SEEKING justice for maltreated overseas Filipino workers is an ordeal in itself due to the government’s fragmented and confusing complaints mechanism, according to a new report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In its “Seeking Justice: Developing Improved OFWs Feedback and Complaints” report, IOM noted that the country currently still has no centralized database and system for the handling of the cases of abused OFWs.
Instead, each concerned government agency which responds to OFW complaints maintain their own database as well as their own procedures and standards.
Conflicting advice
Among the agencies that handle OFW complaints are the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its attached agencies, which include the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).
The report, which covered documented land-based OFWs, did not focus on Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) since it usually deals with undocumented OFWs.
Alcestis Mangahas, the lead researcher of the new IOM report, said the multiple sources of information from various agencies lead to conflicting advice and guidance, resulting in a “sense of helplessness and resignation” among OFWs.
Of the workers who experienced involuntary work arrangements, “only a third will seek help. And the reasons for which is about 27 to 28 percent are primarily feel threatened, fear [from their employers] and shame. The other big reason is resignation and acceptance. thinking that no one will probably listen to them,” Mangahas said, citing the data from the 2018 National Migration Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Convergence hub
To address the issue, the IOM report proposed the creation of an interagency “hub” to handle OFW cases.
“We think there should be a hub to establish the accountability. The hub will provide oversight, facilitate access, develop systems and more importantly also report on progress and difficulties and challenges,” Mangahas said.
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center (BOPC), one of the partners of IOM in the crafting of its latest report, back the proposed “hub.”
BPOC head Susan Ople said the POEA is a good candidate to manage the hub due to its control over recruitment agencies and their respective principals.
The IOM noted the hub could be managed not only by POEA, but also by OWWA due to its strong national presence as well as a new independent rapporteur.
Good transition
Ople said the creation of the hub will also facilitate the creation of the proposed new department to handle the affairs of Filipinos abroad.
“When you have that hub ready, it will make transition from the current setup to the new department easier because at least the tracking of cases and the tracking of OFWs concerns is taking place while the structure is being put up,” Ople said.
Currently, the bill creating the new department is pending in Congress and is one of the priority bills backed by President Duterte.