Martinez clarified that cultural and religious differences are not the main reasons why OFWs, especially in the Middle East have suffered abuses. He believes that if the government continues to neglect the welfare and protect the rights of OFWs, foreign employers would continue to abuse Filipino workers because they think that they could always get away with it.
The need for a long-term solution
Martinez admitted that the Philippine economy is hugely dependent on remittances sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Thus, the increasing number of OFWs being retrenched due to the global financial crisis has surely decreased the dollar remittances being sent by Filipino migrant workers. Martinez said that this could possibly be the reason why the current administration decided to lift the deployment ban to these countries. The government, said Martinez, is frantically searching for countries that would accept the deployment of OFWs, even if these are places where a lot of OFWs ended up penniless and, worse, lifeless.
“Ngayon ay mukhang nanginginig na ang upuan ni Ginang Arroyo pag naririnig niyang bumababa ang remittances” (It seems that Mrs. Arroyo is becoming restless every time she hears that remittances are decreasing.), he added.
Martinez said that the Arroyo administration should focus more on long-term solutions to the crisis. It should, Marinez added, generate local jobs that provide salaries that can support an average Filipino family.
“Kasi maraming trabaho sa Pilipinas, e,” (Currently, there are many jobs available in the Philippines), he said sarcastically. “Pwede kang scavenger, pwede ka sa call center, pwede ring sa call center sa kalsada, y’ong barker” (One could work as a scavenger, in call centers, or even in street call centers, such as the barker who calls for passengers in jeepney terminals.)(Bulatlat.com)
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April 27th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Hello,
It iwas a welcome for thousands of dometic helpers that has always become the victims of brutality and harassment by their employers and our government is pushing these women to work while the man stays at home and enjoy the life drinking and womanizing?? Iraq is a very big country and some areas are safe to work for construction and skilled Filipinos why dont they allow these MEN OF THE HOUSE to be the one to support their families??? IF IRAQ is dangerous then why these people from other foreign land are here enjoying the benefits of everything???mostly europeans,americans, french, canadians, germans, danish, koreans, chinese, indians, bangladesh, lebanese, turkish,Russians, Some of these people are investors and they need skilled Filipino workers aside from Nepalese and thailanders, indians chinese, eutopians and srilankans?? Kurdistan is a region in Iraq where Oil, Electricity, Water, Education and Health is the priority of Kurdish government to expand and they need skilled workers… our MEN,, instead of sending DOMESTIC HELPERS to be raped abused, and become Sex slave by their employers,,, I have witness a lot of these suffering of our women and i know how they live they live their lives with other families, specially the unfortunate ones. I have been a witness to some of these…We been in Saudi for 3 years, Oman for 4 years, UAE for 4 years, Jordan for 4 years, Lebanon, kuwait, Qatar, you name this Gulf and Middle East Countries and i will tell you how our poor domestic helpers earn their money to send home to their useles husbands (some) and children who think that money is harvested in the streets…those who have luck with their employers, enjoy liberty but spend with whom?? with other men..This is the life of our poor domestic helpers… the other side is hell for the Unfortunate ones and the other side is paradise with different men..(away from the eyes of their families.. (shame!) Noli De Castro and the rest of you who are exploiting our Filipino women please i beg you reconsider this as i am telling you the truth, dont interview these DH, Interview other nationalities who have witness our people suffering from the hands of their employers, Ask some priest, nuns, social workers and if you want come and see for yourself, come in Jordan, UAE, Saudi and the rest of the middleeastern countries, visit embassies, Disco houses, bars and accomodations of Cleaners and tell me if i am just making up these stories… STOP sending domestic helpers. SEND THEIR HUSBANDS FOR JOBS INSTEAD OF THESE WOMEN, MILLIONS OF INDIAN LABORS ARE HERE working to support their families why dont we do the same??? Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Srilankans…why these Men do labor works and leave wife and children home??? Their BALLS are between their LEGS, While the husbands of these filipino domestic Helpers, their balls are somewhere betweeen other womans legs and this is the truth. I am sorry to say but I find these Indian Labor more dignified than Filipio men who have no guts but to sit at home…..and drink and drink and let their wives work for other families and for other men….AMEN