Filipino News March 17

MARCH 2017. ISSUE 98 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz Facebook: Filipino Migrant News 03 BUHAY
NZ
New Zealand
War on OFW Exploitation
OPINION
By LOUIE ENCABO
The Duterte administration
launched two 'all-outwars'
on elements it deemed
to be high-level threats to
Filipino citizens: first there
was the war on drugs and
then there was a war on
'scalawags' or the crackdown
on corrupt policemen.
Both these wars were not
conventional warfare wherein
the military were mobilized
to stamp out an enemy,
but rather the use of the term
'war' was to highlight the
large-scale effort required to
root out the adversary due to
its massive clout over its
victims.
The two wars ushered in
by President Duterte focused
on enemies endemic
in the Philippines, but for the
Filipino diaspora worldwide
there exists an enemy that
plagues a great number of
them and has done so for so
long. This is the exploitation
of Filipino migrant workers
by faux recruitment agencies
or fraudulent delivery services
that cheat OFWs out of
their hard-earned cash.
We hear these stories regularly.
There have been many
Filipinos seeking a better
life abroad who have been
screwed out of their opportunity
because the recruitment
agency they consulted
with used bogus documents.
In cases where the OFW
did end up with residency in
their country of choice the
recruitment agency linked
them with an abusive
employer
who paid them
under-the-table with a wage
that was below the minimum
wage of that country.
Usually the victim's passport
was also confiscated, which
barred them from escaping.
Even Filipinos who have
already established lives in
their newfound countries are
not immune to similar
exploitation. One common
trait among us is our family-oriented
values; that
even if we are overseas
thousands of miles away
from our families we do
not forget their needs and
we send them a care package,
usually during the
Christmas season. We are
willing to fork out hundreds
to fill these balikbayan
boxes with assorted
goods from food to highend
expensive gadgets.
Due to the price tag
involved these care
packages are
often the target
of criminal
entities.
There are
stories
where
t h e s e
boxes never
reach their
intended destinations,
robbing
the sender of hardearned
cash. Many cases
have reported these boxes
being opened and several
items found missing.
The life of an OFW is
faced with numerous odds
already; aside from the obvious
homesickness, these
workers endeavour to save
every cent they earn to send
back to their families.
Exploiting them is adding
salt to their wounds and is a
crime that should be
stamped out as fervently as
illegal narcotics or crooked
cops.
Luckily for the OFW population
here in New Zealand,
our embassy is cognizant of
this problem and is actively
pursuing cases of exploitation
occurring here. In addition
to the embassy there are
also Filipino activists who
provide pro-bono legal aid
to victims of exploitation.
However, the size of the
problem means that more
help is needed. As Filipinos
we should be vigilant about
the incidences of injustice
that plague our compatriots.
The sad reality is that the
recruitment agencies that
dupe Filipino workers are
often also run by other
Filipinos.
For those of us who are
sympathetic to the exploitation
of our fellow OFWs,
may we be our kababayan's
keepers and join in the war
against OFW exploitation.
“Give me a call if you would like to
get the best possible
price for your property!”
MILA BAKER - Residential Sales
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