MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 26, 2012) – A Filipino migrants’ rights group assailed the claims made by a party list congressman that they represent overseas Filipino workers in the House of Representatives.
The Saudi-based Migrante-Middle East said claims by Congressman Walden Bello, of Akbayan, was utterly false.
“How can one group genuinely represent the OFWs in Congress if its stand on various OFWs issues and concerns is totally in conflict to the interest of the OFW sector? Walden Bello’s claim that he and his party Akbayan represent the OFWs is totally false,” Migrante’s regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He said that Bello and Akbayan have been misrepresenting OFWs just to advance its party’s interests in cahoots with the Aquino administration.
“Akbayan and Bello’s puppetry to the Aquino administration had rewarded him the chairmanship of the Congressional special Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs who is sitting cold on the various OFWs issues and concerns,” Monterona said.
Monterona also questioned Bello for being silent on Aquino’s Administrative Order No. 31 signed recently which allows government agencies and controlled and owned corporations to raise fees and charges that would greatly affect OFWs.
“Undoubtedly, the OFWs will be hit hardest by Aquino’s AO No. 31 given the numerous government documentations required for our deployment abroad. Bello also killed a proposed House bill that would have prevented the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration from being under the jurisdiction of Republic Act 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011 that will transform OWWA into a GOCC and to corner its P13 billion trust fund, a compulsory collection of US$25 per OFW member,” Monterona said.
He said that Akbayan and Bello also killed a proposed bill that would grant credit assistance to OFWs, especially those in distresses, and to members of their families.
“These are just few, among the many, OFWs issues and concerns that would prove Bello and Akbayan’s anti-OFW stance. I could not remember a proposed bill or a law for that matter that was authored by Bello aiming to advance OFWs rights and welfare,” Monterona said.
“For the many OFWs, not only here in the Middle East but around the world, Bello and Akbayan’s claim that they represent OFWs is utterly a false claim. We join other sectors and progressive groups demanding the disqualification of Akbayan as it is not underrepresented and not even representing any marginalized sector.”
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