90 groups support POEA guidelines for DH - Brion

More than 90 major organizations representing different sectors in the Philippines and abroad have thrown their support behind the government’s new policy in the deployment of Filipino household service workers, labor chief Arturo Brion said Monday. In a statement posted at the website of the Department of Labor and Employment (www.dole.gov.ph), Brion said the snowballing support to the new policy reforms bolsters employment of Filipino domestic helpers to foreign countries. This was apparently meant to contradict claims of militant groups spearheading protest actions by domestic helpers and recruiters pressuring the government to scrap the policy approved by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) that took effect December 16, 2006. The guidelines doubled the minimum monthly salary for Filipino domestic helpers to $400, raised the minimum age requirement to 23 and required applicants to undertake skills and language proficiency training prior to deployment. Brion averred that the new deployment guidelines foster better conditions and standards aimed at preventing exploitation, ill treatment as well as painful costs on the Filipino DH families. Brion said the groups supporting the new policy represent labor, employers, migrants, religious, civil society, international, regional, ethnic, and legislative with local as well as international affiliations. The report indicated that groups supporting the reforms are based as far as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Libya, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar; Oman, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Africa, and other areas. Brion expressed the government's gratitude to these groups for standing up to need to bolster the conditions and protection of disadvantaged overseas Filipino workers. He said that due to the continuing manifestation of support, "we expect the number of groups committing to the new standards to reach the hundreds level shortly." DOLE identified the groups supporting the new policy as follows: (Philippines) - Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People, CBCP; Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP); Federation of Free Workers (FFW); National Confederation of Labor (NCL); Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA); National Congress of Unions in the Sugar industry in the Philippines (NACUSIP); Philippine Association of Legal Service Contractors (PALSCON); National Association of Trade Unions (NATU); Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP); Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI); Philippine Transport General Workers Organization (PTGWO); Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW); Apostleship of the Sea; Development Action for Women Network (DAWN); CBCP-EMI; Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA): Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC); Scalibrini Center for People on the Move (SCPM); International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC); Association of Professionalism in Overseas Employment, Inc. (ASPROE); Overseas (Hong Kong) - Confederation of Filipino Overseas Workers (COFW); Filipino Service Community Network (FILCOMSIN); Guimbai Filipino Workers Association; Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines; DOMO Hong Kong (DOLE OWWA Tulay Microsoft); Bilag to Ilocano Assocaition; Anak ti Villasis; Bohol Philippines; Galing Manggagawa Pinoy Abroad (GMPA); Migrant Ilonggo International Association; Bohol HK Association; Atimonan Quezon Association ; (The Middle East and Africa - Order of the Knights of Rizal - Middle East and Africa Region; (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): Cabalen Aguman Capampangan KSA; Filipino Community - Jubail, Eastern Province; Kasangga ng OFW, KSA; D' Heroes Group in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh and Al Khobar; Filipino Tenpin Bowlers of Eastern Region; Philippines Society of Mechanical Engineers KSA Chapter; Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Eastern Province, KSA; Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, KSA Eastern Province Chapter; Cebuano Integrated Security and Tribal Allies; SANGKAY Saudi Arabia; United Surigaonon Association; Master Builders Association of the Philippines, Eastern Province; Guardians Brotherhood, Inc. (Jeddah Chapter); KASAPI Congress, Jeddah; Hand-to-Hand Combat Aikido, Jeddah Chapter; S.A.M. Foundation, Inc.; KAPIT BISIG, Jeddah; BSME Western Region, KSA; Cebuano Speaking Organization in Saudi Arabia (CSOSA); United Maguindanao Expatriate Association (UMEA); Bagong Bicol Saro, Jeddah; Association of Cabalen Expatriates, Circulo Ilonggo, Saudi Arabia; SIGLAKAS; Boholano Community in Jeddah; Association of Ranao Engineers and Architects, Jeddah; PAMAC International; PHILMASA, International; Association of Filipino Civil Engineers, Western Region, KSA; Pangasinan Saudi Workers Association; Philippine Guardians Brotherhood, Red Sea Chapter; (Taiwan): Aguman Kapampangan, Taipei Chapter; Bicol Association in Taipei; Filipinos Married in Taiwanese Association; OFW Family Club, Taiwan; Tamshui Filipino Community; The United Vismin Association in Taiwan (Libya): Filipino Community Association in Libya (FILCOL); Filipino Muslim Community Consultative Council in Libya (FMCC); (UAE): Filipino Club of Ras-Al Khaima; Lightform International Filipino Photographers Guild, Dubai; Philippine Health Care Providers, Dubai; Central Philippine University Alumni Association, Dubai; CADD Group, Dubai; United Filipino Association in Fujairah, UAE; Alpha Phi Omega (APO), Dubai; Filipino Association of Um Al Quwain; Filipino Bowling Club, Dubai; Filipino Scuba Divers Club, Dubai; International Alliance of Filipino Table Tennis Association, Dubai; Kabayan Kapit Bisig Foundation; Lingkod OFW, Dubai; Maranao Community, Dubai; Pinoy Expats Auto Club, Dubai; Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Dubai Chapter; Sharjah Filipino Bowling Club; Aguman Kapampangan Dubai; Filipino Press Club, Dubai; (Oman): Filipino Social Club in Oman; (Qatar): Filipino Community Organizations Alliance (FILCOA) composed of 32 organizations; (Korea): Filipino Community Leaders, Religious Groups and OFW Organizations in Korea; and, (Japan): Solid Filipino Migrant Association (SOFILMA), Tokyo, Japan. - GMANews.TV