Noting that there is a high demand for Filipino nurses in countries such as Canada, Singapore, and Japan, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople and Assistant Secretary Mario Zinampan said in a media briefing on Tuesday, June 13, that an inclusion like this could be added in bilateral labor agreements.

Ople described the contributions though as “semi-voluntary.”

“When we negotiate, we make it a point that we incorporate in all the bilateral labor agreements a provision that those requiring or asking for nurses from us, should contribute to the scholarship fund,” said Zinampan.

Ople added, “Initially, we are thinking of making it part of the bilateral labor agreement, but we are not imposing any amount. So it will be, parang semi-voluntary [as well, because] we’re not pegging any amount. We just want to kick it off, and then later on, we can see the fair mechanism for [it].”

Ople said that she wanted to avoid a type of set-up where there is a mandated minimum fee for countries that want to hire nurses from the Philippines.

“We want it to be [a] progressive kind of fund wherein it’s like, let their social conscience dictate at least why we are starting off,” she said.

The DMW said that it is waiting for the reaction of the Commission on Higher Education, which would collaborate with the DMW in implementing the nurse scholarship program.

From Our Archives

‘Underpaid, overworked, unappreciated:’ PH deployment ban scars nurses during pandemic

Meanwhile, newly appointed Health Secretary Ted Herbosa earlier said in an episode of ANC’s Headstart that the Philippines should be paying Filipino nurses more competitively so that they do not have to go abroad.

“Our nurses are world class. They’re being asked [for] by presidents of other countries. They should be serving the Filipino people. We should be the ones paying them the salaries those guys are paying,” said Herbosa on June 8.

“If a nurse wants to go abroad to get a salary that I cannot give, I shouldn’t stop that person, because what I should look at is, why am I not able to pay the same amount so that they can be here in their own country?” he added.

The Philippines is one of the world’s top suppliers of nurses. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Duterte administration set a cap on yearly deployment of health workers, with revisions of up to 7,000. Senator Joel Villanueva in October 2022 questioned the basis of the cap, noting that the country had a shortage of 106,000 nurses in its facilities and hospitals. – Rappler.com

But there is more to PIDCI than parades. The organization also aims to empower Filipinos in America, and strengthen unity and cooperation among the community.

On its first Independence Day episode, At Home sa Abroad: Stories of Overseas Filipinos hosted by multimedia reporter Michelle Abad features Nora Galleros, PIDCI president, to talk about what it means to celebrate Philippine independence, even when one is far away from home.

Watch the video on Rappler at 7 pm (Manila time) on Monday, June 12. – Rappler.com

At Home sa Abroad: Stories of Overseas Filipinos is Rappler’s one-stop video podcast for all things Filipino diaspora. 

Watch other At Home sa Abroad episodes:

• What OFWs expect from new Department of Migrant Workers
• How this leadership program helped Fil-Ams connect with their roots
• How is the local economic crisis affecting OFWs?
• Inside a migration reporter’s notebook
• The Filipino diaspora through a migrant’s eyes
• Is exporting Filipino workers a good thing?
• How this Gen Z couple is making their LDR work
• Tales of Martial Law, People Power from migrant Filipinos
• The plight of overseas Filipino women
• Navigating the int’l film industry as a Filipino woman
• After EU decision, what’s next for Filipino seafarers?
• Why do so many Filipinos go abroad to work?
• Filipino mom and daughter champion diversity in US

Behind the figures are stories of struggle and sacrifice. There are calls for the government to address numerous issues that beset OFWs, who miss the feeling of being at home with their families and loved ones.

For over four years, this was the story of James De Castro Maristela. The 30-year-old Maristela used to be an OFW in South Korea, but he recently came home to the Philippines to reunite with his family and resume chasing his dream — to become a certified public accountant (CPA). 

Maristela, who flunked in his first attempt in 2015, recalled his journey when he was still a student hounded by financial and familial problems that greatly affected his review and preparation efforts. 

“Never akong nagkaroon ng opportunity na mag-aral bilang isang estudyante nung college ako dahil sobrang hirap ng buhay.… Kung mabibigyan lang ako ng pagkakataong makapagaral bilang isang estudyante, gusto kong patunayan sa sarili ko na kaya ko. Kaya kong makapasa,” he shared in an interview with Rappler. 

(I never had the opportunity to focus on studying as a college student because life was very difficult…. If only I could have the opportunity to focus on studying as a student, I want to prove to myself that I am capable. I am capable of passing.)

This motivated Maristela to take another shot at the CPA licensure exams. This time his dream came true when he hurdled the May 2023 CPA Licensure Examination.

Tough childhood

Growing up in Lemery, Batangas, Maristela was one of seven children from a household that never had a stable income. His mother worked at odd jobs, while his late father was jobless and drunk for most of his life.

“Ugali ng tatay ko nun, lasinggero po talaga. As in bago pa lang po kami ipanganak, ang tatay ko po ay lasinggero na, as in every day. Hindi lilipas ‘yung araw na hindi siya lasing. Hindi rin po kasi siya naghahanap ng trabaho… Lagi na lang nag-aaway ang inay at tatay dahil walang wala, wala na pong makain tapos si tatay, nakahilata, lasing,” he said.

(My father was a drunkard. Way back before we were even born, my father was already a drunkard. Not a day went by that he wasn’t drunk. He also didn’t bother to look for a job… My mother and father would always fight because we had nothing, we no longer had food to eat and my father would just be lying down, drunk.)

Maristela was able to go to school through the financial support of his maternal grandmother and uncle. Eventually, he graduated high school and college, the first person in the family to do so. 

Finishing as the class salutatorian at Payapa National High School and graduating as a scholar at Rizal College of Taal, Maristela was hell-bent on pursuing a better life for himself and his family from the get-go. 

He recounted: “I graduated, wala po akong latin honors noon. Pero okay lang, dahil ‘yung nakatapos po ako parang reward na din, dahil gustong gusto ko na pong makatapos para makapag-work at makatulong sa pamilya namin.” (I graduated without latin honors. But that’s okay because finishing college is already like a reward as I really wanted to graduate so that I could work and help my family.)

Becoming a CPA

In the beginning, accountancy was not in Maristela’s mind. The course was something he described as “alien” to him during his first and second years in college. 

But over time, he grew fond of the course. He also realized how becoming a CPA would afford him a well-paying job and a secure future. 

“Ang hinihiling ko lang po talaga ay magkaroon ako ng stable na trabaho na makakapag-provide ako sa family ko. Kaya ginalingan ko po ‘yung pag-pursue sa BSA program kasi nga po ‘yun ‘yung pangarap ko, magkaroon ng stable na future,” he said.

(I wished to have a stable job that could provide for my family which is why I did my best in pursuing the BSA program because that is my dream, to have a stable future.)

When he failed his first try, Maristela decided to look for a job instead of retaking the CPALE. “Ang hirap makipag-sapalaran kapag walang wala ka po talaga.” (It’s hard to take risks in finding better opportunities when you have nothing). He said, recalling his early years of reviewing for the CPALE. 

For two years, he worked as an accounting specialist at MLM Foods and endured earning minimum wage — merely making ends meet for him and his family. Maristela shared, “Being a breadwinner, parang shoulder mo ‘yung buong mundo.” (Being a breadwinner was like carrying the world on your shoulders).

He eventually left the company in search of greener pastures.

From accountancy to factory work

In 2018, Maristela traveled to Busan, South Korea, to work as a production worker.

The transition initially unnerved him as he pointed out the stark differences between being an accounting specialist to manufacturing oxygen diffusers. Maristela also had to hurdle the language barrier and cultural differences between him and his colleagues. This compelled him to study the Korean language and their culture. 

He pointed out the workaholic nature of Koreans as something that he struggled to keep up with.

“Iba po kasi ang culture ng Philippines sa mga Koreans. Doon [as South Korea] parang sobrang workaholic to the point na Monday to Saturday, kailangan mong mag-work. So hanggang gabi po kami nag-wowork, 8 am hanggang 8 ng gabi,” he said.

(The cultures of Filipino and Koreans are different. Here [in South Korea], they are workaholics to the point that you need to work Monday to Saturday. We work until the night, 8 am until 8 in the evening.)

He added: “Starting over was really hard. During that time, I always felt like giving up. I even cried many times at night ‘cause I really missed my family. So I video-called my mom every time I had free time and during our rest days.”

Change of plans

His plan of working in South Korea long-term was cut short after the tragic deaths of his father and three uncles. 

Maristela shared: “Sabi ko sa sarili ko, ayoko dumating ‘yung panahon na may pera ako, nasa ibang bansa, kumikita ng malaking pera tapos ‘yung nanay ko hindi ko nakakasama. ‘Yung mga relatives ko, isa-isang namatay, sunod sunod. ‘Yun ang naging dahilan kung bakit ako umuwi ng Pilipinas.” 

(I told myself, I didn’t want a future when I’d have money but I am in a different country and I couldn’t be with my mother. My relatives died one after the other. That was the reason why I went back home to the Philippines).

He came home in June 2022 and decided to resume his goal of becoming a CPA, something he also described as “unfinished business.” 

“Nung nag-fail ako sa CPA board exam, nag-iwan siya ng malaking butas sa akin, sa puso ko (When I failed the CPA board exam, it left a huge hole in my heart),” he said.

Will to try again

For almost a year since coming home, Maristela focused on studying, following a routine of reviewing from morning to evening, with breaks during those hours.

The gap years and the pressure to pass made him feel worried about taking the CPALE last month. But Maristela countered his troubled thoughts by reassuring himself. 

“Alam ko sa sarili kong nag-aral ako ng maayos.… Basta nag-exam na lang ako at sinurender ko ang lahat sa Diyos kasi alam kong hindi ako nagkulang sa pag-aaral,” he said. 

(I knew I studied well… I just took the exam and surrendered it to God because I knew I wasn’t lacking in my review.)

He was right, and he did not fall short this time. 

Maristela urges aspiring CPAs to never give up on their dreams as there is a right time for everyone. “You will never know until you try again, so never give up,” he said. – Mia Seleccion/Rappler.com 

Mia Seleccion is a third-year Communication Arts student at the University of Santo Tomas and an intern for Rappler’s Digital Communications team.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said in a media briefing on Friday, June 9, that the new system does away with first, second, and third offenses, and focuses on serious offenses that would heavily penalize agencies that engage in unlawful recruitment.

Some of the “mortal sins” include deploying a minor, charging unauthorized placement fees, placing Filipino workers in jobs “declared as harmful to life, public health, morality, human dignity, or the dignity of the Republic of the Philippines,” and bribing DMW officials.

Ople said that the list of serious offenses was formed in consultation with various stakeholders. 

Ople said that the rules were not new, but that they were simplified. Workers and recruitment agencies needed to consult with lawyers on how to interpret the rules’ heavy legalese.

“When I assumed the position, I read the rules for land-based workers… I noticed, I could barely finish reading them because I got sleepy. Second, I could not understand them, so I kept reading them over again. Third, I couldn’t remember anything even when had gone over them multiple times. I realized that’s why recruitment agencies and workers need lawyers because the rules were so complicated,” she said in Filipino.

“We focused on the serious offenses… Because there’s no sensible agency that would commit a serious offense. [For example,] what agency would deploy a minor as a domestic worker?” she added.

Under the new rules, a recruitment agency that commits a serious offense would face cancellation of its license, while less serious offenses may result in suspension of six months to one year. Meanwhile, agencies with light offenses would face suspensions of one to six months.

The department also extended recruitment agencies’ license validity period – from two years to three years for provisional licenses, and from four years to six years for regular licenses.

Recruitment agencies’ escrow deposits have also been increased from P1 million to P1.5 million. The DMW said this would heighten their capability to cover OFWs’ claims for employment contract violations. 

One person corporations are also now allowed to engage in overseas recruitment and employment.

The DMW said that the simplification of the rules was a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The department said that the new rules sought to better protect OFWs’ rights and enable the recruitment industry to “succeed and flourish.”

At the beginning of 2023 – the department’s first year with a working budget – the DMW set a goal to deploy more OFWs in the year, noting that the Philippines fielded more than 486,000 OFWs from July to November 2022.

Podcast

At Home sa Abroad: Is exporting Filipino workers a good thing?

– Rappler.com

While there have been similar existing reintegration programs in the past, such as the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) Enterprise Development and Loan Program, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said that this new program is a form of “handholding” for OFWs in starting businesses.

Reports of OFWs being unsuccessful in their reintegration have surfaced in the past, pushing them to seek work abroad again. ([PODCAST] At Home sa Abroad: Why do so many Filipinos go abroad to work?)

Ople said some reintegrations have been unsuccessful “because there was no handholding.” She explained in a mix of English and Filipino, “They put up a business, even if their house is in a remote area, they would already put up a store. Of course, if there is a big supermarket there, it will have an effect on one’s sales.”

“If you’re an OFW and you’re on your own and you have no one to ask, it is discouraging. First try, first fail, epic fail, and we understand that. So with the help of the DTI, there will be coaching through their Negosyo Centers,” Ople added.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said that the department has Negosyo Centers in every province.

“We would make the full resources of our department available in support of our OFWs as they get reintegrated into our society or into their communities on their return from work abroad,” said Pascual.

Ople said that hopefully, OFWs who successfully put up a business would eventually be the ones to coach future OFWs looking to do the same upon return.

These are some of the services returning OFWs can expect from the DMW and DTI’s partnership:

• assistance in the business registration process
• inclusion of OFWs and OFW families in DTI’s business training and development programs
• financial literacy training courses for OFWs through Migrant Workers Offices worldwide, and the OWWA’s regional offices for OFW families
• inclusion of products and services from OFW-owned businesses in DTI trade fairs
• linking up OFW-owned businesses with large companies and government agencies to improve market access and promotions
• issuance of a certificate to OFWs, or their family members, who register their business and undergo entrepreneurship training. This can be used as an endorsement for any livelihood or financial assistance the DMW can grant OFWs.

“We want them to come back with excitement in their hearts on what the future holds for them and their families, through meaningful partnerships across the government bureaucracy and with NGOs and private companies serving as their mentors and cheerleaders,” said Ople.

The two departments signed the memorandum of agreement for the programs on National Migrant Workers’ Day, or the 28th anniversary since the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act was signed in 1995. It is the first commemoration of the law’s anniversary under the fully constituted DMW.

More than 900,000 OFWs returned to the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a 2022 report from the International Organization for Migration, many returned OFWs encountered problems upon their return to the Philippines at the height of the pandemic.

These challenges included finding a job or income-generating activity as the economy slumped to record lows. In the IOM’s survey conducted among returned OFWs late 2020, almost half of the OFWs, or around 48.1%, had the intention to migrate again.

Half of the OFWs or 51.1% had the intention to start a business, 38.4% considered paid employment, and 18.4% did not know what they wanted to pursue, according to the IOM. – Rappler.com

Lea Salonga has blazed many trails for Filipinos in the world of Broadway and theater, but there was still one milestone she had hoped to be part of.

The Tony Award winner Salonga, who will portray Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino’s mother Aurora Aquino in the musical Here Lies Love in a limited guest engagement, had wondered in the back of her mind if the story of Imelda Marcos could become the first Broadway production to have an all-Filipino cast. Casting had not yet been completed, but she quietly held out hope.

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That dream came to reality as Here Lies Love prepares to make its official Broadway debut on July 20, featuring a who’s who of Filipino and Filipino-American stage performers, including Arielle Jacobs (Imelda Marcos), Jose Llana (Ferdinand Marcos), and Conrad Ricamora (Ninoy Aquino).

“We did not know at the time but perhaps I was already manifesting. I wanted to be a part of the first all-Filipino cast on Broadway,” admitted Salonga in a conversation with Fil-Am media pioneer Jannelle So Perkins for a segment on So Jannelle TV, which airs US-wide on cable channels The Filipino Channel (TFC) and ANC; as well as on local Southern CA digital channel KNET 25.1; and is also available on social media platforms. “An all-Filipino is a major step and we do have a lot of the creative team as well as assistants, associates who are of Filipino descent.”

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While there’s no doubting the authenticity of its cast, Salonga, who is also one of the show’s producers, acknowledges that there may be some who question why such an important story in Filipino history was written by a non-Filipino.

The play, which first debuted off-Broadway in 2013, was written by American music artists David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) and Fatboy Slim. Salonga feels the amount of research done by Byrne, who traveled to Manila, plus Leyte, where Imelda Marcos is from, and Ilocos, where Ferdinand Marcos is from, makes it a well-balanced production.

“Yes, our creator is white but my god, the extent of the research that this man did in order to make this story and create it and now we as the company get to grab it and it becomes ours,” said Salonga.

Byrne knows it may seem strange that an older, white musician would be taking an interest in telling the story of a Filipino woman’s rise in power as the wife of Ferdinand Marcos all the way through Martial Law, but he says the story was the perfect fit for his vision of telling a story from inside a dance club. After all, Imelda Marcos had a disco mirror ball installed at her New York City townhouse, often frequented dance clubs and even turned the roof of Malacanang Palace into a dance floor of sorts.

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“I feel like anyone should be able to tell any story, as long as they do so truthfully, with the right kind of emotion and are sincere about it. But it is rather strange. So I constantly made an effort to check with people in Manila, with the actors and people here who either lived through that time or their parents lived through that era,” said Byrne who adds that most of the song lyrics are derived from speeches and statements made by Ninoy Aquino  and the Marcoses, which allows crowds to hear the history lessons from the protagonists’ own words.

The subject matter is contentious and polarizing in itself, with Byrne adding that some audience members have shouted at cast members during shows. He understands that it comes with the territory when addressing a historical event that still has many open wounds.

“It’s nuanced, it’s a complicated story, it’s not simple, you can’t reduce it to one little thing. There’s lots of context and factors and personalities involved that tell the story,” said Byrne. “I think they will find it amazingly relevant to what’s going on in the rest of the world today, with democracy under threat all over the world. They will see the example of what the Filipino people did.”

Salonga acknowledges how contentious this story can be, but says the redeeming factor is how the story ends with the EDSA revolution, which restored hope to many people who were oppressed during Martial Law.

“There are going to be criticisms obviously,” Salonga says. “Yes there’s pain, yes there’s so much heartbreak, yes there are people who have not had closure with regards to this particular part of history. But at the very end of the show, everybody knows the EDSA revolution, that’s how the show ends. It’s at the moment where people feel hope.”

Salonga says that she felt emboldened in her role playing the mother of Ninoy Aquino after receiving a text message from Ken Kashiwahara, the husband of Ninoy’s sister Lupita Aquino. Kashiwahara, a former broadcast journalist who was on board the fateful flight just before Ninoy Aquino was gunned down, told Salonga that his mother-in-law would have approved of her being casted in that role, and even shared intimate details of the moments before Aquino was murdered.

“The disco part is a trojan horse, it’s supposed to pull you in,” says Salonga. “But once we have you in, we have a story to tell.” – Rappler.com

Rappler is partnering with Jannelle So Productions Inc (JSP), founded by Filipino-American pioneer and Los Angeles-based journalist Jannelle So, to publish video and written stories from SoJannelleTV about the journeys, successes, and challenges of Filipinos living in America.

Sundays, 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET on The Filipino Channel (TFC)
Mondays, 6:00pm on KNET Channel 25.1 Southern California
Replay on Saturdays, 7:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET on ANC North America
Any time on YouTube.com/SoJannelleTV

MANILA, Philippines – The United States embassy in the Philippines will increase fees for a number of non-immigrant visa applications starting June 17.

Those applying for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s) and other non-petition-based non-immigrant visas will have to pay $185 (P10,397) – or $25 (P1,405) more than previous rates.  Student and exchange visas fall under the non-petition-based non-immigrant visas.

Meanwhile, the application fee for certain petition-based, non-immigrant visas for temporary workers ((H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) has gone up from $190 (P10,678) to $205 (P11,521).

The application fee for a treaty trader or treaty investor (E category) has also increased from $205 (P11,521) to $315 (P17,703).

The fees for other consular services remain unchanged. The waiver of the two-year residency fee for certain exchange visitors also stays.

The embassy said applicants who have already paid a visa application fee that is valid and not expired, but who have not yet appeared for their visa interview or are waiting for their application to be processed, will not be charged additional fees as a result of the increases.

The last time the consular section implemented an increase for visa application fees was in 2011, Consul General Mark McGovern said on Thursday, June 1.  

“The increase of operating our facilities, the increase in shipping over, you know, visa foils. All these prices have gone up,” he said.

The consul said that the US State Department imposed this markup in visa application fees globally. – Rappler.com

$1 = P56.2 (as of June 2, 2023)

US embassy in Manila debunks myths on visa application

For Maricel Manalo-Panes, a 38-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW), it meant heading to faraway Kuwait to secure her family’s survival. 

While many Filipinos work overseas, Panes, the training coordinator for a Kuwaiti company, focused on the long game.

As she labored at two jobs, Panes enrolled in a distance education program to get her teaching degree. Then she took the Special Professional Licensure Examination (SPLE) for Professional Teachers, held from April 22 to 24 in Al Ahmadi, Kuwait, emerging at third rank with a rating of 87.80%.

Panes took the SPLE in Kuwait a month after the March 2023 Licensure Examination for Teachers in the Philippines.

The results of both exams were released on the same day, May 19.

The SPLE is a yearly special licensure board examination conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission for qualified OFWs abroad. It provides OFWs the opportunity to be licensed without the need of returning to the Philippines for their exams.

Executive Order No. 835, s. 2009 gave rise to the SPLE. Implementation started in Middle East countries and it is now also offered in Singapore. 

Distance education trailblazer

This Ilongga child of OFW parents is the first topnotcher produced by the West Visayas State University (WVSU) – Distance Education Program.

The program started in 2002 and went thoroughly online in 2011. 

But this is more than just an academic achievement for Panes. 

For this OFW, a professional license guarantees that after coming home, she can still find work to fulfill career aspirations as well as sustain her family.

“Wala man ako nag-expect nga mangin topnotcher kay ang ginapangamuyo ko lang is ‘Lord, tani makapasa lang ako’ because it would mean a big thing sa family ko if makapuli ako nga may stability,” said the 38-year-old 2005 graduate of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

(I did not expect to be a topnotcher because all that I prayed for is, Lord, I hope I pass, because it would mean a big thing for my family if I come home with some stability).

Stability 

Panes, born in Libya, is the child of OFWs.

Her mother, Segundina Lusaya Supeda, a nurse from Cabatuan, Iloilo worked at Tripoli Central Hospital in the country’s capital. Her father, Francisco Manalo, was a mechanic in a Korean construction company. 

They all lived together in Libya for six years until Francisco died in 1991 because of a workplace accident.

Segundina brought back her daughter to the Philippines. But she had to earn a living and so returned abroad — this time to Saudi Arabia.

An aunt living in Passi City, Iloilo province, took care of Maricel. Living with her cousins, she graduated from Passi I Central School in 1997 and Passi City National High School in 2001 in the Special Science Class. 

After graduating completing her bachelor’s degree, she got married to seafarer Harold Panes. They had a son, Mel Francis Angelo. Maricel then worked at USSC (Western Union) in Iloilo for nine years, where she worked her way up to becoming branch head.

Maricel deeply loves her family and has always loathed being apart from them.

But increasing competition made it difficult for her husband to get back to work, so she decided to go abroad herself in 2015.

From teller to teacher

She first worked as a teller at Al Muzaini Exchange Co., a remittance company in Kuwait. 

After eight months, the company promoted Maricel to training coordinator.

Aside from her training work, she also works part-time at the International Institute of Computer Science & Administration (ICSA). There, she is an administrative assistant and an instructor in a short course called “Office Management,” mostly for Filipino adult learners. 

Her work experiences made her fall in love with teaching, so she decided to pursue that new career trajectory.

Always methodical, she laid out a plan to increase her chances of getting hired in the Philippines and avoid starting from scratch when it is time to return.

“We will go home one day. If we go home, can we find a stable job?” asked Maricel.

She searched for online courses offering teaching degrees and stumbled upon her tertiary alma mater’s University Distance Education Program (UDEP).

She earned her Diploma in Teaching within two years in 2020. 

The coronavirus pandemic delayed her application for the SPLE for three years but she still vowed to take it once it resumed in Kuwait.

Being topnotcher

Maricel and other OFWs share a joke: While homesickness is strong, bayarin (bills to be paid) is stronger. 

Her son, Mel, is now a Grade 11 student at Pavia National High School and will be off to college soon.

“Daw kanami lang nga mabatian from him na (It’s so good to hear from him that…) ‘I’m so proud of you, Ma, and I truly admire you,’” shared Maricel. Accolades have also poured in from kin and peers in the OFW community in Kuwait.

She will be coming home in June 2024 for a short vacation and most importantly, to be present at her son’s high school graduation.

With the new major milestone she has achieved, Maricel is one giant step closer to the place she longs for the most — home.

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Over 20 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on Friday, May 26, filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against former Philippine charge d’affaires to Syria Alex LaMadrid and other Philippine officials over alleged abuse, harassment, and neglect while they took refuge at the Philippine embassy in Syria.

After being trafficked to Syria and experiencing abusive working conditions with their employers, the women sought help at the Philippine embassy in Damascus, hoping to be repatriated back to the Philippines. Instead, they allegedly experienced neglect and harassment by the officials meant to take care of them.

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In their 15-page complaint, they alleged that their cellphones were taken away, rendering them incommunicado from their families for one to two years. Others alleged that officials tried to sell them back to their employers.

At least one complainant alleged verbal sexual harassment from a certain Jun Carillo. This embassy employee’s name was also brought up in a 2021 Senate investigation on trafficking of Filipino workers into conflict-ridden Syria led by Senator Risa Hontiveros.

They claimed that LaMadrid failed to give regular updates about their repatriation, and gave them a sour attitude whenever they asked.

Some of the women were witnesses of the 2021 Senate investigation. Some were minors when they were recruited.

Sometime in 2020, a group of the Filipinos managed to escape and go on Facebook Live to report their situation and appeal for help. The group of around 50 OFWs were repatriated between 2020 and 2021. (READ: BI sacks immigration officers linked to trafficking OFWS to Syria)

With the filing of the case, the OFWs hope for appropriate administrative and criminal charges against the officials.

Calling for justice

As they filed the case with the Ombudsman on Friday, the OFWs were confident and passionate about exacting accountability from the Philippine officials.

“Kailangan namin maging malakas para mabigyan kami ng hustisya. Kasi kung hindi kami magiging malakas, walang mangyayari,” said Hazel Valenzuela, one of the complainants. (We need to be strong so we can achieve justice. If we are not strong, nothing will happen.)

Hazel said that during the time she could not contact her family while she was in Syria, her ties with her family weakened.

“Lumayo po ‘yung loob ng mga anak ko sa ‘kin. Kasi akala po nila patay na ako…. [Sinabi] nila, ‘Oh, bakit pinabayaan mo kami?’ Nandoon na po ‘yung pagsisisi eh, ‘yung sinisisi ka nila. Pero hindi mo ma-explain sa kanila na dahil sa isang tao, na si LaMadrid nga, nagkakaganyan ‘yung buhay namin,” she said.

(My children and I drifted apart, because they thought I was dead. They said, “Why did you abandon us?” They blamed me. But I couldn’t explain to them that it was one person, LaMadrid, who was the reason why our lives turned out that way.)

LaMadrid is currently a senior special assistant at the Office of the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations at the Department of Foreign Affairs, and part of the board of directors of the Tourism Promotions Board.

“Napakasaklap po para sa amin. Ang sarap-sarap ng upo niya sa opisina niya, ang lamig-lamig doon, tapos kami nagpapakahirap pa rin,” said Lucy Ann Cayamba, another complainant. (We feel so devastated. He’s there sitting comfortably in his airconditioned office while we are still suffering.)

Cayamba said that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has given them financial aid, but that it is difficult to follow up on the assistance.

“We don’t expect more than mabigyan talaga sila ng hustisya sa kanilang dinanas. Mapanagot si LaMadrid, mabigyan sila ng bayad pinsala, at makuha nila lahat ng mga benepisyo at tulong na dapat nilang matanggap dahil sa pagkakabiktima nila ng human trafficking,” said Migrante Philippines chairperson Arman Hernando, who accompanied the OFWs on Friday.

(We don’t expect more than giving them justice for what they experienced. LaMadrid should be held accountable, they should be paid damages, and they should get all the benefits and assistance that human trafficking victims are entitled to.)

Hernando said that after filing, personnel from the Office of the Ombudsman informed the complainants that the office would evaluate the case and provide an update within a month.

LaMadrid denies allegations

In a CNN Philippines report, LaMadrid said he was unaware of the case filed by the OFWs on Friday.

LaMadrid said that there was a lockdown in Syria from March 2020 to September 2020, and the airport was closed. The airport reopened on September 15, which was when Syrian immigration officials resumed processing exit permits.

Migrante had said in a statement that the OFWs were confined in the shelter at the embassy’s basement. While LaMadrid confirmed that the shelter was in the basement, he said that the women were free to roam around the embassy premises.

“They also interacted with FilCom (Filipino community) during meetings, commemorative events like Philippine holidays, as well as Christmas and other parties organized by FilCom with the embassy,” LaMadrid said in the report.

LaMadrid also said that he was not aware of any verbal sexual abuse against any ward in the shelter while he worked at the embassy. – Rappler.com

On Thursday, May 25, DMW officials distributed P30,000 each to 32 supposed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Kuwait. They also conducted “job-matching” to help the Filipinos find similar work in other countries.

Kuwait imposed the ban on May 10, a move seen by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as intended to apply “diplomatic pressure” on the Philippines for suspending the deployment of first-time domestic workers bound for Kuwait in February. The Philippines’ partial ban came in the wake of the brutal killing of Filipino domestic worker Jullebee Ranara allegedly at the hands of her employer’s son.

There were over 800 workers who were issued overseas employment contracts and ready to begin work in Kuwait when the ban was imposed. These included waiters and waitresses, mall vendors, sales associates, and nurses.

DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said that the first P30,000 given on Thursday may be the first of future dole-outs, but that the job-matching was “more important” as it was viewed as more sustainable.

Assistant Secretary Francis de Guzman said the job-matching involved coordination with the workers’ recruitment agencies, or other recruitment agencies to find similar job orders in other countries.

“The beauty of department-facilitated job-matching would be that, for as long as we can match them to agencies that will not ask for new placement fees…. That’s where we’ll bring them,” De Guzman said in a mix of English and Filipino.

It would still be up to the worker whether they wanted to take the jobs. Some expenses will no longer require duplication such as medical certificates that are still valid. De Guzman said that expenses would be “minimal” and may be limited to visas or country-specific requirements.

“Tayo ay nandito para bigyan daan ‘yung mayroon silang options. Mayroon silang possible job opportunities na puwede ring tingnan. So kung doon sa mag-a-avail nito, at least mayroon silang puwedeng maisagawang job application para mayroon silang options at pag-asa,” said Cacdac.

(We are here to give way to options. They have possible job opportunities that they can look at. So for those who will avail this, at least they have a job application to accomplish and they have options and hope.)

Cacdac said that there was no assurance yet on whether Kuwait’s suspension would be lifted. “We are continuing to hope that labor diplomacy remains an option,” he said.

Uncertainty

Kia, not her real name, is stuck with the choice to wait for the Kuwait ban to be lifted or seek other opportunities. A sales lady in a mall for six years, Kia hopes to find work abroad to finish paying off a house in the Philippines. The 26-year-old resigned in March and was ready to leave for Kuwait, also to work in sales in the Gulf state.

“May hinuhulugan akong bahay. So masyadong big challenge sa akin kasi wala naman akong pinagkukunan. Kaya…sana makaalis na, kaso dahil nga sa nangyari. Kailangan naming mag-apply or mag-antay doon sa employer namin,” she said on Thursday after receiving her P30,000 aid.

(I’m paying for a house. So it’s a very big challenge for me because I don’t have income. That’s why I was hoping to leave already, but the [ban] happened. We need to apply for other opportunities or wait for our employers.)

Kia said that sales associates in Kuwait earn around P27,000 to P30,000, compared to salaries in the Philippines that offer around P17,000 for the same kind of work. The job she was accepted into also had accommodation, food allowance, and transportation.

“Okay naman din ‘yung benefits kaya nga lang, siyempre sa taas na bilihin at marami na rin tayo mas lumalaki na ‘yung mga obligation kaya mas ninanais na rin naming maging OFW para kahit paano may maipon ka. Para kahit man lang two years, pag-uwi mo dito, puwede ka nang mag-business kasi kung tutuusin talaga mas malaki talaga ang pera ng ibang bansa kaysa sa offer dito,” she said.

(The benefits [of my job here] were okay, but of course, with rising prices and obligations, we still want to be OFWs so that we can save. So that even if you’re only abroad for two years, when you come home, you can start up a business because you will really earn more abroad than here.)

The DFA earlier said that justice for Ranara’s killing was a non-negotiable for the lifting of the partial ban from the Philippine side. Cacdac said that the next hearing for Ranara’s case in Kuwait was scheduled at the end of May.

“Sa kumpirmasyon na nakalap namin, after nitong hearing na ito, ay posibleng makakaasa na tayo kung ano ‘yung resulta, kung ano ang decision from the Kuwaiti court. So tayo ay nagaantabay at umaasa na mahuhustisya,” said Cacdac.

(Based on the confirmation we got, after this hearing, it might be possible for us to expect the verdict from the Kuwaiti court. So we are waiting and hoping for justice.) – Rappler.com