Filipino migrants in Canada vow to be more militant

A militant group of Filipinos in Canada vows to intensify its campaign this year for the protection of the rights and welfare of migrants, immigrants and refugees around the world. Siklab-Canada, a national alliance of overseas Filipino workers in Canada, will strengthen its national network as it welcomes the formation of an international alliance for migrants, said Roderick Carreon, chairman of the group. In a statement on Thursday, Carreon said the International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA) will be formed in June in Hong Kong under the initiative of the International League of People's Struggle (ILPS)-Study Commission. Siklab-Canada believes that the formation of the IMA could step up and expand the scope of global militant struggle for the rights, welfare and livelihood of migrants, refugees and displaced persons all over the world. According to Carreon, poverty, political instability and lack of economic opportunities in labor-sending countries drive more and more workers to migrate to capitalist economies like Canada. He added that developed countries prefer docile yet educated foreign workers from poor countries who sell cheap labor. The phenomenal expansion of labor migration has resulted in countless cases of abuse against migrant workers. Carreon noted that the large influx of migrant workers in rich countries like Canada has sparked heated debates among local populations despite alien laborers’ contributions to host countries’ economies. Racism and discrimination often result in abuses and lack of services for migrant workers who are considered second-class citizens. He said that many of the almost half a million Filipinos (mostly women) in Canada entered the country through the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). LCP’s requirement for women workers to live in their employers' house for 24 months with only temporary immigration status and its categorization of migrant workers as a special group have resulted in the lack of support and services for workers, he said. He added that these rules create exploitative conditions that subject Filipinos to various forms of abuse. SIKLAB-Canada believes that the situation of Filipino communities in the country is being shared by migrant and immigrant communities around the world, Carreon said. Siklab-Canada expects the IMA to boost the struggles of the migrants for the protection of their rights. The ILPS envisions the IMA as an alliance that will defend the interests of migrants, refugees and displaced persons from abuses. The alliance will implement joint actions to intensify global campaigns for just wages, job security and the crusade against discrimination. It will also fight commoditization of migrant labor and the criminalization of undocumented migrants and immigrants. Moreover, it will encourage cooperation among the members of the alliance in promoting international solidarity with progressive organizations and alliances. - Luis Gorgonio, GMANews.TV