The investigation on the issue on the “sex for fly” and “OFW Prostitution Ring” perpetuated allegedly by the embassy and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) officials have long been overdue.

             It has been happening since the time our mostly female countrymen packed their bags and braved the deplorable conditions in the desert and deserted areas of the Middle East to alleviate the economic conditions of their families back here. They have always been vulnerable to maltreatment and abuses both from their alien employers, mostly Arabs whose traditional culture of slavery prod them to treat Filipino foreign domestic workers, in particular domestic helpers not as formally skilled workers but as slaves and from their own diplomatic and labor shields or representatives overseas — their supposed protectors.

             The vulnerability of these workers actually begins here. Despite the legislative blocks and threats on illegal recruitment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) regardless of whether their contracts are overboard or flawed, there remains a consistent number of Filipinos being shipped out of the country.

              The Labor office estimates that out of the more than two million OFWs in the Middle East almost five percent are illegally recruited. These are the most vulnerable crop of helpless workers to abuse, ill treat, extort and blackmail among others. 

           On a mega look, the problem originates from the chronic miserable economic situation of our countrymen where poverty has never become a challenge but an opportunity to escape a national calamity of unavailable jobs and unsustainable livelihood. This government, however continues to blame the increment of unwanted babies and the government addresses the problem with condoms and contraceptives or insists on a dole out program rather than a comprehensive plan to stamp out poverty beginning with “depoliticizing” the issue.

My extensive ministry travels to the Middle East countries where large concentrations of OFWs are located (estimated two million) stand witness to these OFWs’ woes. The handy recourse of these distressed workers normally is the nearby Church where confessions and counseling are available.

            In the 1990’s a friend of mine, an Indian priest stationed in Abu Dhabi opened his parish office to distress and runaway domestic helpers, counseled them, processed their papers and paid their tickets back to Manila from the parish coffers. He was eventually booted out of his parish and banned from the country.

This issue of sex for fly and prostitution ring would definitely rend his heart but would still be grateful that this surfaced because he himself was aware of such abuses.

          Unfavorable circumstances lend to the alleged romantic affairs and “prostitution rings” perpetuated by the labor officials in the labor centers. For instance the over extended stay of the runaways in the centers that sometimes lasts for more than year with the usual excuse of processing the papers! I have interviewed quite a few number of them in my visits to these centers where some maintain illicit relations with some labor officials leading to pregnancies and love quarrels in scandalous proportions among others. This prolonged hangout of these runaways make them vulnerable to the evil prospective designs of these “entrepreneurial” officials.

The solution therefore is to shorten the period of the repatriation or redeployment process since these labor centers are just actually halfway houses for transient problematic workers.

        Lack of funds has always been forwarded as the problem so the officials say especially in repatriation. Goodness, so what happened to the $21 billion (13.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product) annual remittances of the almost 9.5 million overseas Filipinos (10 percent of the country’s population). Can we not use such gargantuan funds to finance at least the tickets back home of these distressed OFWs? Such funds belong primarily to these OFWs!

        Legislation addressing this chronic repatriation process due to lack of funds should be enacted to unclog these centers and minimize the possibility of unwarranted affairs and diabolic schemes of some enterprising officials. And of course, some heads and agencies have to roll.

It is not enough to call our OFWs “heroes,” but we they don’t have to be “martyrs” in the hands of their own countrymen.

 LINK OF THE ARTICLE:

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/  15716-overseas-filipino-workers-woes

REACTION 

            Overseas workers are people  who are working abroad to earn money and to uplift the status of living. They are people who earn dollars and not  peso.

   Working overseas nowadays is an ordinary thing for Filipinos. According to the census released by the Philippine National Statistics Office, there are about  millions Overseas Filipino Workers who works abroad. It is common to know that in every Filipino family there is at least one who is working in another country. Each of them has their own different reasons why they want to work in another country; some might think that it’s a superb opportunity while others might find it as their last resort in order to fulfill their family’s needs. But accepting the fact that they are going to another country for hope of a good job, they are also challenged to adapt the culture of the country where they will be staying. But unfortunately there some who gets in trouble and needs help.

The goal of every Filipinos who work abroad is to make a living for themselves and for their families. Every OFW’s has a great contribution in our country(Philippines). Every remittances they made they are already contributing to our country’s economic growth and also to the livelihoods of the other Filipinos nationwide. There are good impacts that OFW’s contribute not only to their family but also to our country. First,  their (OFW’s) remittances were given to their families and was then consumed to buy their necessities which made a difference. Think about those sellers they bought onto, they actually made a living out of those remittances from OFW's. So if more and more Filipinos work abroad, more remittances will be made, more money will be allocated. This will surely help the Philippine economy to boom. Second, it helps unemployed people who are undergraduates get employed overseas since opportunities here in the Philippines for them is slim to none. Lastly, they (OFW’s) are proclaimed as Filipino heroes because they contribute allot to our country, such as, Money.

However, Even though they have good experiences still they also experience things that are traumatic. The commonly issues/problems that an Overseas Filipino Workers were experiencing nowadays, are sex for fly, OFW Prostitution Ring, maltreatment and abuses both from their alien employers, illegal recruitment .. so on and so forth.

It’s really hard to work abroad with these traumatic experiences. Many are affected not only the one working but the family as well. Filipinos working abroad are sacrificing so much, such as being away from their families. Sometimes they ignore the pain just to send money for education of their children and to uplift the status of living but what is more painful is that sometimes children do not understand the absence of a mother or a father. And so the outcome became worst because  children are not properly guided and usually they end up into addiction or rebellion.

          I Strongly believe that poverty is the very main reason why Filipinos work abroad. If only our government provides employment that can make the family survive then contentment  will be achieved. We all know that Filipinos are hardworking and ambitious therefore , opportunities and chances should be given to all. Overpopulation has been a problem for years so I think the government should focus on this problem and to put up a special program wherein every family will be given proper information on how to control the population. It is obvious that the recent program regarding family planning is not effective because population continue to increase. I am 99 % sure that if population decrease , therefore, opportunities and chances will be served.