Bello downplays fears Chinese workers taking away jobs from Filipinos

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Thursday allayed concerns Filipinos may be losing out on job opportunities due to the continued influx of Chinese workers in the country.

Bello said there is “no rampant” case of jobs reserved for Filipinos that ended up with foreigners.

Under labor rules, the government can only issue an alien employment permit (AEP) if a foreign national is going to do a job or a service that cannot be performed by a Filipino.

Bello said he has issued an order for the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to review the issuance of AEPs to the foreign workers, particularly if the field of expertise can be done by a Filipino.

He is also looking into the possibility of revoking the DOLE order authorizing the Bureau of Immigration to issue work permits to foreign nationals.

“Now with the concern being raised by some sectors that there are so many foreigners working without permits, some foreigners doing business without permit, we are studying the possibility of revoking that delegation of authority in coordination of course with the Department of Justice who has supervision over the [Bureau] of Immigration,” Bello told reporters in Malacañang.

He also said an inter-agency body will study concerns about online gaming operations that tend to cater to Chinese nationals.

Data from the Bureau of Local Employment showed 115,652 foreign nationals were issued with AEPs, of which 51,980 are Chinese, while 12,177 Japanese and 11,780 Korean from 2015 to 2017.

In a Senate hearing last month, Labor and Immigration officials revealed that the bulk of foreign nationals that obtained work permits in the country are Chinese individuals who work in online gaming as language interpreters.

The officials also said that many of the Chinese come to the country on tourist visas, then later secure special work permits (SWPs) for three- to six-month work AEPs for longer employment in the Philippines.

There have also been instances of Chinese individuals being nabbed for working in online gaming operations but supposedly without work permits or other necessary documents.

“Mula noong nagkaroon ng ganiyang pag-i-issue ng AEP hanggang ngayon 115(000) pa lang. So kung iisipin mo kasi na for this year, talaga naman napakalaki; anong klaseng trabaho iyan? Pero iyong start way back pa noong nag-i-issue ang DOLE ng AEP, hindi naman masyadong malaki,” Bello said.

“Ang kinakatakutan noong iba, bakit ang dami diyan na nagtatrabahong mga foreigners na wala namang AEP,” he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier called for a “careful” approach to the problem on illegal Chinese workers in the country.

Duterte said on November 27 that illegal Chinese workers “should be deported” but “in the same manner, you should be careful because when you point to the Chinese you also point yourself at us.”

He also said that the Chinese government has not deported a Filipino for working illegally in China.

Duterte’s conciliatory relations with China, despite the South China Sea disputes, have increased trade and investment opportunities for the two countries, according to the Philippine government. — MDM, GMA News