The vulnerability of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is again manifested in the crisis that is engulfing the relations between the Philippines and Taiwan. The shooting of a Taiwanese fishing boat by the Philippine coastguard and the subsequent death of a fisherman has not only strained the relations of the two countries but has put the lives and limbs of OFWs in Taiwan as violence and nasty treatment are reported by Philippine media. The worst is the reported physical abuse committed to Filipinos by Taiwanese gangs. OFWs in Taiwan are helpless in the midst of all the violence and our government could only tell them to be extra careful and to restrict their movements. Such violence should have necessitated the immediate filing of a diplomatic protest but our government could only whimper silently. Obviously, our government has abandoned its responsibility of protecting the OFWs in Taiwan.
Taiwan is taking an aggressive stance in this crisis. It has immediately recalled its representative in the Philippines and has called on the Philippines to conduct a joint investigation of the shooting incident that undermines our country’s sovereignty. It also freezes the hiring of Filipinos that gave anxieties to thousands who have already completed the processing of their papers for deployment and those that have pending application. To add insult to injury, Taiwan sent its investigators accompanied by throngs of media people in the Philippines and within a few days declared its findings that what transpired in the seas is nothing but murder.
Our government showed its incompetence in the midst of all these. Apologies from the Philippine government did not douse the undiplomatic attitude of Taiwan officials.
Taiwan, to thousands of Filipinos, provides the much needed income that the Philippine economy fails to provide. There are more than 85,000 Filipinos in Taiwan 72% of whom are employed in the manufacturing sector or factories, 26% in personal/social services, and 2% in the fisheries sector. Around 35,000 Filipinos are deployed to Taiwan every month. OFW remittances from Taiwan in 2012 were registered at US$168 million, higher than what was registered the previous year, which was US$157 million.
Taiwan is a favorite destination of Filipinos in Asia. They are protected by the country’s labor law, including minimum wage, accommodation and safe working environment. A factory worker in Taiwan can earn a monthly income of PhP30,000.00, excluding overtime pays, while a domestic helper around PhP16,000.00. While Taiwan cannot be considered a “greener pasture” compared to the United States, Canada, and European countries, still it is a wise alternative considering the widespread poverty and unemployment in the Philippines.
Recruitment agencies would rake much profit in the recruitment of OFWs in Taiwan. While the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) sets the standard payment for placement fees at equivalent to one month salary, unscrupulous recruitment agencies fleece them of from PhP100,00.00 to PhP150,000. Recently, the POEA cancelled the license of an agency, Lifeline International Philippines, Inc., for excessively asking PhP120,000.00 placement fee from a job applicant in Taiwan. The cancellation was a result of a case filed by the applicant to the POEA where he paid an initial PhP50,000.00 to the agency but was not issued an official receipt. He was able to sign a contract but was not deployed to Taiwan. Such is the misery of Filipinos even at the onset of application. It would take at least three to six months of processing of papers including medical examinations before an applicant can finally travel to his or her country of destination.
Abuses committed by Taiwanese employers are rampant. Late last year, a Taiwanese former lawmaker was found guilty of raping a Filipina domestic helper in 2004. A Filipino caregiver in Taiwan was forced to jump from the window of a second floor apartment to escape her employer who attempted to rape her. Thousands more suffer from verbal and physical abuses from their employers, including long hours of work and nonpayment of wages. These cases show the abuses that OFWs in Taiwan endure in their desperate attempt to earn a living for their families.
Taiwan is a province of China. Its land area is equivalent to the Samar provinces combined. It is unconscionable to many Filipinos how Taiwan can bully our government. Taiwan knows that our government cannot just replace it as a major destination of OFWs in Asia, despite statement of Undersecretary Valte of Malacañang saying that “The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is now preparing contingency measures, including identifying alternative markets for our OFWs.” Valte said DOLE is looking at South Korea and the Middle East and Malaysia as alternative deployment markets for OFWS.
Valte simply showed her ignorance of overseas labor market. An overseas recruitment consultant vehemently disputed Valte. He said South Korea, the Middle East, and Malaysia cannot just absorb the yearly deployment of 35,000 OFWs in Taiwan. South Korea has a quota of 7,000 OFWs per year and cannot just be increased anytime the Philippine wants. There are no electronic factories or manufacturing companies in the Middle East and Malaysia has some electronic and assembly companies but are small compared to giant factories in Taiwan like Apple and Samsung. More importantly, no country could offer the same salary of P30,000.00 that OFWs are getting in Taiwan.
Far from looking for alternative markets for OFWs, the government should look into the Philippines on how to absorb the growing labor force and by providing a decent living wage for the workers. A backward and underdeveloped Philippine economy has resulted to widespread poverty and unemployment in both urban and rural areas. This situation and the need for skilled and unskilled labor overseas compel Filipinos to leave their families for work abroad and suffer indignities such as discrimination, abuses, anti-labor practices, and homesickness. The only alternative to overseas labor market is an economically developed Philippines by way of national industrialization.
The government could not simply ignore the plight of OFWs, especially in Taiwan. Since the hanging of Flor Contemplacion in Singapore in 1995, the issue of OFWs has become a national security concern of the government since it can ignite the disgust and hatred of Filipinos over an inept government. Imagine if the 85,000 OFWs in Taiwan are sent home due to government ineptness. These would swell the number of unemployed and hungry families in the Philippines. This would result to massive unrest and would shake the foundation of the government, which may result to its downfall. (30)
TILLER: John Batara johnbatara@icloud.com
Formerly of the College Editors Guild