Press Release: Jan. 17, 2008
References: John Monterona,
Migrante Middle-East Regional Coordinator,
Celfone No.: 0966 564 97 8012
Droidz Ociones, Migrante - Jeddah Chapter, Celfone
No.: 00966-5667932020
Mario Ben,
Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan (KGS) Riyadh, K.S.A.,
Celfone No.: 00966-502980129

On the Holding of the 2nd GMFD by the Arroyo Gov’t
Middle East-based OFW Groups to Arroyo: Impel the Participating Governments To Ratify UN Convention for Migrants’ Protection

Member organizations of Migrante International based in Saudi Arabia express its doubt that the Arroyo Government can accomplish something fruitful and meaningful for the protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and families on its holding and sponsoring of the 2nd GFMD that will be held in the Philippines on October this year.

“We challenge the Arroyo Government on hosting the 2nd GFMD in the Philippines on October this year to push participating governments especially governments that host large concentrations of OFWs but have numerous cases lodged at different Philippines Embassies for violating OFWs rights & welfare. We also want them to sign and ratify the United Nations Conventions on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers & Members of their Families. Such countries include, but not limited, to Middle Eastern Countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc..)”, said John Leonard Monterona, MIGRANTE Middle East Regional Coordinator based in Riyadh, KSA.

The United Nations Conventions on the Protection of Migrant Workers & Members of their Families came into force last March 14, 2003 after 20 countries have ratified the said international instrument as a component of respect for Human Rights.

The Philippines is one of the 20-countries signatories & ratified the said international instrument.

“Pushing participating-countries on the upcoming 2nd GMFD in the Philippines to sign the said UN Conventions is necessary so that host countries will be complied to obey & implement the provisions of the said UN-initiated instrument protecting Migrant Workers’ Right & members of their families,” Monterona lamented.

“We are looking for such a substantial accomplishment, not just mere publicity, during the holding & sponsoring of the 2nd GFMD by the Arroyo Govt., otherwise, we will conclude to believe that the Arroyo Govt. is merely proposing a marketing scheme to participating countries with the objective of intensifying its labor export program & thus, selling our professionals & skilled workers like cheap commodities for export without protections for their rights & welfare. Remember that the Arroyo Govt. has a bad record of neglect & abandonment as manifested by numerous cases of maltreatment, low wages, labor malpractices, & exploitation lodged at different Philippines Embassies worldwide,” said Andrew Ociones, Migrante-Jeddah Chairperson.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has recorded the OFW remittance of US$12B last year & has predicted an increase this year.

“We maintain that the holding of the 2nd GMFD by the Arroyo Govt. is a dubious marketing plan to promote its Labor Export Policy in its subservience to neo-liberal policies of Globalization perpetrated by the Bush Administration & in order to earn more dollar reserves that is saving the ailing Philippine economy”, Mario Ben, Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan Chairperson, added.

“It is our foremost view that an economy geared towards National Industrialization & sincere implementation on Genuine Agrarian Reform as the righteous economic policy that can generate decent jobs locally which can employ our Filipino Professionals & skilled workers & not anymore be victims of low wages, maltreatment & exploitation & other labor malpractices in a foreign country ”, Monterona ended. ###