ANTIPOLO CITY, June 28, 2010—Migrant Filipinos in Hong Kong is urging the incoming Aquino regime to "undo" the alleged anti-migrant policies made by the past Macapagal-Arroyo regime.
In a statement sent to the media by Dolores Balladres-Pelaez, chairperson of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-HK), the group said that the new president must be true to his words that he will bring genuine and positive changes in the Philippines by scrapping policies that are anti-migrants and anti-Filipino.
Balladres-Pelaez, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in the former British colony for many years, lamented that the former regime had turned them (OFWs) into milking cows, while totally neglecting their rights and welfare as workers and as human beings.
First on the Unifil-HK's list of what the incoming President Benigno Simeon Aquino III must do is to investigate and castigate overseas labor officials and diplomats engaging in profiteering using the e-passports or the machine readable passports. This e-passport is considered as one of the "legacies" of the past regime for it has made the Philippine passport a worldclass passport.
However, this "high class" passport, the woman migrant leader says, is priced "high class." She said that in Hong Kong, e-passport costs thrice the price than the original cost of its processing in the Philippines.
"Why should passports here be ridiculously more expensive than back home? Passport price is the prerogative of the president and Aquino can very well set it if he wishes to," she stated.
In addition to this, Pinoy migrant workers in Hong Kong and elsewhere want the OWWA Omnibus Policies, which was implemented in 2001, be scrapped for it hinders the OFWs to avail the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration's (OWWA) General Financial Assistance Program.
Meanwhile, Unifil-HK also lambasted the POEA Guidelines for Hiring Filipino Household Service Workers. Balladres-Pelaez said, while the new guidelines had removed the charging of placement fees, these fees had been replaced by skyrocketing training fees.
"It is time to correct the sins committed by the Arroyo regime! President-elect Noynoy can set the tone of his promised humane and just governance," Balladares-Pelaez stated.
Hong Kong Filipinos cast their vote of confidence and trust in Noynoy in the recent national elections placing him number one here. It is incumbent for Aquino, she remarked, to respond to the demands of HK OFWs.
As a summary of their demands, the Unifil-HK had given Mr. Aquino, a list of their particular requests: 1) Scrapping of the OWWA Omnibus Policies; 2) Scrapping of the Ban on direct hiring; 3) Scrapping of the POEA Guidelines; 4) Reducing the cost of passport to the amount similar to the cost in the Philippines; 5) OEC should be given free of charge; 6) Reduce the cost of employment contract processing, remove the authentication fee; 7) Provide free medical and legal services on site; 8) Release the COMELEC Voter's ID; 9) Stop overcharging/illegal collection of recruitment agencies; and 10) No examination fee for teachers, nurses and midwives abroad. (Noel Sales Barcelona)
