This is a press release from the Department of Labor and Employment

“The Filipino diaspora—migrant workers who are scattered in 2002 countries—are a global ‘force for good’; they serve as the country’s ambassadors of goodwill, and therefore, deserve no less than fair and humane treatment and equal protection of their universally recognized rights under the principle of social justice and decent work for all.”

Secretary of Labor and Employment Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz emphatically said this yesterday in her statement at the 2013 International Dialogue on Migration: Diaspora Ministerial Conference being held as a side event to the 2013 International Labor Conference in Geneva.

“President Benigno Aquino III had said that in whatever country the Filipinos work, they have been a force for good, contributing their knowledge, skills, and caring and nurturing ways to their countries of destination, be it in times of peace or war or any emergencies,” she said.

“Migrant workers respect the laws and culture of their host countries. Their contribution to the economy of—and their socio-cultural assimilation and integration to—the host countries help strengthen the foundation of global peace, security, and prosperity. Therefore, they deserve humane treatment and equal protection. This is the pathway for diaspora and development to serve as a bridge between societies and states,” she added.

The conference, organized and sponsored by the International Organization for Migration, is participated by 422 representatives from government, 25 from international organizations, 32 from non-government organizations, nine academics, and seven from other international institutions. Its theme is Diasporas and Development: Bridging Between Societies and States.

Baldoz, who delivered her statement in a panel that discussed diaspora and societies, informed conference delegates that the Filipino diaspora covers the entire globe.

The IOM defines diaspora as emigrants and their descendants, who live outside the country of their birth or ancestry, either on a temporary or permanent basis, yet still maintain affective and material ties to their countries of origin.

“We have an estimate of 10.5 million Filipinos overseas, 4.5 million of whom are contract workers; 4.9 million are permanent residents, and the remaining one million are undocumented migrants,” Baldoz stated, adding:

“The USA is the No. 1 home for Filipino permanent residents, while the KSA is the No.1 host for our contract workers. Undocumented workers who are not registered under the Philippine system, but are in possession of legal documents allowed by the laws of the host countries, are mostly in Singapore and the UAE. Altogether, overseas Filipinos constitute ten percent of our population and contribute 8.5 percent of our GDP through their US$22.8 billion in foreign currency remittances as of 2012.”

In her statement, Baldoz said that protection and welfare policy is the basis of the Philippine migration management system covering pre-employment, on-site employment, and postemployment that applies particularly to contract workers.

She said the system has gained international recognition as model on contract labor management for labor sending countries.

“Based on our experience, the temporary nature of their stay requires well-defined areas of cooperation mutually agreed upon in bilateral agreements supplemented by regional and multilateral arrangements to promote legal and ethical recruitment,” she said, citing the agreements on the recruitment and deployment of skilled workers, professionals, and service workers with Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, South Korea, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the ASEAN, she said member countries have concluded Mutual Recognition Arrangements on engineering services, architecture, medicine, nursing, and dentistry.

She also said that the Philippines has ratified all ILO core conventions, including the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 and the Domestic Work Convention.

“We are a party to the ASEAN Declaration on the Principles of the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families and an active participant in the various consultative processes on migration like the Colombo Process, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, the Bali Process, and the Global Forum on Migration. The UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Palermo Protocol, which have been ratified by the Philippines, are being enforced by a government-led convergence program under the Trafficking-In-Person Law, or R.A. 10364,” she said.

For OFWs in countries affected by the global economic slowdown, Baldoz said the thrust of the government is to encourage them to return home through a government-led reintegration program that provides credit and training facilities for start-up businesses.

“We leverage remittance by channeling them towards savings and productive investments, transfer and use of knowledge and skills, and network building among migrants. Returning Filipinos and migrant workers can access a P2 billion reintegration fund allocated from the Overseas Workers Welfare Fund and managed by government financial institutions,” she explained.

Baldoz said that as the Philippine economy expands, the government continues to focus on inclusive and sustainable job-led growth.

“Recently, we have started to see investors who offer competitive wages and benefits attractive enough for OFWs to choose to return home and work in the Philippines, making migration a genuine choice, not an inevitable necessity. The strategy not to postpone any further development efforts to make our growth less dependent on foreign currency remittances is most opportune today for the Philippines than in the past,” she said.

Taken from: http://www.dole.gov.ph/news/view/2141