SUMPA NG TIGA-- MALA KANYA NA

SUMPA NG TIGA-- MALA KANYA NA

Ako ang Unang Ginoo ng bansang ito
Si Madame Glory ang esposa ko
Lahat ng gawain ko'y-syempre alam n'ya 'to
Na siya namang talagang totoo.

Yung sa ZTE-NBN deal sayang kay laki sana nito
Ito kasing si Jun kumanta ng totoo
Di n'ya alam mayroon din sana siya dito
Ito kasing si Neri nakalimutang itip sa kanya 'to.

Ito namang kasing si Ben, sisiw binibilang na agad
Pati ba naman apo gusto n'yang mapasama pa dito
Ito namang si Joey V., sabi ko lang"back-off"
Nag tampo, nag sumbong kay daddy agad.

Ano ba namang klaseng mga tao kayo?
Hindi tayo yayaman ng husto
Kapag ganyan kayo
Lagi kayong nag papabisto
Yan tuloy buking na lahat ang transaksyon ko.

Ito ngang si Mike na by-pass na ito
'Kala ng tao, S'ya'y nagbago
Pangalawang buhay na nga n'ya ito.
Pero talaga s'yang GANIB na totoo
Wala ng hiya , garapalan pa nga 'to.

Lahat ng bagay ay may wakas Mickey!
Karma ninyo'y malapit ng totoo
Sa bansang 'Pinas,kay laki ng atraso n'yo
Malapit ng singilin namin kayo.

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May akda--" Matang Lawin"

Migrante to SSS-members: "Do not Remit, Funds in a wrong hand"

Press Release
8 February 2009

Migrant group urges SSS-overseas members not to remit, says funds in a wrong hand

Migrante Middle East, the largest alliance of overseas Filipino workers organizations in the Middle East today urges all overseas members of the Social Security System (SSS) not to anymore remit as their money is entrusted to a wrong person whose credibility has been questioned.

"We are urging all SSS-overseas members not to remit their contributions to SSS as a sign of our collective protests against the decision of SSS chief Romulo Neri supporting the decision of his Boss in Malacanang chipping in P12.5 billion SSS funds for Mrs. Arroyo's economic resiliency plan," said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-ME regional coordinator.

Last year, Migrante chapters around the world expressed its strong opposition on the appointment of Mr. Romulo Neri as chief of the SSS.

Migrante-ME said SSS-overseas members have their apprehension to invest in SSS on its voluntary membership program as they cast doubts if their contributions are secured and safe unto the hands of SSS chief Mr. Romulo Neri.

Monterona said that Mr. Neri's public service record has already been tainted and doubted; this made him unqualified into the eyes of SSS OFW-members and other OFWs who are planning to invest in SSS.

The Migrante leader noted the involvement of Mr. Neri into the ZTE broadband controversial anomalous deal which until now he has failed to clear his name and reputation and kept on shielding himself by invoking the executive privilege of non-appearance to Congressional hearings.

Monterona said the Arroyo administration seems to have a lot of fun in using our people's hard earned money entrusted only to the government to be used for its social and economic program.

"We could not find any reason at all why the Arroyo administration should use Juan de la Cruz' hard earned money put in government financial institution such as SSS, GSIS, and or even OWWA where in fact it has already huge allocation in the national budget," Monterona averred.

The OFW leader said the Office of the President for instance has billions of its social funds allocated from the recently passed national budget.

"When, what and for whom the social funds, from tax payers money, of the President to be spent? The government has all the funds and resources to pool all together if it really serious in providing economic resiliency program having the poor people first on its agenda," Monterona opined.

On Friday, Migrante-Middle East had launched an on-line signature campaign (www.ipetitions. com/petition/ calltoprotectOFW sfunds) to protect and secure the P1-B funds for the administration's Expatriate Livelihood program taken from the OWWA funds, a compulsory collection of US$25 every departing OFWs.

Migrante-ME said there are now more than a million OFW-members to the SSS from barely 456,965 on December 2004.

"Based on our conservative estimates, OFW-members to the SSS would now reached from 25% to 35% of the total numbers of OFWs in the countries where there are established SSS offices," Monterona added.

Migrante's Monterona noted that majority of OFW membership came in from Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Brunei and Kuwait.

Monterona said collections from OFW-members have grown immensely from only P95 million (US$2 million) in 1999 to P765 million (US$14million) in 2004. "This represents an eight-fold increase" he added.

Migrante-ME citing data from SSS, the dollar component of OFW collections during 2004 reached to US$9 million, which is US$1.2 million or 16 percent higher than in 2003.

Monterona said that the bulk of OFW payments reached at 65% of the total P500 million (US$9 million) were channeled through SSS-accredited collecting agents abroad, and the he rest were local collections sent by OFW-members via mail, paid by family members or relatives in the Philippines or deducted from their bank account under the Auto Debit Arrangement.

"As SSS-member myself like other OFW-members, our foremost concern is the security of the contributions we have made," Monterona added.

"With Neri in SSS in cahoots with his Boss in Malacanang, we can deduced that our SSS contributions are on a wrong hand, thus it is on our personal timely intervention not to remit anymore to SSS as it is the only way we could protect our own money," Monterona ended. # # #

Reference:
John Leonard Monterona
Migrante Middle East regional coordinator
Mobile No.: 00966 564 97 8012

INAY, KAYLAN KA BA UUWI?

INAY, KAYLAN KA BA UUWI?

Inay, kay tagal mona dyan sa ibang bayan
Sabik na kaming Ikaw ay makapisan
Maliit pa kami ng iyong iwan
Kaylan mo ba kami pipisanan?

Lumaki kaming halos di ka namin nakapiling
Walang Ina na nag aruga sa amin
Sabik nga kami sa pagmamahal mo
Gusto naming Ikaw ay dumito.

Ngayon nga’y malaki na kami
Apo mo na’y kay dami
Dumito ka na sa aming tabi
Sa higaa’y lahat tayo’y magkatabi.

Ikaw ay aming aalagaan sa pagtanda
Aarugain hanggang sa iyong pag hina
Di ka naming pababayaan magpakaylan man.

Anak, gusto ko naring mamahinga
Upang kayo’y makapiling na
Sabihan mo nga yang tatay mong lasenggero
Siya naman ang dumito at uuwi na ko.

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May akda- Jose Enriquez Santos
Kfsh& RC, Riyadh, K.S.A.

Unity Statement

Protect and secure the P1-B Expatriate Livelihood Fund

We, the overseas Filipino workers and our families, do hereby urge our Filipino compatriots around the world to support our call and initiative to protect and secure the now P1-Billion Expatriate Livelihood Support fund, which amount was taken from OWWA funds, a compulsory collection of US$25.00 per OFWs. The funds coming from OFWs were only held in trust to the government. Thus, the rightful owners and stakeholders of the OWWA funds are the OFWs themselves. OFWs and their families have all the right to protect and secure the funds.

It is our rightful demand to the Arroyo administration to provide assistance to OFWs who were laid off due to global financial crisis. But to our surprise, the Arroyo administration is clever enough to take initially P250-Million to fund its Expatriate Livelihood Support program from the OWWA fund without any consultations from the real owners and stakeholders of the funds. Now, it even took the opportunity to increase the Expatriates livelihood fund to P1-Billion – all to be taken from the OWWA fund.

We are not against using the OWWA funds for the welfare and assistance of our fellow OFWs who were laid off due to global financial crisis. It is in fact the very purpose of the funds. But our demands to use the OWWA funds for social and welfare benefits of OFWs and their families had been denied by the Arroyo administration since it implemented the OWWA Omnibus Policies in 2004 that practically stopped all social and welfare benefits program it has previously implemented like the family assistance loan, departure loan, among many others.

More so, our repeated demands from the Arroyo administration to use the OWWA funds for the repatriation of thousands of fellow OFWs in distress and stranded in the Middle East has just fallen on Mrs. Arroyo's deaf ears. Our rightful demand to provide lawyers to fellow OFWs charged in court and on death row was always "killed" by the neglectful Mrs. Arroyo herself.

On the other hand, side-by-side with local recruitment agencies, the Arroyo administration never stops in overcharging OFWs and their families by imposing a lot of fees and charges. The BIR-imposed Documentary stamp tax on OFWs remittance, the excessive fees collected by government line agencies in processing OFWs formalities that would cost them of not less than P20,000.00

It is our worries and concern that the P1-B allocated amount for the Expatriates Livelihood support fund taken from the OWWA funds will be misused and be wasted by the Arroyo administration. OFWs and their families along with the entire Filipino nation are living witnesses on the left and right corruption and bribery charges against the Arroyo administration. It alarms us because Mrs. Arroyo and the First Gentleman often pinpointed on a series of corruption and bribery charges. It alarms OFWs and their families because the Arroyo administration has an undeniable record of OWWA funds misuses to advance its own political interests and favors her political allies in her vain attempt to stay in power even beyond her term.

It is through OFWs and their families' vigilance and concerted actions that P-10-B OWWA funds misuse and possible malversation would be prevented.

It is on the interests of the 10-M OFWs and their families to demand and call for the following:

• We demand a "hands off" undertaking of the funds by Malacanang to avoid possible maneuvering of the disbursement of funds for use to perpetuate its own political and electoral agenda;
• The funds must be made an open and direct support to OFWs laid off from jobs to be facilitated by OWWA, subject to auditing by the Commission on Audit;
• Portion of the P1-B funds must be allocated for the revival of social and welfare benefits programs previously offered by OWWA to OFWs and their families; the Office of the President is urged to put an additional P2-Billion or more from its Social funds;
• Creation of a special Congressional oversight committee with representation from OFWs and their organizations and Church leaders that will look after the disbursement of the funds and ensure that it will go to the rightful beneficiaries.

It is our humble aim to protect and secure the OFWs funds from possible Arroyo administration's encroachment and misuse.

Let us sign this petition as a manifestation of our collective action for OFWs rights and welfare.

SIGNED:

~ Migrante KSA ~ Migrant Women's Committe (KSA) ~ MASA 

Initial 100 individual OFW signatories

You may sign this statement by clicking here.

WALIS TINTING

WALIS TINTING

Galing ka sa isang puno
Kay ganda sa paningin
Dahon mo'y luntian
Kay lambot haplusin

Kapag nag kaidad ka na'y
Morena na ang 'yong kulay
Dahon mo na'y malutong
Gulugod nito'y kay tibay

Ngayon nga'y ikaw ay -
Gagawin ng ting-ting
Kayong dalawa ay pag hihiwalayin
Isa'y itatapon ; isa'y gagamitin

Kapag ikaw ay nag-iisa lang
Malutong ka at kay daling baliin
Subali't kapag nagpa bigkis ka't
Iyantok sa iyo'y itinali
Ikaw ay titibay ng husto
At hindi na kayang mabali

Ganyan din tayong tao sa mundo
Kapag nag iisa'y bale wala ito
Kapag tayo'y nagpa bigkis at
Tinalian ng husto
Tayo'y tatatag at titibay
Makakalaban ng husto sa kaaway.

------------ ---- Tapos na po ------------

Akda ni Jose E. Santos ---- Alay ko po sa lahat ng manggagawang Pilipino
Migrante-Riyadh, KSA

P250-M OWWA fund to government's 'stimulus package' a double insertion

PRESS RELEASE
05 February 2009

P250-M OWWA fund to government's 'stimulus package' a double insertion

Migrante International today staged a protest in front of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) building to criticize the seemingly 'double budgeting' of the Arroyo administration for its economic stimulus package.

"We smell something fishy with this stimulus package. And as usual, they are targeting the funds of OWWA, which belong to us OFWs," Migrante Chairperson Garry Martinez said.

Martinez pointed out that the allocation from the stimulus fund will only create double budgeting for programs which already exists. He presented the case of the P250 million allocated from the fund of the OWWA which President Arroyo signed under Admistrative Order 248.

President Arroyo signed A.O. 248 last December 4 for OWWA to contribute 250 million to the stimulus package. The said amount was supposed to finance the program of OWWA which in fact, has been part of the agency's annual budget since 1986.

"This program is not new. The president is deceiving OFWs when she presented this so- called package. It's the duty of the OWWA," he said.

He added Malacanang can now easily pocket the said 250 million while OWWA will just continue to utilize the original allotted budget for the said program. The President had already raided the OFW fund during her campaign in the last 2004 election, and she will probably do it again on this coming 2010 election!" exclaims Martinez.

The group was pertaining to the 540 million OWWA funds that were transferred to PhilHealth during the 2004 presidential election. PhilHealth insurance cards were distributed for free during President Arroyo's campaign sorties.

Martinez distrust the economic stimulus fund of the present administration saying this would be another source of corruption to finance alleged plan of President Arroyo to perpetuate itself into power beyond 2010.

"How can we trust a corrupt ridden administration which has installed itself into power due to electoral fraud? P330 billion is more than enough to railroad President Arroyo's charter change, to finance a possible coup-de-etat or another electoral fraud," he explains.

"Enough is enough! We will not let the hard earned contributions of innocent OFWs be utilized again to finance the diabolical plans of the Arroyo administration. We will mobilize our chapters abroad to protest against this corrupt stimulus fund of President Arroyo," Martinez ended.###

P1-B EXPAT FUND: NOT 'PAYBACK' PROGRAM

NEWS RELEASE
5 February 2009

For Reference:
REP. LUZ C. ILAGAN 0920-9213221
Abby Valenzuela (Public Information Officer) 0915-7639619

P1-B EXPAT FUND: FOR GOV'T'S LOAN BUSINESS, NOT 'PAYBACK' PROGRAM

Gabriela Women's Party on Thursday exclaimed deep disgust over Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's proclamation during her visit to the Middle East that the P1 billion expatriate livelihood fund for OFWs to be affected by the global economic crisis is a "payback" program for the "saviors" of the national economy.

"Mrs. Arroyo is twisting the facts. She is making it sound like her government is doing this out of goodwill, when in truth, this is another way for them to milk the 'cows'," Rep. Luz Ilagan said.

According to Ilagan, the P1 billion is nothing but another loan program for the OFWs, which the migrant workers will pay with interest.

"This should not be the case because the money for this program will come from the OWWA fund which basically comes from the OFW mandatory contribution of $25. Mrs. Arroyo is trying to lend them their own money with interest," said Ilagan.

"Real 'payback' has yet to happen. Arroyo has promised a lot of things to our migrant workers since the start of her term as president but nothing has ever been delivered. Instead, she keeps on peddling our OFWs to foreign nationals who are looking for cheap labor to exploit, which is what she is doing in the Middle East"

Meanwhile, Ilagan urged both houses of Congress to look into passage of House Bill 5868 or an act creating an unemployment benefit package for retrenched OFWs amounting to a lump sum of P50,000 from the budget of DFA, Bureau of Immigration, DOLE and POEA. The bill was filed by Gabriela Women's Party, Bayan Muna Party-list and Anakpawis Party-list on Monday.

Ilagan, the main author of the bill, confessed that the bill is a mere band-aid solution.

"If the government is sincere in addressing migrants' issues, it will stop bargain-selling Filipinos to foreigners and abolish its labor export policy. Arroyo should instead immediately create local jobs, initiate genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization, " she said.

Migrante urges gov't to prioritize penalizing illegal recruiters

Press Release
03 February 2009

Amid aggressive marketing of OFWs abroad:
Migrante urges gov't to prioritize penalizing illegal recruiters

While the Philippine Overseas Workers Administration (POEA) boasts about half a million available jobs abroad, Migrante International demands penalty for recruitment agencies that continue to function despite complaints and record of malpractice against them.

POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili said that there are 400,000 job offers particularly in the health care services sector in Canada and Australia and the construction industries sector in the Middle East.

Migrante International Chairperson Garry Martinez denounced the government's ceaseless efforts to deploy more workers abroad while it fails to ensure their protection from recruitment agencies that might breach more contracts and overcharge more clients.

"The government must penalize illegal recruiters first before engaging in more contracts abroad especially at a time of a worldwide economic crisis wherein massive cases of retrenchment are reported. The government must ensure that they do not suffer the same fate as the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who went home from Taiwan this January. They were conned by their recruiters through breach of contract and overcharging in fees," Martinez said.

Martinez cited five agencies that retrenched OFWs accused of breaching the contract and overcharged at least 54 OFWs laid-off in Taiwan. These agencies were Forever Manpower Services (FMS), Network Management Resources Corporation, Filsino Manpower Services, MIP International Services (MIP), and Flourish International Manpower.

For instance, Diona Cepeda, one of the OFWs displaced from a company in Taiwan revealed that MIP collected P94,500 as placement fee from her while the agency only recorded P25,920 in the official receipt. Aside from the placement fee, she also paid P550 for birth certificate and P3,650 for medical test fee. Meanwhile, like the other retrenched OFWs, she now worries on how to pay the lending company for the money she lent to pay for the placement fee. Other OFWs from Taiwan also complained FMS' collection of unnecessary fees such as P2,400 for the company jacket.

Manalili said that out of the 5,404 OFWs displaced from October to January 30, there were about 1,000 cases referred to them. She said that they have settled 130 to 140 of these cases and released P6.5 million in return for placement fees and other costs paid for by OFWs.

However, Martinez said that this refund is inadequate as the amount mentioned is only equivalent to P50,000 for each of the victims while they were overcharged with at least P100,000 for each person.

"Victims, first and foremost, seek justice from their breached contract and conning of these recruitment agencies. They need job security and the reimbursement of the excessive fees they paid to their recruiters. These recuitment agencies must be punished or else, 400,000 more will be conned," Martinez said.###

Avail lof ivelihood support fund as it is from "Katas ng OFWs"

Press Release
4 February 2009

Migrante-ME to laid off OFWs:
enlist and avail livelihood support fund as it is from "Katas ng OFWs"

Migrante-Middle East, the largest alliance of overseas Filipino workers' organizations in the Middle East, today calls all laid off OFWs to come, enlist, and avail the livelihood support funds facilitated by the Arroyo administration which bulk of the funds is taken from OWWA funds – from '"Katas ng OFWs".

"This is what we have been demanding from the Arroyo administration – to provide assistance to those who will be laid off due to global financial crisis. The livelihood assistance program was made possible because of our strong demand and continued campaign to provide relief to laid off OFWs and their families," declared by John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

Monterona is urging all laid off OFWs to enlist themselves, and actively pursue its claim at the Department of Labor and Employment and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in order to avail the livelihood assistance loan by the Arroyo administration.

"The P1-B Filipino expatriates livelihood support fund is from the OWWA funds, a compulsory collection of US$25 per OFW, thus it is from "Katas ng OFWs". It is but prudent that it must be return back to OFWs, without any interests and conditions," Monterona averred.

Monterona said while his group is encouraging laid off OFWs to enlist and to avail the livelihood assistance fund facilitated by the Arroyo administration, OFWs must also be vigilant to ensure that these funds must go to the rightful beneficiaries and not to the big pockets of Arroyo administration's corrupt government officials who may take advantage of the funds and use it for early electioneering and campaign.

"We are demanding from the Arroyo administration full disclosure of claims and beneficiaries of this P1-B Expatriates Livelihood Fund taken from the P10-B OWWA funds held in trust to the government, just to be sure that OFWs' money will go through the intended beneficiaries," Monterona added.

Monterona said a special oversight committee composes of OFWs and their organizations' representatives, Church leader and non-government organizations must be formed to look into these funds especially its disbursement.

"In other words, there must be in-placed system and procedure of disbursement to ensure that the P1-B expatriates funds, which amount is mostly taken from OWWA funds, will not be wasted and channeled to the pockets of corrupt government officials," Monterona added.

Migrante-ME is calling the Congress, both the Senate and House of Representatives' respective Committee on OFWs concerns to initiate the creation of the special oversight committee to look into the disbursement of P1-B expatriate funds.

"We are raising this because it is an issue of public interests and OFWs money held in trust to the government; We don't want that these amount will just gone like bubbles in the air," Monterona ended. # # #

Reference:
John Leonard Monterona
Migrante Middle East regional coordinator
Mobile No.: 00966 564 97 8012

YAGIT SA LANSANGAN

YAGIT SA LANSANGAN

Batang kay dungis
Katawan mo'y bala't-buto' t
Piski mo'y humpak at wala pang ipin.

Pagkalkal sa basura
Sa pusa'y nauuna ka pa
Kahit buto na lang, pinauubra mo pa.

Sa gabi'y karton banig mong higaan
Dyaryong sira,kumo't mo't damit na rin
Sa malamig na semento,bahay muna ito
Ni walang ding-ding,pangharang sa hangin.

Walang ina,walang ama
Basang sisiw kawangis niya
Sa pagdagit ng lawin,kay dali syang silain.

Paano na ba ang bukas mo bata ka?
Sabi ni Gat Jose Rizal pag-asa ng bayan ka
Papaano na ang bayan, kung ganyan ka
Kawawang Pilipinas bukas-makalawa.

Tinag na kapwa ko--
Sagipin natin batang ito
Bukas Siya na ang Pilipino
Anong klaseng bayan na tayo?

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