A RECENT “Balitang America” online viewer poll revealed that a large majority of Filipinos in America are feeling very hopeful under the Duterte presidency. Eighty-seven percent of kababayans who voted in The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast opinion poll feel the Philippines will be better off with newly sworn-in President Rodrigo Duterte stirring the country toward a new direction.
Many Fil-Am community leaders share the optimism, especially after Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said topping the “marching orders” he received from Pres. Duterte is to make sure that the needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) are “specially and adequately addressed.”
“We want to make sure that from the very day, the first day that the recruitment processes start, up to the time that they arrive at their point of destination, we will be ready and available to help them in their needs,” Yasay said in an ABS-CBN News report.
“We know that as they go abroad, they’ll be the subject of a lot of difficulties, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities, and the least that we can do for our overseas workers, who—in a true sense—are our economic heroes, is to make ourselves readily available for their service,” the DFA chief explained.
The Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), a Filipino-American group based in the nation’s capital, offered their support to Duterte’s marching order in this statement:
“We support the call of President Duterte to provide assistance in securing and protecting the rights of OFWs from their country of origin until their final destination . We also call upon the Phil Government to revamp its existing policies on [the] deployment of Filipino workers overseas, which includes [the] elimination of recruitment agencies and for the government to undertake direct supervision and approval of employment contracts with receiving countries.”
MHC Executive Directors Atty. Arnedo Valera, Grace Valera and Jesse Gatchalian further stated: “The Government among others must initiate bilateral agreements with countries employing OFWs with involved countries committing to protect and uphold the human rights and dignity of Filipino workers around the world . We also call on President Duterte to investigate and jail illegal and legal recruiters who have caused the physical,psychological and emotional abuse of Filipino workers!”
Do you share this optimism that the concerns of OFWs will finally be addressed under the Duterte-Robredo administration?
* * *
Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
