MIGRANTE International yesterday slammed President Marcos Jr. over his alleged continued failure to address pressing overseas Filipino worker (OFW) issues 18 months after he assumed the top post in the country.
In a statement for International Migrants’ Day (IMD), Migrante International said it is dismaying that Marcos has failed to address numerous issues faced by OFWs around the world.
“Today, International Migrants’ Day (IMD), Migrante International joins the migrants and peoples of the Philippines and the world in fighting for migrants’ rights and welfare and for social change that will end forced labor migration,” said Migrante.
“We condemn the Bongbong Marcos regime for its neglect of the pressing issues faced by OFWs and Filipino migrants even as it continues to intensify the implementation of the government’s labor export program,” it added.
The group cited as an example the continued failure of the Marcos government to settle the unpaid wages of displaced workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“The Marcos regime has failed to deliver on its promise of giving the more than 10,000 Filipino construction workers, who worked in Saudi Arabia and were laid off in 2015-2016, their unpaid wages and benefits despite the Saudi prince’s promise that he will help expedite the payment,” said Migrante.
In his last State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said the unpaid salaries and benefits of some 14,000 displaced Saudi OFWs are now being processed.
Migrante also listed the continued incarceration of OFW Mary Jane Veloso in Indonesia, where she is facing the death penalty.
“The Marcos regime has failed to bring drug trafficking victim and OFW Mary Jane Veloso home, and she remains in jail in Yogyakarta, Indonesia after being imprisoned there since 2010 and despite the stay of execution granted to her in 2015,” said Migrante.
It can be recalled that Veloso was given a reprieve in 2015 but has remained imprisoned since.
What makes the situation worse, the group stressed, is that the Marcos administration remains keen on pushing for the labor export program.
“The Marcos regime has sought to intensify the government’s labor export program through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), which negotiates with various countries to increase the number of Filipino migrants that they import,” said Migrante.
The DMW has previously identified Hungary, Romania, Portugal, Germany, Poland, and South Korea as among the emerging labor markets for OFWs.
Every December 18, countries celebrate International Migrants Day as initiated by the United Nations back in 2000.
