng Omnibus Policies ng OWWA, at bakit ibig itong ibasura ng mga OFW?

Sa kabuuan, ang Omnibus Policies ay siyang tumatayang panuntunan sa pagpapalaganap ng programa, serbisyo, at benepisyo para sa mga OFW na kasapi ng OWWA.. Dito rin isinasaad kung paano pangangasiwaan at palalaguin ang pondong nalikom mula sa mga kontibusyon ng mga kasapi.

Ayon sa PMRW, sa kabuuan ay walang bisa ang Omnibus Policies dahil walang naganap na malawakang pagdinig tungkol dito, at hindi rin ito nailathala sa mga pahayagan bago ipinatupad.

Ayon sa Letter of Instruction (LOI) 537, ang batas na lumikha sa OWWA, ang US$ 25 kontribusyon ay dapat singilin sa employer ng OFW. Sa bagong Omnibus Policies, hindi na isinasaad kung kanino manggagaling ang naturang kontribusyon. Sa pananaw ng mga OFW na sumusubaybay sa isyung ito, ang ibig mangyari ng mga nangangasiwa ng OWWA ay gawing lehitimo ang nagiging kalakaran na sa OFW mismo sinisingil ang US$ 25 na kontribusyon, na ayon sa PMRW ay “isang uri ng illegal exaction of fees”.

Kung nais ng mga nangangasiwa ng OWWA na baguhin ang paraan ng pagbabayad ng kontribusyon, ito ay dapat idaan sa Kongreso at gawin sa pamamagitan ng pagsusog sa LOI 537, at thindi sa pamamagitan ng isang board resolution lamang.

Isinasaad din sa Omnibus Policies na magiging epektibo ang pagiging kasapi ng isang OFW mula sa araw ng pagbabayad nito ng kontribusyon hanggang sa pagtatapos ng kanyang kontrata (Sec. 3, Art. 4). Kailangang irenew ang pagiging kasapi, sa pamamagitang ng pagbabayad ng kaukulang kontribusyon, kapag nakakuha ng bagong kontrata o kaya’y binigyan ng contract renewal ng kasalukuyang employer (Sec. 4, Art. 4).

Sinisingil ng OWWA ang bawat OFW ng kontribusyong US$ 25 tuwing makalawang taon. Ito marahil ay sa kadahilanang kadalasan ang isang employment contract ay para sa dalawang taon lamang. Pagkaraan ng dalawang taon, maaring irenew ng employer ang naturang kontrata, at maari din namang humanap ng ibang kontrata ang OFW.

Hindi malinaw sa Omnibus Policies ang ibig sabihin ng “expiration of the employment contract”. Dahil maaring materminate ang serbisyo ng isang OFW kahit hindi pa natatapos ang dalawang taon, marami ang natatanong kung sa mga ganitong kaso, maituturing bang expired na rin ang membership ng OFW, na ang ibig sabihin ay hindi na siya entitled sa alin mang benepisyo na isinasaad sa Omnibus Policies? Ayon sa PMRW, dahil sa bagong Policies, “mahigit sa 1,700 claims na may kabuuang halaga ng Php 16M ang sinuspinde ng OWWA”. Ang mga nasabing claims ay para sa burial at death benefits, ayon pa rin sa PMRW.

Kung tutuusin, hindi naman kabigatan ang kontribusyong US$ 25 tuwing ikalawang taon, kung ihahambing sa mga benepispo na nakalaan para sa mga kasapi.

Ayon sa Omnibus Policies ang isang kasapi ay covered ng life insurance kung saan ang kanyang pamilya ay tatanggap ng Php 100,000 kung sakali’t siya’y mamatay habang nagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa, o Php 200,000 kung ang sanhi ng pagkamatay ay aksidente. Dagdag pa dito ang disability at burial benefits. Ang mga naturang benepisyo ay kukunin sa Insurance Benefit Program Fund. Ito ang pondo kung saan sa bawat kontribusyon na S$ 25, naglalaan ang OWWA ng Php 165.00.

Nagbibigay din ang OWWA ng loan guarantee sa mga kasaping ibig kumuha ng Pre-Deaprture Loan (PDL) o ng Family Assistance Loan (FAL), na hindi hihigit sa Php 40,000, sa alin mang government financial institution. Para sa programang ito, bumuo ang OWWA ng loan guarantee revolving fund na nagkakahalaga ng Php 100 M.

May mga education and training benefits ding ibinibigay ang OWWA, kung saan taon taon ay naglalaan ito ng Php 6M para sa skills for employment program, at Php 10M naman para sa seafarer’s upgrading program. Taon taon ding pumipili ng 100 scholars ang OWWA kung saan ang bawat scholar ay binibigyan ng Php 10,000 para sa matrikula at Php 20,000 naman para sa allowance bawat semester.

Sa ilalim ng Social and Family Welfare Services ay may repatriation and reintegration programs naman ang OWWA. Hindi isinasaad sa Omnibus Policies kung magkano at saan manggagaling ang pondo para sa mga programang ito. Ang repatriation program ay tugon sa sinasaad ng RA 8042, o ng Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, kung saan isinasaad na ang OFW ay bibigyan ng nararapat na tulong upang mapabilis ang pagbalik nito sa Pilipinas. Ngunit ang programang ito ang isa sa laging binabatikos ng mga OFWs dahil na rin sa kabagalan ng pagtugon ng OWWA sa oras ng pangangailangan.

Ngunit bakit sa mistulang napakagandang mga benepisyo na inihahain ng OWWA para sa mga kasapi ay marami pa rin ang tumululigsa at tumututol sa patuloy na pagpapatupad nito ng Omnibus Policies?

Ang isa sa mga isinusulong ng mga OFW ay ang pagkakaroon nila ng mas maraming representasyon sa Board of Trustees. Sa kasalukuyan, pito (7) sa labingdalawang (12) director ng Board ay galing sa ahensiya ng pamahalaan; isa sa management sector; isa sa labor sector, isa sa sea-based OFWs; isa sa land-based OFWs; at isa sa women sector. Hindi malinaw sa Omnibus Policies kung bakit kinakailangan ang represntative mula sa management sector. Hindi rin isinaad ang pagkakaiba ng labor sector representative sa sea and land based OFW representatives. Sa pananaw ng mga OFWs, kung ang OWWA ay talagang para sa kanila, nararapat lang na maging mas marami ang kanilang representasyon sa naturang lupon.

Malaki rin ang puna ng mga OFWs sa kawalan ng malawakang pagdinig sa mga programang binalangkas ng OWWA bago ipatupad ang mga ito. Kapunapuna, halimbawa, na ang mga kasalukuyang benepisyo na nakasaad sa Omnibus Policies ay tumutugon lamang sa ilang pangangailangan ng OFW habang siya ay nasa ibayong dapat at may pinagkakakitaan pa. Ngunit walang naisaad na benepisyo para sa panahon na ang OFW ay nakabalik na sa Pilipinas, retirado, at wala ng pinagkakakitaan. Ilan sa pangangailangang nais ng mga OFW na tugunan ng OWWA ay ang libreng hospitalization kapag ang isang OFW ay retirado na, pension plan, at savings program. May mga nagsasabing mas nakabuti sana kung ang inilabas na pera sa Smokey Mountain project ay inilaan na lang para sa pagpapatayo at pagpapatakbo ng isang hospital para sa mga OFW.

Sa gitna ng mga puna at pagbatikos sa paraan ng pamamahala ng OWWA board, dapat nga kayang ibasura na nito ang Omnibus Policies?

An Appeal for Cortez and Other OFWs in Death Row

2007-06-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Her Excellency
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Office of the President
Malacanang, Manila
Philippines

Dear President Arroyo,

In relation to the execution of Reynaldo Cortez, may we ask your good office to act on the following?

1. Please approve the payment of the SR 100,000 blood money, which was rejected by the relatives of the Pakistani victim, to the wife and six children left behind by Cortez; Let us give the family of Cortez more than just sympathy; Let us take care of his children’s future.

2. Please create a fact finding body that will look into the reasons why the DFA in general and the Post in particular, were not able to save Cortez and after execution not able to bring home his remains. The fact finding body should verify if the following options were tried when the family of the victim rejected the SR 100,000 offered blood money:

a. Did the negotiators tried to offer a higher amount?
b. Did the negotiators tried to seek the help of the Pakistani Ambassador in Riyadh and Manila?
c. Did the concerned government agency (cies) do everything possible to save Cortez?
d. Was the Post in Riyadh aware that Cortez was to be executed on the day and hour he was executed?

3. Kindly provide us information on the status of the Office of the Legal Assistant for Migrants Workers Affairs, and the Legal Assistance Fund which were created per provisions of sections 24 to 26 of R.A. 8042; Is it existing? How many cases was it able to assist to date? What is the status of the Fund?

4. Please conduct a study for the setting up of an OFW Blood Money Fund, which could be sourced from the government’s savings on debt servicing; from portion of annual interest income on investments of OWWA; from portion of the President’s Intelligence Fund?

I am sure that you are aware that there are plenty more among OFWs who are facing possible death sentences. And for as long as there are Filipinos leaving to work in a foreign land, we will continue to encounter these kinds of problems. The government should therefore work to have a mechanism in place to address those situations.

I pray that you will look into these suggestions with favor. God bless you, your cabinet members, and your family.

Thank you.

More than Just Sympathy

2007-06-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

What, a man raping another man? This is something folks back home will be surprised to hear. Yes it’s weird, but it’s true; some men do rape other men in some parts of the world

Dito sa Saudi Arabia, kapag wala kang bigote ang tingin sa iyo ng mga Arabo ay para kang isang babae. Ngayon kung medyo mistisohin ka pa, maganda ang katawan, matabok ang puwit, at laging bagong paligo at mabango, asahan mong pagtritripan ka nila dahil sa kanilang paningin isa kang sexy star.

Si Ed ay cashier noong araw sa Al Kharj branch ng aming company. Tuwing umaga trabaho niya ang ideposito ang collections of the previous day sa down town. Dahil may kalayuan din ang aming office sa downtown kung saan naroroon ang mga banko, kinakailangan niyang bumiyahe sakay ng taxi. Isang umaga, Yemeni ang driver ng nasakyan niyang taxi pabalik sa opisina. Dahil seguro guwapo at malinis sa katawan si Ed, pinagtripan daw siya ng driver. Hindi naman siya ginalaw. Inilabas lang naman nong driver ang ari niya at nilarolaro habang nagdradrive. Takot na takot si Ed ng dumating sa opisina. Sabi namin na pasalamat siya at hindi siya dinala sa disyerto. May mga storya kasi na sa disyerto daw kadalasan dinadala ng mga rapist ang kanilang biktima. At doon na nila iiwan pagkatapos abusuhin. Mula noon hindi na bumibiyahe si Ed ng mag-isa.

Reynaldo Cortez, a welder in one of the car care shops at Sinaya in Riyadh, was not as lucky. When a Pakistani driver tried to molest him sometime in 2003, he fought back, and in the process of defending himself stabbed to death his would be rapist.

For the offense, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. On appeal, the sentence was reduced to 10 years in October 2004. However in 2005, the High Court in Riyadh that gave the final verdict sentenced him to death. After that, the only way Cortez could be saved was through the grant of forgiveness from the family of his victim.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said they did their best to save Cortez. They said they negotiated with the family of the Pakistani driver and offered SR 100,000 blood money so that Cortez may be forgiven. They said they even hired the services of a Pakistani professional negotiator. But all those effort failed. All that the family of the victim wanted was to see the execution go through.

Last Wednesday, as we continue to celebrate our Independence Day as well as the Migrants’ Month, we were greeted with the sad news that the death sentence of Reynaldo Cortez was finally executed. In minutes, the world joined the Filipinos in the Kingdom in mourning. Another comrade has fallen.

Back in the Philippines, the sadness among the bereaved family and relatives of Cortez was aggravated by the news that the fallen hero’s body cannot be brought home, because it has to be buried before sunset on the day of the execution. The immediate burial was in accordance with traditions of Islam, which Cortez embraced during his stay in the Kingdom.

For not being able to bring Cortez’ body home, the Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia said in a phone patch interview that, “we can only sympathize with the family of Cortez.”
Had the family of the Pakistani driver accepted the SR 100,000 blood money offered by the DFA, Cortez would still be alive and free today. He would have flown back home to be with his family, and never to leave them anymore.

But the offer was rejected, and Cortez had to die. Instead of just paying the usual lip service and saying, “we sympathize with the family,” I think it will be more appropriate and better appreciated if DFA gives the SR 100,000, which was rejected by the family of the Pakistani driver, to the wife and six children that Reynaldo Cortez, our fallen hero, left behind.

I call on the various Overseas Filipino organizations in the Kingdom, and around the world, to officially ask the President to approve the release of funds required. After all, the amount is just a small fraction of what was spent for Dematera.

I think there is also a need to revisit the provisions of sections 24 to 26 of R.A. 8042, with the objective of assessing the effectiveness so far of the Legal Assistant for Migrants Workers Affairs' Office as well as the status of the Legal Assistance Fund.

There is also a need to set up a Fund for blood money, so that the Post and the community need not beg around whenever the need arises. A certain percentage of the government’s savings from debt servicing, brought about by our dollar remittances, should be allocated for this purpose.

Reynaldo Cortez will not be the last to need help. In Saudi Arabia alone there are already three waiting in the death row. The time for government to act is now. ###

Belittling the Overseas Filipinos

2007-06-09T13:25:00.001-07:00

During the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed the strengthening of the peso against the dollar. Whether this strengthening is real or artificial does not matter. The fact is that the pesos’ strengthening has adversely affected the Overseas Filipinos and their families.

In school we were taught that a strong peso means higher purchasing power. In layman’s term it simply means that with a strong peso we should be able to buy more goods and services. If that statement is true, the decrease in the dollar’s exchange rate should therefore not worry the families of Overseas Filipinos in the Philippines since the decrease will be cancelled out by an equivalent decrease in the prices of goods and services.

However the laws of economics do not seem to apply in the Philippines. While the government has continuously announced that the economy is improving, this is not being felt at all by the consumer sector. In fact, instead of prices going down, prices of prime commodities continue to rise. The failure of the ‘strong peso’ to provide better purchasing power has caused a double edged problem to the Overseas Filipinos and their families.

To maintain the present peso equivalent of their dollar remittances, Overseas Filipinos have to tighten their belts to be able to remit more dollars to their families back home. In the Philippines, the families of Overseas Filipinos also have to tighten their belts to make the best of what they received from family members abroad.

But to Secretary Neri, Overseas Filipinos should even be thankful because they are not being taxed anyway, obviously referring to the aborted plan to tax the Overseas Filipinos’ income. To him it is more important for government to provide a peso-dollar protection for the Filipino exporters because their peso earnings are getting smaller, unlike the overseas Filipinos whose remittances are, according to him, getting higher due to better quality jobs they land into. Neri sees the diminishing income of the export sector, but his eyes are closed to the Overseas Filipinos’ dilemma. He thinks that the remittances are getting higher because Overseas Filipinos get higher pay for better jobs, but fails to see that Overseas Filipinos have to send more dollars to maintain the peso equivalent of what families back home are receiving.

I wonder what could be the reason why it is too easy for cabinet members like Neri to belittle us Overseas Filipinos. They are aware that there are millions of us spread all over the globe; they know that if we want we can bring down the economy, and make the government officials fall to their knees; they know that if we cut our remittances by half for three consecutive months we can bring back the exchange rate to 56 pesos to the dollar or even higher and make the members of the Makati Business Club cry; they know that at any point in time we can make or break a sitting President. Yet why are they so brave to give us so little importance, if any?

My history teacher in high school once told us that there is power in numbers. I believe him because I have seen it worked in several occasions, most recent of which are the two impeachment cases filed against GMA. Those two cases did not prosper because the opposition in the lower house did not have the number of votes needed.

How about us Overseas Filipinos, do we have the strength in number that would make Malacanang tremble? The latest estimate places the number of Overseas Filipinos to about eight million. If on the average there are three voting members in each Overseas Filipino family, the eight million will easily translate to twenty four million votes - enough to send a presidential candidate to Malacanang. Do we have the number? The answer of course is yes. Yes we have the number, but we do not have the strength!

I know it is sad to admit that while we Overseas Filipinos have all the power in our hands, we have not been able to use it. The reason is because up to now, we are still so disorganized; we are just like broomsticks scattered on the floor – sometimes stepped on, sometimes kicked to the corners, sometimes picked up and broken into pieces. And for as long as we remain scattered, the high and mighty, the Neris and his kind, will continue to step on us, kick us to the corners, or even break us into pieces. I can only hope and pray, that one day one of those kicks will be strong enough to awaken the sleeping giant in us. ###

Sarah Jane and the Roamers of Jeddah

2007-05-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Now that the election fever is over, we probably should go back to where we left off. I remember that five days before the May 14 election, Sarah Dematera arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on board Saudia flight SV-868 from Riyadh. Accompanying her in that flight back home was Ambassador Antonio Villamor himself.

It was surprising, though, that Sarah’s return was given very little media coverage. Even in the discussion boards hardly anything was said of her arrival in the Philippines. But one thing is sure; Sarah is now enjoying the fresh air of Antipolo, where she and her family reside.

Out here in the desert, I keep asking myself who could have funded Sarah’s release? We know that the amount of five hundred thousand Saudi riyals (SR 500,000) initially paid to the family of Sarah’s victim was raised by secretary Rafael Seguis through donations from concerned individuals and entities. But the source of the remaining one million five hundred thousand Saudi riyals (SR 1,500,000) which Ambassador Villamor personally delivered to the court in Dammam has not been revealed.

Perhaps the DFA should tell us where that amount, which is equivalent to around 19.5 million pesos, came from. Did it come from the DFA budget, from the Office of the President, from OWWA, or just from one Good Samaritan? I think the overseas Filipino community has the right to know so that when the same case happens again next time, we, as well as our embassy officials will know where to source the fund needed. We may no longer have to pass the hat.

Speaking of fund solicitation, may we also know from our embassy officials in Riyadh how much donation was collected from the community for and in behalf of Sarah, and how the donations were utilized?

As I write this piece, a hundred or so overseas Filipinos who have left their employers for various reasons roam the streets of Jeddah and Riyadh. They rely only on help from friends for their food and temporary shelter. They keep on moving from one safe house to another to avoid being noticed by people in the neighborhood. And every hour of the day, they risk being caught by the authorities.

When I was still the chair for political affairs of Alyansa in Jeddah, we have on several occasions brought to the attention of our consulate officials the need to construct (or rent) a multi purpose building which could serve as training center as well as home for the stranded male overseas Filipinos. But our request was never given attention. We thought then that perhaps budget is a constraint.

I find it, therefore, to be ironic for the government not being able to spend a couple of millions for hundreds of stranded overseas Filipinos, yet so quick to release 20 million pesos to save the life of one.

I want to suggest that if DFA cannot budget for this requirement, perhaps OWWA should. After all, a training center is very well within its reintegration program.

Not Just a Martial Arts Association

2007-05-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

When we talk of martial arts, the name of such famed actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li would always come to mind. I for one enjoy watching a Jackie Chan movie because he always adds humor to his acrobatic and gymnastic stances. But ask a real martial arts student or professional, and they will readily say that those unified movements are but the result of cinematic techniques.

Last Friday, I had for the first time the chance to watch a martial arts exhibition participated by young kids as well as fellow overseas Filipinos. While the adult participants demonstrated real talent, it was the performance of the young would be ninjas that gained more applause from the audience. That was an afternoon of real fun and laughter.

The occasion was the 9th founding anniversary of the Black Python Martial Arts Association. Led by its able founder/grandmaster, Sabiniano ‘Boy’ Macion, the BPM has through the years continued to provide self defense training to school children of all nationalities, as well as to fellow overseas Filipinos in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ayon kay Ibrahim Banacia, secretary general ng BPM, layunin din ng samahan na pag-ibayuhin ang kakayanan at pagtitiwala sa sarili ng bawat kasapi, at ang pagpapahalaga sa sarili at kapwa.

But the services that BPM provides are not limited to its members. During the last nine years, it has been an active partner of the embassy in many of the latter’s endeavors. Its president, Faisal ‘Dino’ Mercurio, is an active member of the OFW Congress executive council.

BPM was an active participant in the 2003 and 2006 OAV registration campaign. They also helped in the OAV information dissemination, and provided security and information services during the OAV voting period.

BPM is also an active partner of the OFW Congress’ program for distress overseas Filipinos, and every now and then solicits donations for the benefit of women distress workers confined at the Bahay Kalinga. Its members are trained on how to give advice to fellow Filipinos who come around to refer to them their problems with their employers; what to do, where to go, and to whom to seek assistance.

Indeed the Black Python is more than just a martial arts association. It has evolved itself to become one of the most trusted partners of the Filipino community in Riyadh. The recognition of the important role the BPM has played was manifested by the presence of officers from OFW Congress and other community organizations during last Friday’s affair. Missing in action, though, are the representatives of the Philippine embassy and its attached agencies (Ano ba naman kayo!).

Once again, to the officers and members of the Black Python Martial Arts Association, happy founding anniversary.

Dugo Ko Alay Ko

2007-05-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

During the Iraq-Iran war, Saudi Arabia required all those renewing or applying for a driver’s license to donate blood to the Ministry of Health. The blood collected was sent to Iraq where these are used in the operation of Iraqi soldiers who got hurt in the field. Years later, whenever the Ministry of Health needs blood to augment the inventory of its blood banks, it pays the donors a good amount of money.

Starting today, the Ministry of Health will be receiving a steady supply of blood for free. It does not even have to ask for it because the donors are giving it voluntarily.

Dugo Ko Alay Ko, a blood donation project spearheaded by the Philippine embassy and the Philippine overseas labor office in cooperation with the Filipino community in Riyadh and the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, was officially launched at the Philippine embassy compound this morning.

The project, which is said to be the first of its kind, is the Filipinos’ way of expressing their thanks and appreciation to the people and government of Saudi Arabia, who for more than two decades have provide home and source of income to the growing number of overseas Filipinos. Indeed what could be a better way to express gratitude than to let ones blood mix and run with those of his friends?

A big round of applause should be given to the organizing committee that managed the project from conceptualization through its eventual implementation. The launching alone this morning speaks a lot. Banners and streamers decorate the chancery both inside and outside; colorful posters are stuck on bulletin boards, some even cleanly pasted on rear windows of some cars; shirts and caps bearing the project’s logo are worn by volunteers; and almost everybody were given buttons to pin to their shirts.

What the recently concluded overseas absentee voting lack in campaign materials, the Dugo Ko Alay Ko project had so much in abundance.

The embassy gates were even left wide open through out the day, as if telling passers by to come in and join the celebration. An early celebration of success it looked like indeed. The chancery was filled with people that it was even a bit hard for the lady volunteers distributing free bottled water to squeeze into the crowd. That size of a crowd was never seen during the voting period.

The blood letting will run through out the year. The first group of donors this morning came from members of Alpha Phi Omega. Because pre-screening of would be donors is required, those who registered as donors, and passed the requirements, will be scheduled during the succeeding weekends. Where a group of donors is located in one area, the mobile blood bank facility may even go onsite instead of requiring the donors to go to the embassy.

The launching was capped by a light noon snack hosted by no less than His Excellency Ambassador Antonio Villamor and Labor Attaché Rustico dela Fuente. The food provided by a catering company was good, and added more color to this all new experience of A Life Giving Lives.

The Rally from Behind

2007-05-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

Filipinos love it when they see their favorite basketball team rally from behind and win the championship trophy. They cheer to high heavens when they see their boxing idol stand from a fall; attack the opponent with a series of left and right hooks, until the trend of the game is reversed and their idol wins by another TKO. This exciting part of an event is known among sports aficionados as the last two-minute rally. We witness this not only in sports but also in our daily routine; we see this among the nursing graduates of the Cordilleras who ignore the burning heat of the sun or cold evening breeze as they tirelessly stand at the kilometer-long queue waiting for their turn to submit their application papers for the June board exams; we see this among students and among government officials; and, yes, we also see this among fellow overseas Filipinos.

About seven weeks prior to her scheduled execution on May 27, 2007, the story of Sarah Jane Dematera hit the various overseas Filipino e-groups. Calls for her release were drummed up by various overseas Filipino organizations in Canada, the US, Middle East and even those back home. Some groups sought for donations for the needed blood-money; some called the attention of senators and congressmen; some urged the President to release the funds needed to secure the release; and some even called on the First Gentleman, a known supporter of OFW cause, to pitch in.

Towards the end of last week, barely two weeks after the overseas Filipino communities made noise, we were greeted with the good news that Sarah Dematera was finally released from jail. That was a pleasant surprise.

But the release of Sarah, surprising as it may, came only after she spent fifteen of her younger years in a prison cell in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. All through those 15 years, very little was heard of her case, if any. Perhaps one of the few organizations that diligently followed up the case of Sarah was Amnesty International. Its documentation of Sarah’s case provided the Filipino community with vital information. It was also Amnesty International that gave Sarah supply of books, reading of which was one way that kept her busy.

Through all those years the Department of Foreign Affairs has also undertaken several missions to secure Sarah’s freedom. One person who worked very closely with the case was Undersecretary Rafael Seguis. Yet the finality of those missions came only a few weeks before Sarah’s scheduled execution. So what contributed to the big push from behind which ended with the Philippine mission not only winning Sarah’s freedom, but winning it much earlier than expected?

In Saudi Arabia, if one is found guilty of killing another person, he/she may only be released after serving his/her prison term and after the immediate family members of his/her victim have forgiven him/her. Those two conditions must be met before an accused could be released.

But forgiveness does not usually come without a price. In the case of Sarah it was given at a cost of 2.0 million Saudi riyals, or about 25.3 million pesos. Sarah will not live to earn that amount; and it will take months, if not years, to raise the amount through donations from overseas Filipinos. The only way to raise the money quickly was through the sponsorship of no less than the Philippine government.

The full amount of the ‘blood money’ was received by the court on April 25, 2007, from no less than Philippine ambassador Antonio Villamor himself. Four days later the court ordered the case closed.

Under normal circumstances it would take at least another month to complete all required administrative procedures before Sarah could be released from jail. But Ambassador Villamor took an extra step and went personally to the governor of the Eastern Province, Prince Muhammad Bin Adulaziz Al Saud, to ask that Sarah be released to the custody of the Philippine embassy while the administrative procedures are being completed. Where other diplomats would have just sent a note verbal, Ambassador Villamor did it with a personal touch; and the good Prince just can not refuse.

Sarah is now staying at the embassy while waiting for her flight back to the Philippines. For sure she will have plenty of stories to share when she is finally home.

The crowds cheered when their team was losing concentration during the last two minutes of play. When their point guard finally led the team on a rally from behind and won the game, the crowds were no longer there for the toast.

It’s Just Another Day

2007-04-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

The second week of the ongoing Overseas Absentee Voting ended this evening. While there was a slight increase in the number of voters who cast their votes this week compared to last at the embassy here in Riyadh, still it is much lower than we expected. But the sight of three company buses transporting voters to the embassy was a good sign, and we hope the remaining two weeks will really see us more company buses bringing in more voters.

Ask anybody, especially government officials, what they think is the reason why the turn out of voters have been very low, the most common answers you will get are that: many overseas Filipinos think that since this election is not a presidential election it is not so important; many think that it is useless to cast their votes because these will not be counted anyway; and many say ‘nakakatamad naman kasing pumunta sa embassy’.

At one point I did believe that may be those are the valid reasons. But this afternoon, I realized that those earlier statements may not be the reasons at all..

In relation to our Go Out and Vote campaign here in Riyadh, we designed a campaign ad that centered on why we should cast our votes. The message was conveyed by the following lines that were printed on the poster/flyer:

Ipaabot ang nagkakaisang tinig
Gamitin ang karapatang marinig
Ang Boto mo, pahalagahan mo.

We had the poster designed by a young OFW for free, but the printing of the four color poster cost us SR 2.50 each for the A4 size, and SR 50 for the A3 size. Thursday night we have the number of posters we needed ready.

This morning we started placing those posters in areas around Riyadh where many Filipinos usually hang out especially during weekends. In one supermarket the Filipino cashier commented: “Nag umpisa na pala ang botohan?” In one restaurant one employee asked, “Taga Comelec po kayo?”; while a jolly barker in the fastfood center said, “huwag kayong mag-alala kabayan, akong bahala dyan”, referring to the poster that we stuck on a suggestion box.

When I heard the supermarket cashier said, “nag-umpisa na pala ang botohan,” I asked myself how many Filipinos like him are not aware that the overseas absentee voting period has already started two weeks ago; maybe a hundred, or maybe a couple of thousands? Could this not be the main reason why there is a low turn out of voters?

What really made me smile was the question from the waiter at the Thai restaurant. When asked, “taga Comelec po kayo?” we simply said we are not from Comelec, but are from various OFW organizations. But he’s got a point. Bakit nga ba kami ang nagdidikit ng mga OAV posters na yon at hindi ang mga taga Political section ng embahada?

Commissioner Tuason proudly announced during the OAV Forum at Intramuros last March that the OAV cost per voter this year compared to that of 2004 is very very much lower. That of course was great for the budget department. But given the experience of 2004, the Comelec could have spent some amount on information materials like posters and flyers. If posters were sent to the Posts a month before the start of the voting period, and the Posts are able to distribute these to the major companies and community organizations, as well as display some in areas where Filipinos usually hang out - like what we did today, chances are the turn out could be better than what we witness now.

But if Comelec cannot even send postal voting materials and voters ID on time, can we expect them to be able to think of those little, yet very important, things?

It bleeds my heart when I think of how little the government cares about us who are sacrificing to be away from home just to keep the Philippines survive. Perhaps when the bleeding stops, time will have been ripe.

But for now, today is just another day.

Taxing the Modern Day Heroes

2007-04-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

We have been reading from various reports, both of local and foreign agencies, that it is the OFWs who are keeping the economy of the Philippines afloat for the last two decades. For this alone, the presidents of post Edsa 1 should thank the late President Marcos and Secretary Blas Ople.

The reports speak of billions, not just millions, of dollars brought into the country by this segment of Philippine society year after year. And each year that amount continues to increase. Compare this amount with the total annual foreign investments that the government is able to generate, and we will all agree that the foreign investment is just a drop in the pool.

But look at the tax holiday and exemption privileges that are granted to those foreign investors, and compare the same to the privileges granted to us OFWs. While the foreign investors send their income to their home countries, our remittances stay in the Philippines, where it continues to fuel our economy in motion.

Now tell me, should we not be afforded better tax privileges than those foreign investors?

What is funny actually is as WE continue to bring more dollars into the country and help strengthen the peso, OUR real income also continue to erode. From 56 to 48 that is eight pesos lost for every dollar we earn - all for the sake of the Philippine economy! That of course may not be considered taxation. Sacrifice is a better term.

Sacrifice it is indeed. My wife always tell me, " ang laki na ang nawawala sa income natin; baba ng baba ang dollar, hindi naman bumababa ang presyo ng bilihin". I am sure those words of complain are familiar to many of us here. And what is our routine reply? "Wala tayong magagawa ganyan talaga, sakripisyo na lang total ikagaganda naman ng bansa natin yan".

But if the economy has really improved, why don't we feel it? Why have prices of prime commodities, transport and basic services not gone down? Why are there more families suffering from starvation?

While WE feel the pains brought about by the economy we helped to strengthened, the elite businessmen in Makati, as well as the foreign investors, are enjoying the fruits of OUR labor. Sila pa lang ang nakikinabang from the gains the economy WE helped propel has brought about.

It is really frustrating, if not unfortunate, that from the many things that could be done to show a token of appreciation to US who have contributed in keeping the Philippine economy afloat, all the present Administration could think about is how to extract more taxes from US.

If this is the kind of agenda that the Administration has in their platter, then the more I'll say NO to Team Unity; NO to Taxes!

Go Out and Vote

2007-04-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Two days from now, registered overseas Filipino absentee voters will start to cast their votes for the twelve senatorial positions being contested by about thirty candidates. In addition, they are also to vote for one party list candidate of their choice.

In Hongkong, pre-election activities included a mock poll of senatorial candidates where the Genuine Opposition team proved to be the candidates of choice. In the US, the OFs were kept busy pushing the Comelec to approve the certificate of candidacy of Ted Aquino, while here in Riyadh members of the OFW Congress opted to launch a “Go Out and Vote” campaign.

Saudi Arabia is home to about a million overseas Filipinos. It is sad to note however that of that huge number, only a little over 100,000 are registered absentee voters. That figure may even go down considering the possibility that some of those who registered for the 2004 elections may have left the Kingdom already. It is therefore the objective of the Go Out and Vote campaign to ensure that majority of the registered absentee voters are able to cast their votes during the one month voting period which starts on April 14.

Aside from the registered absentee voters, the Go Out and Vote campaign also encourages all overseas Filipinos to advise members of their families, relatives, and friends back home to go out and vote during the May 14 election. The OFW Congress leadership believes that real OFW power still rest back home – among OFW family members and relatives. It is therefore important that this power block be tapped to ensure that the ones elected are only those who have shown real support and commitment to the cause of overseas Filipinos.

During the launch of the campaign two weeks ago, the profiles of the senatorial candidates were presented to the attending Congress members. Printed copies of those profiles will be distributed to community leaders and/or company representatives for further distribution to OFWs in their respective organizations/companies. Included also in the campaign materials are the list of genuine party lists groups, as well as those deemed as fake and are just fronts of a few interested individuals out to bastardize the party list system and screw the party list representation in the House.

The campaign materials also include pro-forma text messages which the OFW is encourage to send to members of his family and friends.

Ano pa ang hinihintay mo? Sabihan na si tatay, si inay, at si bunso: “Lumabas, Makialam, at Bomoto sa Mayo 14 – ang boto ninyo, ay boto naming mga OFW”.

Battle for the Housekeepers

2007-02-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

When the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) agreed to set the minimum salaries for housekeepers bound for Saudi Arabia at One Hundred US dollars years ago, it was accused of selling our Filipina housekeepers to the foreigners. This time DOLE through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) changed its policy and set the minimum salaries of outbound housekeepers to Four Hundred US dollars. It also set the minimum age of new recruits to 23. Instead of a resounding hurray, the new policies were met with mixed reactions from various groups.

Most vocal in denouncing the new policy is the group of housekeepers working in Hong Kong, where a couple of anti-POEA rallies were held.

In the Middle East, a group of overseas Filipino community leaders already favorably endorsed the new set of policies, while others still debate the pros and cons.
But it is not only the affected housekeepers who are raising their concerns. Some receiving countries have also voiced their worries as well.

Told by the Chairman of the Joint Chamber of Commerce of Saudi Arabia about their concern on the increase in the minimum salary of housekeepers, the newly appointed Philippine Ambassador to that country, Antonio Villamor, told a group of community leaders in Riyadh what his response to the issue was.

He said he told the Saudi businessmen that, ‘we value our relationship with you, and one way to show that is to provide you with people who are well trained and mature as to be able to give you the best service you deserve. To be able to do that, we have to train our housekeepers how to do their job properly, how to operate the different household appliances they may not have seen before, as well as orient them on the language and culture of the country they are bound to.’

To my mind that partly summarizes the stand the Filipino community leaders in Riyadh has taken back in 2004. For indeed what could we expect if local recruiters back home just keep on sending housekeepers who are not only young but also lack the experience on the work required of them. Some might not even have seen a microwave or an electric oven all their life, so much so that when they arrive at their employer’s home they do not know what to do. Alone in a totally new environment, embarrassment and lost of self confidence would later cause a feeling of homesickness. And our Filipina housekeeper starts to think things she shouldn’t do – runaway.

But if allowed to leave the country only when fully trained, both on the nature of their work, and on the language and culture of their destination, our housekeepers will not only be able to perform very well, but will also enjoy the fruits of a higher income. They will be inspired to do their work in the best way possible, and they will not think of leaving their job, but love and protect it instead.

We frequently hear Middle Eastern nationals say that in their country, being able to employ a Filipina housekeeper or nanny is a status symbol. Why should we be afraid to ask for the right price for their services?

New Year Prayers

2007-01-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

While the magnificent fireworks display of Sidney was being flashed all over the world, we said goodbye to the year that passed and welcomed the year 2007 with Hope.

Last year we saw the continuous slide in the Overseas Filipinos’ actual monthly earnings, as well as the increase in country’s poverty rate. The irony is that all these happened amidst the alleged improvement in our economy. This year let us hope and pray that any real economic gains that our country will achieve will trickle down and be felt by the lowest of the low in our society.

Last year we also saw the cold response of OFWs to the overseas absentee voters continuing registration, and to the call to allow postal voting in selected places like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This was in contrast to the eagerness displayed by thousands of alleged Makati residents who tried to beat the 31 December voters’ registration deadline back home. With the prospect of a no election year gone with the bowing out of the chacha dancers in the lower house, let us pray and hope to see an OFW community more responsive and participative to the political happenings back home.

Last year we also saw the bold steps taken by the government for the welfare OFWs in the domestic services. The first of those steps was the invention of the so-called ‘super maids’. This was followed by setting the minimum salary at USD 400, and the minimum age of would be super maids at 25. This year let us pray that the POEA will also look into the flight of OFWs bound for Taiwan. Let us pray that the POEA will be able to oblige the local recruitment agencies to lower their placement fees, considering the fact that those Taiwan bound OFWs will also have to pay ‘monthly fees’ to the broker in Taiwan, aside from other expenses like medical exam, alien registration certificate, beddings, etc.

Lastly, let us also pray that during the elections this May, the overseas Filipinos will make a positive contribution to the shaping of our country’s future, by their active and intelligent participation.

Tinalikuran na ba ng mga OFW ang OAV?

2006-11-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Ilang taon ding ipinaglaban ng mga manggagawang Pilipino sa ibayong dagat (OFW) ang mabigyan ng karapatan na makilahok sa pagpili ng mga mamumuno sa ating pamahalaan.
Noong taong 2004, sa pamamagitan ng Overseas Voting Law na ipinasa ng kamara, sa kaunaunahang pagkakataon ay naranasan ng mga OFW ang bumoto kahit pa malayo sila sa Pilipinas.

Ngunit ang iniaasahang malaking magagawa ng mga OFW tungo sa pagbabago ng direksyon ng halalan sa ating bansa, sa pamagitan ng tinatawag na OFW Vote, ay naunsiyami dahil sa napakababang bilang ng mga OFW na nagtiyagang marating ang tatatlong itinalagang voting centers para makilahok sa naturang halalan.

Itinuturong pangunahing dahilan sa mababang bilang ng mga OFW na nakilahok sa nakaraang halalan ang kakulangan ng kakayahan ng karaminhan sa mga OFW dito sa Suadi Arabia na mapuntahan ang tatlong itinalagang voting centers sa Riyadh, Jeddah at Dammam. Sa Riyadh halimbawa, ang itinalagang voting center ay ang Philippine Embassy compound. Alam ng lahat na bukod sa napakalayo nito sa kinalalagyan ng karamihan sa mga OFW, hindi ito nadadaanan ng mga pangpublikong sasakyan. Ang mga OFW na may mga sariling sasakyan o kaya’y may mga shuttle buses ang kompanya lamang ang makakapasok doon.

Ito rin ang naging dahilan kung bakit sa taong ito, pinahintulutan ng Comelec ang committee on continuing overseas absentee voters registration na gawin ang registration on site.

Kamakailan lang ay napabalita na sumasangayon na ang Comelec na pahintulutan ang postal voting sa darating na halalan sa ilang piling bansa. Isa itong napakagandang balita sa mga OFW sa iba’t ibang panig ng daigdig tulad ng Hongkong at United Arab Emirates. Ngunit hindi kabilang sa mga napiling bansa kung saan hahayaan ang postal voting ang Saudi Arabia.

Ano nga ba ang postal voting o voting by mail na tinatawag? Ang postal voting ay isang paraan ng pagboto kung saan ang botante na wala sa sariling bansa ay papadalhan ng Comelec ng balota sa pamamagitan ng koreo, sa address na nakatala sa overseas absentee voters register. Pagkatanggap ng balota, isusulat ng botante ang mga gusto niyang ihalal at pagkatapos ang balota ay ibabalik niya sa Comelec sa pamamagitan din ng koreo. Maglalaan ang Comelec ng sapat na bilang ng araw para isagawa ang postal voting.

Kung pahihintulutan ang postal voting dito sa Saudi Arabia, mas maraming bilang ng mga registered OFW voters ang makakabuto sa darating na halalan dahil hindi na nila kakailanganin ang bumiyahe patungong embahada o consolada para bomoto. Bagkus ang balota ay darating sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng koreo. Alam naman natin na lahat ng mga kompanya dito ay may kanya kanyang postal box number (P.O. Box) kaya napakadaling makaabot sa botanteng OFW ang kanyang balota.

Dahil nga sa hindi kabilang ang Saudi Arabia sa listahan ng mga bansa na papayagan ang postal voting, inilunsad ng ilang samahan sa Riyadh ang isang panawagan sa chairman ng Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting ng Comelec, Hon. Commissioner Faustino Tuazon, Jr., na isama ng naturang ahensya ang Saudi Arabia sa mga bansa na kung saan ipatutupad ang postal voting sa darating na halalan.

Ngunit interesado pa ba ang mga OFW na makialam at makilahok sa pagbuo ng hinaharap ng ating bansa sa pamamagitan ng pag boto sa darating na halalan, o sawa na ba sila sa nakikitang kinahihinatnan ng Pilipinas, at tuluyan ng tinalikuran ang napakatagal ding ipinaglabang karapatan?

Ganito nga ba talaga ang Pinoy?

SSS and OWWA

2006-08-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

It is about two months ago when I read from the papers of the administration’s plan to make the SSS coverage for overseas Filipino workers mandatory. I thought then that probably this again is one of those ideas which the administration would usually float to test the waters, so to speak. They did it very recently when they floated the idea of using the OWWA funds to rescue the ailing Philippine Postal Savings bank, in the guise of converting it into an OFW bank. When on the first instance they got a flood of negative reactions both from OFW communities and migrant organizations, the idea, seemingly, was shelved.

But I think the GMA think tank is adopting a new strategy.

A few days ago, I was told that representatives from government agencies, including the SSS, were in Hong Kong selling the idea of a mandatory SSS coverage among the overseas Filipinos there. As expected, the GMA technocrats met a lot of objections from their target audience. That was no surprise at all, and the government officials who went there should have known that well in advance.

The argument of those who favor this proposal is that majority of overseas Filipino workers do not have a retirement or pension fund to look up to as a source of additional income when they finally go back home for good. This is true especially for those who are under domestic employ, or those whose contracts are for short period of time and are non-renewable, like those deployed in Taiwan.

Those who oppose the idea argue that there are some host countries that already require mandatory provision of retirement benefits. They point out that Saudi Arabia’s labor law, for example, already require companies to provide for their employees end of service benefits, which an employee can avail of after serving a company for at least two years. And for most, that is on top of medical insurance.

From where I sit here at Pitstop, I believe what the government should do is to make each departing overseas Filipino worker be aware of the savings and retirement vehicles available for him to choose from. One of the options of course is through membership in SSS, another is membership with Pag-Ibig Fund, and other options are buying one’s own retirement insurance or pension plan, or simply adopting a personal savings program.

Speaking of savings, retirement and insurance brings to mind the outstanding clamor from various OFW groups for an increase in OWWA benefits. Perhaps this is the right time to look again closely on the merits of those suggestions.

It is a known fact that with the implementation of the OWWA Omnibus Policies in September 2003, OWWA has become a subscriber-based institution catering primarily to the life and disability insurance and loan guarantee needs of its captive clients – the overseas Filipino workers. The insurance premium is USD 25 or Php 1,300 for two years coverage. Just like any term insurance, the insured, in this case the OFW, loses the benefits stated in his insurance policy when he fails to pay the renewal premium when the expiry date is reached.

It is this term-based characteristic of the OWWA membership that OFW complain about. While the annual premium of Php 650 is not really that expensive for a Php 100,000 life insurance (double in case of accidental death) plus other benefits, or compared to the Php 900 annual premium charged by PhilHealth, many OFW wants OWWA to provide them benefits which they can avail of even after retiring as an OFW. At present many OFW complain that they have to die or be incapacitated first before they could benefit from OWWA.

If the real reason why government is pushing for the mandatory SSS coverage of OFW is to provide them with a vehicle for their savings and retirement plan needs, why not just expand the services of and benefits from OWWA to cover what are supposedly to be provided for by SSS? This will not only be in consonance with what have long been suggested by many OFWs, but will also limit the number of agencies OFWs will have to transact with.

A savings program, a retirement plan, and a medical and life insurance roll up into one package will surely be more attractive to OFWs even if the annual or monthly contributions is increased a bit.

Repatriation, OWWA, and the OFW

2006-08-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

It did not surprise me at all when Secretary Ermita said that Malacanang was not insulted with the comment of the Lebanese ambassador to the Philippines. The Lebanese ambassador said the representatives of various government agencies charge with the evacuation of overseas Filipinos in war-torn Lebanon should stop bickering and quarreling about funds, but should concentrate on their job. Ermita was right, why should Malacanang be insulted with that simple statement of fact when it has ignored more serious accusations before?

What surprised me was Ermita’s admission that there was really some problem in the availability of funds for the evacuation. That admission plus the comment made by Ambassador Al Francis Bichara that his office is running out of funds caused the Senate and several cause oriented groups and individuals to call for an investigation into the use and status of the OWWA funds.

The Senate for its part called its own hearing on the matter which, as usual was snubbed by Malacanang. Senator Miriam Santiago ended filing a resolution calling for the filing of plunder case against former President Fidel Ramos, for having directed the investment of Five Hundred Million pesos in OWWA funds in the Smokey Mountain Project which up to now is has not yet been fully recovered. Atty. Frank Chavez also filed with the Office of the Ombudsman charges against several government officials, including GMA, for the unauthorized transfer of OWWA funds to the PhilHealth. The transfer enabled GMA to distribute PhilHelalth insurance cards to thousands of Filipinos in the rural areas before the 2004 elections.

All the charges filed are premised on the fact that the OWWA fund is a trust fund. As such it cannot be used for purposes other than those mandated by law. The same principle was also the premise of a case filed by a group of migrant and OFW oriented groups headed by the Philippines Migrants Rights Watch, against the Board of OWWA seeking to nullify the OWWA Omnibus Policy which said Board adopted in 2004. Among the most contested provision of said policy was the requirement for every overseas worker to pay $25 every two years. This provision, the petitioners said, shifted the burden in the payment of contribution from the employer to the worker. It also made access to benefits from the Fund member-based, as those who do not renew their membership contribution, by paying $25 every two years, will not get any benefit from the Fund, other than burial expense.

With the OWWA Fund now being used in the evacuation of OFW in Lebanon (including non-OFW Filipinos who are married to Lebanese nationals), most of whom are undocumented, meaning they did not go through the POEA, and therefore did not pay the mandatory contribution, it is ironic that some OFW as well as non-OFW organizations are questioning whether the use of said Fund, which is now supposed to be member-based is not against the OWWA omnibus policy. Why should those who did not contribute to the Fund be first to benefit from it? was the singular question being asked.

While the law provides that OWWA leads the repatriation efforts in case of emergency, it did not say that OWWA Funds will be used. What the law provided is the establishment of an Emergency Repatriation fund coming from a yearly appropriation of at least 100 million pesos by Congress. But Congress, while taking care of their annual “country side development fund” failed to provide for the emergency need of those it loves to call modern day heroes.

Overseas Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, it is high time to think of establishing your own emergency repatriation fund. You have seen that our government is not ready to provide the required assistance in the event of an emergency. Many of you will have died before they will be able to make a decision. Decide for yourselves, now.

Sona and the Modern Day Heroes

2006-07-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

When GMA proudly announced during her State of the Nation Address the arrival of 200 Filipino overseas workers from war torn Lebanon, she was given a warm applause by her eager supporters. What GMA did not tell those present at the Batasan, and the millions of Filipinos watching her on TV, is that out of those 200 ‘modern day heroes’, 78 were victims of rape and maltreatment, while 36 others faced various immigration problems.

‘Modern day heroes’, is indeed a fitting tribute to those 78 Filipinas who left their homes, and face the uncertainties of life in a foreign land, in search of a better source of income which their government cannot provide. Their adventures are indeed heroic, and one can not imagine the trauma which one of those ‘heroes’ had experienced when she was raped by her employer’s son on the first night of her arrival in Lebanon, followed by more rapes by both father and son. While GMA delivers her SONA to the untiring applauses of her supporters, this modern day heroine, who is five months pregnant, arrives at Villamor airbase.

Back at Batasan, GMA said to his detractors, ‘… what a waste of time’. And her audience gave her another round of applause. What a waste of time, indeed. But what could she have said to those 78 ‘modern day heroines’ if she had learned before hand that they were victims of rape and maltreatment; that they could not have freed themselves from their abductors had it not been for the war? What a waste of life? Yes, what a waste of life, indeed!

To contain the negative impact of the snail-paced evacuation of overseas Filipinos in Lebanon on the colorful picture painted by her future of the nation’s address, GMA and her handlers promised that her administration will do everything to keep all Filipinos in the area from harms way. But that, to say the least, was reactive - for harm was already done on at least 40% of the first 200 evacuees.

In the first place, is it not one of the mandates of government to ensure that its nationals are kept from harms way where ever they may be? Is that not one of the responsibilities of our heads of missions, our labor attaches, our welfare officers, and other embassy officials? How did it happen then that nothing was heard of about the sufferings of those 78 Filipinas (and many more of them, perhaps) before the evacuation begun? Were all those embassy officials sleeping on their posts? If the GMA administration is sincere in its promise to keep the overseas Filipinos from harms way, it should immediately recall all those embassy officials in Lebanon. The recall should be followed by an investigation to determine why the mission was not able to do its job.

To quote one of the victims, ‘thanks to the war’. For if not for the ongoing crisis, we would not have known the kind of sacrifices our mothers, sisters, and daughters were giving away in exchange for the extra comfort that they are able to provide to their families.

Again this put in the lime light the long questioned wisdom of the government’s policy on the deployment of overseas Filipinas as domestic helpers, especially in countries where this type of employment is not protected by labor or other laws.

How many more Filipinas should be raped and maltreated in a foreign land, before GMA finally decides to put a stop in the deployment of domestic helpers? There will perhaps be a hundred or thousands more – because if you are an overseas Filipino, being raped and maltreated by your employer is an act of heroism.

Simple Thoughts

2006-07-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

It took me some time to write this piece, and do justice to this blog which was created by my son. Not that I do not have any idea on what to write, but I just can not find time to start the ball rolling. I hope then that after this first piece, I will be able to continue writing regularly.

Last night my friend read to me a text message from his wife, back in the Philippines. My friend's wife was relating how happy the birthday celebration of their daughter was. For a moment I asked myself: How many birthdays and such other occasions have I missed since I started working in a land so far away from home? I can not count them by my fingers anymore.

But missing birthdays and such other celebrations is not the only price overseas Filipinos pay in return for the better future they are able to provide to their families. For me the highest price is that of not witnessing my children grow; not being there to coach them in their math and science subjects, or to guide them through their teen years.

As I look back to the years gone, the more I realize how much valuable time I have lost; precious time which I could have shared with my family. And so I asked myself: If I have to go back in time, will I still opt to leave the Philippines, and my family, to work in a foreign land? I am very much tempted to say, 'no way'. Yet look at those young graduates who leave the Philippines everyday.

Yesterday we assisted in the registration of overseas absentee voters inside a medical housing complex. At about 5 in the afternoon, three ladies entered the registration room to ask for the forms they have to fill up. I thought one of the three is a daughter of one of the older nurses because she look so young and would easily fit the height of a high school student. When we went out of the hall, I was surprised to see this young girl filling up the registration form. So I went to the table where they are seated, and asked: 'Nurse ka ba talaga?' The young girl just looked at me with a smile, as if wanting to say, 'Naligaw lang po.'

My youngest daughter will in a few months time be a nurse, too. Will I tell her not to follow in my footsteps and stay home?