Filipino Expats Qatar

Press Release
June 23, 2008

As host governments gear towards stricter immigration policy,
Migrante challenges the Arroyo govt. to craft a clear, sound protection and legalization program for undocumented OFWs

An alliance of overseas Filipino workers organizations in the Middle East today challenges the Arroyo government to develop a sound protection program for undocumented and over-staying Overseas Filipinos as several host governments around the world are gearing towards implementation of stiffer and stricter immigration policy.

“The silence of the Arroyo government on the new European Union immigration policy against overstaying or illegal migrants is so deafening in the absence of a clear and sound program to protect the rights and welfare of undocumented and overstaying Filipino migrants,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator.

Statistics shows from the Philippine Government that there are some 124,000 undocumented Filipinos in Europe, 40,000 of them in France and 20,000 in Italy.

“We would like to remind the Arroyo government that though undocumented, the more than 100,000 Overseas Filipinos (OFs) are mostly working there to survive their families back home, thus they have their own share on the billions of dollar remittances the government is earning from OFWs,” Monterona added.

Monterona said that once the EU governments started to hunt and crackdown illegal migrants, undocumented and overstaying OFWs deserve the protection and assistance due them from the Arroyo government. “That is if the Arroyo government truly cares our fellow undocumented OFWs on that part of the world,” he continued.
Monterona cited the continued crackdown of undocumented OFWs in countries like South Korea and Japan where the Arroyo administration miserably failed to provide clear and sound program for their protection and eventual legalization of the thousands undocumented OFWs in these countries in Southeast Asia.

“Even here in the Middle East with some countries at the early stage implementing tough immigration measures such as the finger-print system now being implemented in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and eye-scan in the entire United Arab Emirates as needed in the issuance of residence or work permit, the Arroyo administration seems deaf enough to hear the calls by OFW organizations and cause-oriented groups to work for the legalization of undocumented OFWs,” Monterona averred.

Monterona said that an estimated 45,000 to 60,000 OFWs are undocumented and illegally staying in Saudi Arabia out of the almost 1.8 million OFWs in the entire Kingdom.

Migrante’s Monterona said that he doubt if the Arroyo government could properly address and give priority on the protection and legalization of undocumented OFWs since it has been observed that its only priority is to ensure the continuous flow of billions of remittances and extract millions of fees from OFWs, returning and aspiring alike.

The OFW leader said that Migrante, OFWs and their families will not be anymore surprised if the Arroyo administration being the host government during the Manila Global Forum on Migration and Development on October 2008 would not address this issue and would not initiate to lobby with participating and receiving governments.

“The protection and legalization of undocumented OFWs, among many other OFW issues and concerns, is the least priority of the Arroyo government as it failed on its 7 years in office to develop and implement a clear and sound protection program and work for the legalization of all undocumented OFWs around the world,” Monterona ended. # # #

For Reference:
John Leonard Monterona
regional coordinator
Migrante Middle East
Mobile No.: 00966 564 97 8012