OFWs in HK draw up ‘wish list’ for Aquino
Leaders of over a hundred overseas Filipino workersâ (OFW) organizations in Hong Kong gathered on Sunday to draw up a list of their common demands for the government. The gathering, attended by 140 leaders of 121 Filipino organizations in Hong Kong, was held on the eve of President Benigno âNoynoy" Aquino IIIâs first State of the Nation Address (SONA). Topping the list, drafted during their first ever All Presidentsâ Meeting (APM), were appeals to lower the recently hiked passport fees and the scrapping of government charges and agency fees for overseas-bound workers. âWe urge [Aquino] to take heed of the demands of OFWs that we have long called for but were denied us. There is no better time than now for PNoy to make true his promises of change to the people. Mr. President, do not disappoint us," said Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK) that spearheaded the event. Other demands that the participants agreed to advance included the following:
- scrapping fee requirements for getting an overseas employment certificate;
- enhancement of government services for OFWs such as providing onsite medical and legal assistance, and free hospitalization for OFWs;
- scrapping of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Guidelines on Hiring of Filipino Household Service Workers and the training scheme for OFWs, which they said results in overcharging of migrant workers;
- providing for an OFW Card with benefits similar to those being enjoyed by senior citizens