House approves bill promoting RP labor export policy

MANILA, Philippines - The House Committee on Overseas Filipino Worker Affairs has recently approved a bill that would fast track the processing and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). Committee chairman Rep. Manuel E. Zamora (Compostela Valley) led the committee in approving House Bill 387, otherwise known as “An Act Liberalizing and Accelerating the Processing and Deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers." Rep. Roilo S. Golez (Paranaque City), author of the bill, said this measure corrects the Ramos-era policy that “downplays" the export of Filipino labor abroad. Golez was referring to the provision stipulated in Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 saying that the government “does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development." But the lawmaker said HB 387, on the other hand, mandates the “active promotion" of overseas employment to boost the national income “without sacrificing the dignity and fundamental human rights and freedoms of Filipinos while working abroad." He added that he believes OFWs form the “nation’s economic edge," thus the terms “export labor" should not seem “dehumanizing." “Our local economy cannot adequately sustain our population growth [thus] the role of OFWs in promoting the national economy and keeping the national income afloat is indubitable," said Golez. He said that the country must maximize its labor force. “We have found ourselves in the position of having a comparative advantage in the export of labor, an advantage we must fully harness to expand national wealth," he said. HB 387 has been forwarded to the plenary for deliberation. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has likewise issued Administrative Order 247 that mandates the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to market, rather than facilitate the deployment of Filipino workers abroad. The Technical Education Skills Development Authority was also tasked to “intensify its skills retraining and skills upgrading program" for the labor marketing efforts of the POEA. The POEA said that about 5,346 Filipinos are being sent to work abroad daily. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV