Recruiters clash over OFW welfare insurance

MANILA, Philippines - Manpower agencies on Friday clashed over differing proposals for a mandatory welfare insurance program for overseas Filipino workers (OFW). In a press statement, the Federated Associations of Manpower Exporters, Inc. (Fame), an umbrella organization of 11 Associations of licensed overseas employment service providers, accused the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (Pasei) of trying to derail the Federation’s proposed Emergency Repatriation and Legal Liability Insurance Program (Erlip). “I would like to clarify reports coming out in the media attributed to Mr. Vic Fernandez of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI) that the ‘entire overseas employment sector supports the Workers Enhancement Insurance Program of the PASEI’ which Mr. Fernandez is covertly pushing to be adopted by the government," Fame president Eduardo Mahiya said. “The reports are patently false, big lies, and amount to a classic misrepresentation by Mr. Fernandez of the position of the sector," he said. Mahiya explained that the Erlip is meant to provide protection to OFWs over and above the existing protection measures of the government. He said their proposal will not cost the OFW and the government a single peso. “The Erlip is being proposed at this time when the overseas employment sector is facing a lot of uncertainties and because we believe that OFW protection is the best strategic approach toward ensuring Philippine competitiveness in the global employment market," he added. Mahiya said Fame, in promoting the Erlip, signed a manifesto and invited the Pasei president to sign it. “He indeed signed the manifesto, but used the occasion of the signing, as well as the document, to promote his own insurance program. Worse, he did not inform his fellow stakeholders in the sector about his actions prior to signing the manifesto—a regrettable behavior which confused the public about the OFW protection proposal of the Federation. “Because of his misrepresentation, the Federation dissociates itself from Mr. Fernandez’s past and future actions with regards the ERLIP and takes him accountable for his continued acts of self-promotion and misrepresentation even at the highest levels of government," Mahiya said in the statement e-mailed to media outfits on Friday. In a telephone interview, Mahiya further belittled Pasei’s program as “optional, very limited, and costly to the OFWs." He did not elaborate. Pasei program Fernandez, in a separate phone interview, said he would not react to Mahiya’s “personal attacks" and opted to discuss only the merits of the rival proposals. “Ayokong mag-react, basta ‘yung aming programa, comprehensive welfare insurance na no-cost sa worker at sa government (I don’t want to react, but our program is a comprehensive welfare insurance that is at no-cost to the worker and to the government)," he said. Moreover, he said the WWEP has been “up and running" for over four years now on a voluntary basis while Fame will not implement its “vague" program unless the government makes it mandatory first. “Kami, we are concerned about the welfare of the worker kaya kahit hindi pa mandatory, iniimplement na namin tsaka lang namin hinihiling na gawing mandatory (that’s why even though it’s not mandatory yet, we implement it then we ask for it to be mandatory)," he said. Fernandez said that he was also proud that their program covers a lot of areas that Fame’s “misleading" program does not. Under Pasei’s proposed insurance plan, for a mandatory coverage of only US$3 per month or at the cost only of one good fast food value meal a month, the Filipino migrant worker will be entitled to: • Accidental death benefit of up to $15,000 or about P725,000; • Survivor’s benefit (in case of natural death) of up to $10,000 or almost P483,000; • Permanent total disablement of up to $7,500 or more than P365,000; • Repatriation of bodily remains (including burial) of up to $15,000 or about P725,000; • Repatriation due to emergency evacuation and legitimate cause of up to $1,000 or more than P48,000; • Subsistence allowance of $100 per month or more than P28,800 for six months; and • Legitimate monetary claims for unpaid and just wages of up to $4,500 or more than P217,000. He said that unlike their program, Fame’s Erlip, if implemented, will only cover the repatriation and insurance of the worker onsite, which he said not many insurance companies would be willing to provide. Meanwhile, he added that it would be not good that the government sees how “divided" their industry is so it’s better to not blow things out of proportion. - GMANews.TV