The RA. No. 8042, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, provides that the State shall, at all times, uphold the dignity of its citizens whether in country or overseas, “continuously monitor international conventions, adopt/be signatory to and ratify those that guarantee protection to our migrant workers, and endeavor to enter into bilateral agreements with countries hosting overseas Filipino workers.”
The legislation is now being put to test.
As soon as President Benigno Aquino III assumed his position he emphasized the quality programs and services he has in store for OFWs through direct coordination with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), the Department of foreign Affairs (DFA) and other line agencies.
Meanwhile, the Senate recently announced that it will look into the efforts being done by the government in providing assistance to overseas Filipinos residing or working in countries in the Middle East and North Africa that are facing political turmoil and in nations, such as New Zealand and Japan, recently hit by disasters.
Senator Loren Legarda instigated an inquiry on the effectiveness of the legislation following the recent events concerning overseas Filipinos. The senator amid the ongoing occurrence of natural hazards in various countries conducted the inquiry on the preparedness of the government and its strategy to ensure the safety and welfare of overseas Filipinos in crisis situations.
“We want to ensure that our laws do not just become mere symbolical gesture of our desire to protect our nationals overseas, but effective mechanisms to provide real and effective solutions to these overwhelming challenges facing our citizens in foreign lands,” the senator said.
The Philippine government has shown efforts by rigorously monitoring the situation of Filipinos recently caught in crises, and in formulating solutions to the implications of these crises to Filipinos abroad and their loved ones back home.
Local government agencies are now more vigilant not only in implementing the development programs for migrant Filipino workers onsite but also most especially in providing immediate assistance to OFWs in need.
The overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) now represent a distinct part of the Philippines’ national symbol, consciousness and identity—as Pinoys, like the sampaguita, the national flower or the monkey-eating eagle, the national bird.
These Filipinos who took a leap of faith, and immersed themselves in industries from different regions around the world have helped the Philippine government to save a struggling economy and turn it into a resilient financial system. The country may have suffered the same faith other countries faced during the recent global depression, but remittances helped spare the local economy from its devastating effects. It is now the government’s turn to really give back and let these local heroes abroad reap the benefits of their work.
In the amended RA 10022, the main consideration in the deployment of OFWs abroad is the protection of the well-being, rights and welfare; upholding the dignity of every Filipino working abroad. The Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act is merely a reactive measure that won’t solve all the problems of OFWs. An affirmative action in the implementation of concrete measures is needed should other form of crisis arrives, and to ultimately further improve the condition of Filipinos working abroad.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(Northern California April 1-7, 2011 Sec A pg. 8)
