Our Voices Will Be Heard:

Dalhin si Ocampo at Maza sa Senado,
Gabriela Women’s Party Sa Kongreso!

6 February 2010
PRESS STATEMENT
Reference: Gary Martinez/ Chairperson/ 09393914418

For nine years, under President Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, migrant Filipinos around the world have gone through hell and high waters because of her anti-people, anti-migrant policies.

Deathrow cases, illegal arrests, detention and false charges, illegal recruitment, mysterious deaths without any government investigation, sexual abuse, maltreatment, human trafficking, complete indifference to migrant families’ woes, violations of POEA approved contracts, unjust and exorbitant state exactons, misuse of OWWA funds – the list is endless. There is no want for proof that this administration has committed grave sins against migrant Filipinos.

Yet, from Macapagal-Arroyo to her lapdogs in the Halls of Congress, they continue to dishonor us by calling us “bagong bayanis” even as they legislate more bills that will extort more of our hard-earned money such as the mandatory Pag-ibig Fund or the mandatory insurance they want to impose on us; even as they continue to drag their feet on investigating OWWA scams or corrupt and abusive embassy officials; even as they do not lift a finger for OFWs who call to rescue them. How they cheapen us as they arrogantly distribute mere tokens of livelihood or financial assistance, prop us in front of their cameras, after weeks or months of following up what is due us and spending our last centavo knocking at their doors.

Even as they continue to bleed us dry of our money and systematically sell us as slaves in the world market, to salvage the economy, this government has callously denied us of the opportunity to be represented by delisting the Migrante Sectoral Party.

But, true to our character as survivors, as Filipinos who will fight for a better life, we, members of Migrante will still ensure that our voices will be heard.

In this coming elections, our voices will he heard, once again, in the Halls of Congress through the Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP), which has actively promoted, not only women’s rights, but also migrants’ rights. It has campaigned to remove the ban on direct hiring, scrapping of unfair POEA Guidelines, and exposed government misuse of OWWA funds. With the support of GABRIELA Rep. Luz Ilagan, we gained victories including cases of OFWs saved from unjust detention and death rows. GABRIELA supported campaigns against wage cuts and massive redundancies and gave special attention to the plight of undocumented migrants in Malaysia.

We also want our voices to be heard in the Senate! That is why we are supporting Makabayan candidates for Senator Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. They bring with them a platform of genuine land reform and national industrialization which will address the issue of forced migration and consequently the roots of abject poverty.

Tomorrow, thousands of our members in Hongkong will go out in the streets and proclaim Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, GWP as our candidates to signal our vow to work hard as we have never worked before to ensure that our voices will, indeed, be heard. ####

Equal to Extortion

Mandatory Pag-Ibig Fund membership and contribution equal to extortion - Satur

News Feature
5 February 2010

Makabayan senatorial bet and Nacionalista Party guest candidate Satur Ocampo today expressed strong opposition to the mandatory coverage to Pag-IBIG under Republic Act 9679 or "Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009." He said that mandatory coverage meant mandatory contributions, "This by itself is unjust and tantamount to extortion."

"It's unjust for the government to impose another exaction on the public, including OFWs. It should be the prerogative of Filipinos whether or not they want to contribute to Pag-Ibig. The choice and the power of decision is being taken away from us. This is yet another burden on all Filipinos. OFWs in particular already have very little to spare from the earnings abroad, yet the government wants them to pay one more mandatory fee. If Pag-Ibig wants to improve its services and expand its membership, it should do so not at the expense of the public and those who do not want to be members," Ocampo said.

Under Rule V of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the new law, all workers earning at least P1,000 are covered, including household helpers such as drivers, gardeners, cook, governess and other similar occupations. Membership is also being made mandatory for self-employed persons, whether actors, directors, scriptwriters and news reporters who are not under an employer-employee relationship; professional athletes, trainers and jockeys; farmers and fisherfolk; workers in the informal sectors such as cigarette vendors, street vendors, among others.

Coverage is likewise mandatory for Filipinos employed by foreign-based employers whether deployed here or abroad. Ocampo said this was a gross misinterpretation of the law.

"The real value of already miserable wages continues to slide as prices of basic goods and commodities steadily increase. The reformed value-added tax (RVAT) remains in place. To force the public to shell out contributions for the Pag-Ibig fund is nothing less than legalized theft. Filipinos should be allowed to have options regarding contributions to state-run fund and welfare agencies because its their hard-earned money," he said. #