MikeLigalig.com

An estimated 3,000 labor cases have been forwarded to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia and the Labor Attaché assigned there has received follow ups from the relatives of the complainants in these cases.

ABS-CBN’s Middle East News Bureau Dinan Arana reported that Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Antonio Villamor personally acts on the cases with the help of Labor Attaché David Dicang.

There are an estimated 250,000 overseas Filipino workers in the Eastern region and 3,450 have problems, all of which are being attended to by the 11 personnel of the POLO in the Eastern Region.

"Ipalagay mo sa sarili mo, ikaw yung tatay, ikaw yung kamag-anak sa Pilipinas, ang treatment mo sa kaso ay personal na rin (If you think of yourself as the father of the complainant, of course you will want your complaint given personal treatment)," Villamor said.

At the moment, 2,574 cases are being offered welfare assistance and 774 complainants have been repatriated to Manila.

The POLO said that for the first nine months of 2007, they handled almost 3,000 labor cases, and have caused the repatriation of 30% of the complainants.

Records show that 27 were repatriated for medical reasons and the remains of 63 complainants were also repatriated. Thirty of the complainants are at the moment serving various sentences in the Al Khobar and Dammam in the Eastern Region.

"We take care of complaints of workers, yung mga pangangailangan nila, employment. We talk on police cases, kailangan makita sila sa kulungan. Kailangan matulungan sila sa mga kaso. There's a lot to do (We take care of the complaints of workers, their needs, employment. We talk about their cases – we have to see them in jail. There’s a lot to do)," Labor Attaché David Dicang said.

Villamor realizes that the relatives of the complainants in Manila worry about their kin in Saudi Arabia, especially because they cannot see what is happening.

"Ang update ko doon sa Manila ay continuous just to let them know that we are doing something about it. We are not always successful, but the fact is hindi namin binibitiwan, eh (My update in Manila is continuous just to let them know that we are doing something about it. We are not always successful, but the fact is we do not forget to follow up on the cases)," Villamor said.

It is no wonder the embassy is able to give an update on any case being asked about.

Labor Attaché David Dicang with Welfare Officer Rolly Coquia may lack personnel – but any complaint filed with the POLO will always be followed up and the same hard work will be applied to all problems of OFWs in the Eastern Region.

abs-cbnnews.com

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3,450 labor cases out of 250,000 OFW's in the Eastern region? This represents just a little over 1% of the total--which is obvioustly a gross underestimation.  In Japan, where even overstayers are assured of the mantle of labor standard, troubles about in the workplace among Filipinos. This should not surprise anyone since our government is so desperate to dispatch even low-end, non-skilled labor

We have relied too long on OFWs to prop up our economy. This was supposed to be just a stop-gap measure to cushion the impact of the oil shock in the late 70s, but OFW dollar earnings have become the bread-and-butter of our economy. Our government officials should try being modern-day heroes to experience how it actually is on the ground.

OFWs all want to go home--but the government, and sometimes even our families, don't seem to welcome the idea. This is very pathetic. The government should proactively devise programs for livelihood reintegration.

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All honest labor is dignified, and every hard-earned dollar of the overseas Pinoy investment banker is worth the same as that of the domestic helper.

What troubles me is that as long as OFW dollar remittances are increasing (and they are, despite the daily bombings in Iraq, the Israel-Lebanon exchange of missiles, the increasing immigration restrictions in the US and Japan, etc.), our government sees little urgency in generating employment at home or creating policies to funnel those dollar remittances into investments rather than consumption.

A study has shown that in the long run, foreign exchange remittances from members working overseas are being made a substitute for gainful employment by family members at home. It is common for one OFW to support entire families, sometimes even extended families. Many of these members are not gainfully employed and are just relying on the monthly allowance from abroad. Many OFWs take it upon themselves to support even working-age siblings or nephews and nieces, taking high-risk jobs or subjecting themselves to exploitative conditions just to be able to send money home.


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