MATRIX
OF MIGRANTE SECTORAL PARTY POSITIONS
ON SPECIFIC HOUSE BILLS OF THE THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
House
Bill Number
(1) HB 1281
Bill
Title
An Act Liberalizing
And Accelerating The Processing And Deployment Of Overseas
Filipino Contract Workers, And Appropriating The Necessary
Funds Therefor (OFW Liberalization Act of 2004)
Author
Rep. Roilo Golez
MIGRANTE
Position
The
MIGRANTE Sectoral Party fully rejects House Bill 1281.
As an organization
that knows fully well of the social costs that migration
in the Philippine context has brought to our people,
we strongly suggest that the House Special Committee
on Overseas Workers Affairs junks House Bill 1281.
The said
Bill, that the author would like to refer as the "OFW
Liberalization Act of 2004," only intends to worsen
what existing policies the government has with regard
to our close to ten (10) million documented and undocumented
migrants worldwide.
House Bill
1281 seeks to amend a major State policy that does not
promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic
growth and achieve national development as enshrined
in the Migrants Act of 1995 (Republic Act No. 8042).
The Bill will only further justify the aggressive moves
and actions being committed by the Department of Labor
and Employment with regard to promoting overseas employment
as a cornerstone of economic development, in actual
violation of the policy declarations of RA 8042.
House Bill
1281 is also an attempt to worsen the loophole-laden
RA 8042 with its intent to 'liberalize the processing
and deployment of OFWs.' The said House Bill will bolster
the anti-migrant provisions of the law - Sections 29
and 30 that stipulates the deregulation of recruitment
activities and the abandonment of government's regulatory
function on the same.
Migrante
urgently calls for the junking of House Bill 1281. We
appeal to the Honorable Committee not to tamper with
Section 2 and Section 2 Paragraph (c) of Republic Act
8042 in its present form. #
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[HB 1281] [HB 1618] [HB737] [HB 3572] [HB 257, HB 346, HB 2367]
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