Kanlungan Statement for Mayo UNo

“SAGARIN ANG PAGPAPATUPAD NG PANGAKONG PAGBABAGO:

ISULONG ANG TUNAY NA PAG-UNLAD NG MGA OFW”

HABANG nanganganib ang milyon-milyong OFWs, malamya pa rin ang rehimen ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III sa pagtatanggol ng karapatan at kagalingan ng mga overseas Filipino workers.

Una, maligamgam ang pagtugon ng pamahalaang Aquino sa pagtibay ng ILO Convention 189 o  ang  Magna  Carta for  Domestic  Workers. Tunay ngang nangangako ang pamahalaan na ito’y tutugunan. Subalit nananatili itong pangako.

Ikalawa, simbagal ng pagong ang paglutas ng suliranin sa illegal recruitment at human trafficking samantalang ipinagpapatuloy ang pagluluwas ng lakas-paggawa.

Mula ng maipasa ang Anti-Trafficking Law noong 2003, halos 62 traffickers –o isang kriminal pa lang kada taon–lamang ang nadakip. Upang magamit laban sa umaalsang bayan ng Tsina, inalis ng Estados Unidos ang Pilipinas sa listahan ng mga bansang garapal sa trafficking walong taon paglipas ng Anti-Trafficking Law. Magkagayunman, hindi naman bumaba ang insidente ng trafficking  sa bansa.

Ikatlo, imbis na pagtuunan ang pagresolba sa ugat ng kahirapan ng bansa, ninais pa ng pamahalaang Aquino na pigain pa ang natitirang kita ng mga OFWs laluna sa mga bansang sinalasa ng krisis ng kapital. Halimbawa nito ay ang pagtangkang itaas ang PhilHealth premium.

Kinokotongan na nga ng OWWA ang OFW, gusto pang makisawsaw ng PhilHealth sa gitna ng krisis sa Greece, Italy, Spain, at iba pang bansang pinagtatrabahuan ng mga Pilipino.

At sa gitna ng mga digmaan at kaguluhan sa mga bansang umaangkat ng manggagawang Pilipino, pinaglaruan pa ng pamahalaang Aquino ang ideya na isarado ang mga embahada at konsulado sa Sweden, Spain, Palau, Saipan, at Romania.

Sabihin nang inutil ang ilan sa mga ahensiyang ito sa pangangalaga ng interes ng mamayang Pilipino, wala namang alternatibong lugar kung saan maaaring makahingi ng tulong ang mga manggagawa sakaling dumating ang oras de peligro.

Pinuntirya din ng pamahalaang Aquino ang kakarampot na ngang Legal Assistance Fund ng DFA na balak bawasan ng sampung bahagdan.

Kinukuripot na nga, gusto pang pumiga ng pamahalaang Aquino sa kita ng mga OFWs na nag-aambag na nga ng apat na porsyento sa Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ng Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng kanilang remittance o padalang pera.

Sa Araw ng Paggawa, hinahamon ng Kanlungan Center Foundation Inc., sampu ng konstituwensiya nito, ang pamahalaang Aquino na:

1. TIGILAN ang pangungunyapi sa kapitalistang interes nang sagad maitulak ang pagpapatupad ng ipinangako nitong pagbabago, laluna para sa mga pamilya ng migranteng manggagawang Pilipino.

2. HIGIT na seryosohin ang pagresolba sa ugat ng pagluluwas ng lakas paggawa ng Pilipino.

3. TUMINDIG sa hanay ng manggagawang migrante at itulak ang kanilang interes

Napatunayan ng kasaysayan na mahirap asahan ng manggagawa ang anumang rehimen na nakasandal sa biyaya ng mga ganid na kapitalista.

Kaya’t nananawagan ang Kanlungan Center sa mga OFWs na patibayin ang pagkakaisa at iluwal ang kilusang panlipunan ng manggagawang migrante upang maitulak ang pamahalaang Aquino na tuparin  ang pangakong  proteksiyon  at tunay na  kalinga sa mga OFW at kanilang kapamilya.

Sa pamamagitan ng kilusang panlipunan (social movement) lamang tayo makakalaban sa pananalasa ng salot na globalisasyon.

SAGARIN ANG PAGPAPATUPAD NG PANGAKONG PANLIPUNANG PAGBABAGO!

ISULONG ANG INTERES NG URING MANGGAGAWA!

KANLUNGAN CENTRE FOUNDATION INC.

Human Rights, not Management –Abu Dhabi Dialogue told

REPRESENTATIVES of 22 nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and trade unions from 11 countries are urging governments involved in the 2nd Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) among Asian Countries of Origin and Destination to discuss and address migration on “established human rights principles and people-centered development.”

Participants of the Civil Society Parallel Event on the 2nd Abu Dhabi Dialogue discuss the Conference Declaration
at a hotel in Manila April 19, 2012. Photo courtesy of Migrant Forum in Asia.

In a document titled “Conference Declaration,” delegates of the “Civil Society Parallel Event on the ADD” said while they “welcome the intention of the governments to discuss and address key issues faced by migrant workers,” these, however, “should not be addressed from a management perspective alone.”

“Bearing in mind the complexity and challenges related to migration, we believe [these] must be based on established human rights principles and people-centered development,” read the unified statement of the groups, which included Philippines-based Kanlungan Centre Foundation Inc. [Editor: The full list of the groups are in the latter part of this post.]

Began in 2008 and hosted by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the ADD is a consultation among labor ministers of destination and sending countries in Asia and the Middle East.

"The Ministerial Consultation, referred to as the 'Abu Dhabi Dialogue,' brought together for the first time the Colombo Process countries with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, plus Yemen and two additional Asian countries of destination, namely Malaysia and Singapore,” a FAQ on the ADD said.

NGOs and trade unions actively advocating for greater recognition of rights and welfare of migrant workers held a meeting parallel to the high-level dialogue of state players on April 19, 2012.

“The purpose of the [2-day] meeting was to discuss our common positions and engagement with the ADD process,” the NGOs and TUs said.

They also commended “the initiatives taken by the Governments involved in the ADD in continuing the process started in 2008 to provide a platform for discussing migration issues between sending and receiving countries.”

“[But] while we appreciate that the ADD has provided space for us to engage in the dialogue process, we are concerned that our participation was limited to observation status only,” the NGOs and TUs added.

However excluded, they urged the state participants in the ADD to harness human rights principles “in consideration of key areas of discussion as contained in the Framework of Regional Cooperation [FRC].”

They also reminded the ADD players to anchor the FRC on human rights principles, thereby ensuring “participation of all stakeholders, particularly civil society and trade unions” and, ultimately, ensuring “that migration benefits all.”

“For this dialogue to be meaningful, our participation should be substantive, sustained, and ensured.”

As the ADD process unravels in the next two years –the Philippines will chair the ADD during this period, the parallel civil society meeting called on the ADD governments to additionally address the following major issues confronting migrant workers within the regions:

1. the plight of undocumented migrants;

2. the need for enforceable standardized contracts;

3. replacing the Kafala system with a more just recruitment and employment system for migrant workers;

4. exploring the possibility of adopting a reference wage system based on the recognition of skills and experience; and,

5. the inclusion of migrants in social security and insurance protection schemes and programmes.

Aside from Kanlungan, the “Conference Declaration” was adopted by the following organizations [in alphabetical order]:

·         Action Network for Migrant Workers

·         Al Amana Center
·         Anglican Refugee Migrant Network
·         Asia Migrant Domestic Workers' Alliance
·         Caritas Lebanon Migrants Center
·         Center for Indian Migrant Studies
·         Center for Migrant Advocacy
·         Filipino Community Association - Qatar
·         Helpers for Domestic Workers
·         Jordan National Commission for Women
·         Kuwait Trade Union Federation
·         Migrant Forum in Asia
·         Migrants Rights Council
·         National Human Rights Commission – Oman
·         National Trade Union Federation
·         POURAKHI Nepal
·         Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee
·         Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit
·         Solidarity Center
·         WOREC Nepal
·         Youth Action Nepal

Countries represented during the parallel NGO-TU meeting were: Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, and Sri Lanka.

Good News from Networks

WE thought it's best to begin this first post of Kanlungan Centre Foundation Inc. with good news about the gains of struggle of migrant workers around the world.

The good news comes from William Gois of the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) who wrote to announce that the Indonesian Parliament deliberated on April 10 the ratification of the United Nations 1990 Convention on the Protection of the Rights if All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (UN 1990 MWC). 

“All factions in the Indonesian Parliament agreed to ratify the UN 1990 MWC. We are hoping that within the week the Indonesian government will make the official announcement of the ratification of the convention,” Gois said in his email to MFA members.

Gois expressed his gratitude “for the work of all the partners on the ground, the MFA members, the grassroots communities, migrant communities and migrants’ rights advocates in Indonesia who have made this momentous day in history possible.”

Kanlungan also awaits with hope the official announcement of the Indonesian government.