Dear Madam President:
Greetings!
As individuals speaking in our own capacities as representatives of our respective associations, we are appealing to your good office, Madam President, to avert the implementation of the recently approved POEA Governing Board Resolutions (GBR) Numbers 4 and 5, Series of 2006. These GBR’s refer to the raising of the minimum age for Household Workers (HW) to twenty-five (25) years old, regardless of gender and the increase of the entry-level minimum monthly salary to US$400.00. We are convinced that the new government policies embodied in the aforesaid POEA Governing Board Resolutions would be injurious to the employment opportunities of millions of Filipinos. We say this because the foreign countries’ seeking Filipino workers have already expressed their severe disavowal to the abrupt increase of the monthly salary to $400.00. We are also of the firm belief that the minimum age to 25 years old will effectively deprive millions of Filipinos below such age but who are otherwise qualifies of their chance to work overseas and to help themselves and their families.
We have already received individual letters from the several leading foreign counterparts who are the primary seekers of our Filipino workers. And they are all unanimous to the effect that they strongly oppose the imposition of this salary increase. The foreign employers have also appealed to their respective embassies here in the Philippines to possibly convince the Philippine government to halt the imposition of this new policy. Saudi Arabia has even declared that they will have no choice but to stop the release of employment visas in case the new minimum salary pushes through. They will do this since they are already eyeing Vietnam as a potential source of workers. Indeed, the foreign employers cannot be forced to accept hook, line and sinker this abrupt increase of the salary for they have to consider their own economic factors. Thus, it is inevitable for them to discontinue the hiring of our Overseas Filipino Workers. Consequently, the overseas employment industry will in effect be killed because of the salary increase.
Be that as it may, the foreign employers are not opposed to an increase per se but in order to be reasonable to all concerned, they are amenable to a $250 increase in the meantime. The foreign employers have even suggested a wage hierarchy scheme of entry-level salary depending on the skill category of the worker such as $250 for the Domestic Helper; $300 for cook; and $350 for lady driver, among others. This suggestion should be taken into consideration since all sides should be heard first before any new policy is implemented. Indeed, unilateral sections must be frowned upon. However, if the government will push through with the $400 increase, the overseas employment program would surely crumble like a deck of cards. Especially in the provinces this would be most felt for the impoverished people therein look up to overseas employment as their only hope for survival and employment. Even the local government units (LGU) strongly rely on overseas employment for their constituents. However, they have expressed concern on the said POEA policies. Already the LGUs in the provinces such as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan are deliberating on their moves with respect to the new policies since it would adversely affect the employment opportunities of their constituents.
In the same vein, the Muslim community would be deprived of employment opportunities in the Middle East wherein thousands o f Filipino Muslims are now employed. Muslims have always looked up to overseas employment as their only means of uplifting themselves. This is because of the poverty still prevalent in several regions in Mindanao. The National Government and the local governments in Mindanao, despite of their intense efforts in alleviating poverty, cannot deny that they have only chipped the tip of the ice berg as the poverty is deep-rooted in the ongoing conflict therein. Thus, the Muslims, particularly the women, see overseas employment as their only hope. Indeed, local employment opportunities have remained elusive fro many a Muslim because a large umber of them were not able to attain the same educational attainment as that of other Filipinos such as those in the big cities. Though a great number of Muslims are aspiring to achieve more in terms of education, several of them have a very hard time in doing so because of poverty. Thus, they only have their dedication and hard work in pursuing their dreams through overseas employment.
One must not lose sight of the fact that even though some sectors claim the presence of a strong economy, the bitter truth is that Filipinos are still in abject poverty. One of the reasons behind is the difficulty of opportunities in reaching the grassroots level. A plethora of Filipinos still cannot find gainful employment in the Philippines. The only hope therefore is for them to work in foreign countries wherein their skills, in whatever category it may be, would be immediately recognized. But with the salary increase of $400, the opportunities for employment will become more and more out of reach.
On the other hand, the raising of the Household Worker’s minimum age to 25 is tantamount to depriving millions of Filipinos of their right and opportunity to work abroad on the mere ruse that they are below 25 but otherwise qualified to work. Thus, those who are 210to 24 cannot work abroad and are snuffed out of their only means of helping themselves and their impoverished families. Millions of Filipino workers who are below this age but otherwise qualified would be effectively deprived of the right to work abroad because of this policy. Thus instead of promoting employment, the government by virtue of this new policy on the minimum age, would thereby contribute to the increase of the unemployed which will now consist of applicants ranging from ages 21 to 24 years old. This must not be allowed to happen if unemployment is to be eliminated. It is submitted therefore that that the minimum age stay at twenty-one (21). Through this, the overseas employment program would be nurtured and not suppressed.
For thirty years now, the overseas employment program has been the boon of the Philippine economy. The overseas employment program has been the boon of the Philippine economy. The program, which was the brainchild of the late and revered Senator Blas F. Ople, has effectively strengthened the economy and which made it impervious to several financial crises. Indeed as of 2005, the annual deployment of workers both landbased and sea based reached 981,677. And to date, the dollar remittances being transmitted because of the overseas programs have amounted to an overwhelming TEN BILLION SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY NINE MILLION AND FIVE THOUSAND (US$ 10,869,005,000) DOLLARS in 2005 alone. Conversely, the government revenues being derived from the overseas employment industry cannot be overemphasized. The Philippine Embassies have derived an annual Php500 million earnings on documentary stamps and contracts for US$100 each per worker deployed.
Truly the contributions of Overseas Filipino Workers and the overseas placement and recruitment industry cannot be exaggerated. Both have played an immense factor in keeping the Philippine economy afloat and in strengthen the stability of the peso. Our Filipino Workers have kept the steady flow of much-needed dollar remittances. Conversely, the overseas recruitment industry has been crucial in the overseas employment program. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Sec. Hon Arturo Brion has been refereed to the overseas recruitment industry as the driver of markets for OFWs and has praised its efficiency at finding employment opportunities and deploying Filipino Workers abroad. Th8s, OFWs and the overseas placement and recruitment industry are both indispensable to our economy's sustained growth. Their partnership has kept our economy and strong peso alive through the influx of dollar remittances.
Truly, the dollar remittances of our modern-day heroes have given sustenance to our Gross International Reserve (GIR)which no amounts to US$22 billion dollars. This strong GIR indeed keeps our person constantly armored from speculative attacks. On the other hand, the overseas employment of thousands of qualified Filipino workers has even prevented the resurgence of the unemployment problem in the country. Hence, to go with the imposition of the new policies will have a tremendous impact on the economy and employment opportunities of millions of Filipinos who are looking to overseas employment as their only glimmer of hope in achieving economic improvement.
As a matter of fact, there is now a total of 198,000 Job Orders (JO) pending for processing with the POEA. Unfortunately, with the advent of the imposition of the new policies the thousands of Filipino workers under the pending job orders may not be able to leave anymore as they would have to wait for the processing of the JO's in accordance with the new policies. As a matter of fact, since December 16, thousands of applicants for Domestic Helper have been stranded due to the new policies. Others who number thousands and who already have passports are suffering the same fate along with those who are currently undergoing passporting, on-file visas and visa insurance which were all begun after December 15 – the date of effectivity of the new policies. Indeed, millions more of Filipinos would be deprived of their right to be gainfully employed overseas because of these new policies.
On the other hand, the governments of the Philippines and the foreign countries such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia share warm diplomatic relations based on mutual trust and it was indeed a concern that the needs of the citizens of these foreign countries were not taken into consideration during the deliberations on the new policies Already the citizens of the said foreign countries are becoming critical on the current policies for they view it as one-sided. Thus, the new policies transcend even the boundaries of diplomatic relations and would adversely affect the same.
Verify the foreign countries have time and again preferred Filipino workers and the raison d' etre for this is that Filipinos unconditionally commit themselves to their duties with an added touch of sincerity and tender, loving care. These traits are the main reasons why foreign countries prefer Filipino Overseas Workers. However, if the new policies push through, employers will eventually change their preference for Filipinos.
We are therefore appealing to your good office, Madam President, to please reconsider the decisions of the DOLE and POEA to impose the instantaneous salary increase of the Household Workers to $400 and the raising of the minimum age to 25, as contained in POEA Governing Board Resolutions No. 4 and 5, Series of 2006. To repeat, the salary increase is not and is never opposed per se, only that it should be made on a reasonable rate, after careful and extensive deliberation with all the parties concerned.
Madam President, foresee no problem with other policies contained in other POEA GBRs, particularly number 6,7,8,9,10, and 11, respectively. As a matter of fact, the OFWs, the overseas recruitment industry and the foreign employers all agree on the concept of "Super Maid" since this would improve the skills of the Household Worker. The TESDA National Certificate for Household Service Workers and the OWWA country-specific language and culture-orientation which are sought to be implemented are also welcomed for it has laudable objectives of equipping our HHWs for their work abroad. Even the prohibition on the collection of the placement fee is acceptable since most of the Philippine agencies are already doing this as they arrange instead for the compensation scheme with their respective foreign employers. It is only the unreasonable salary increase of $400 and the minimum age of 25 which are truly distressing for these will surely spell the disaster for our overseas employment program, the tidal wave of unemployment and even the weakening of diplomatic ties with the foreign countries which employ our workers. Madam President, the implementation of the $400 increase and the minimum age of 25 would also have an adverse effect on the masses, especially the depressed areas both in the cities and the provinces, and even those who were deluged in the Bicol Region. Indeed, to implement these policies is to usher in a dark era for our millions of Filipino workers. We, as the voices of the OFWs and the overseas placement recruitment industries directly affected, both local and foreign, the foreign employers and the Muslim associations, therefore implore your good office to please hold in abeyance the implementation of there policies and to deliberate and consider first the suggestions made herein.
We hope that your good office will consider our request in the higher interest of equitable justice.
Very Truly Yours,
TARO KALON
Filipino Muslim Action Center
FIL-MAK
THELMA V. UANANG
President
Philippine Association of Agencies for Kuwait Inc.
PHILAAK
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