Filipino workers in Taiwan recover P33.7M in claims
By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:01:00 03/27/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei on Thursday reported that a total of about P33.7 million, or NT$26.3 million, worth of Filipino workers' claims from brokers and employers were recovered in 2007.
Antonio I. Basilio, Meco managing director, said in a statement the amount represented unpaid or delayed wages, illegal deductions, tax refunds and excessive fees charged to thousands of Filipinos working in Taiwan.
Basilio said that staff members working at the Meco centers in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung helped the Filipinos in recovering their claims.
Citing data submitted by the three labor centers in Taiwan, Basilio said the staff members successfully handled a total of 16,846 welfare cases last year.
"Our labor offices have been tirelessly providing assistance to our kababayan in Taiwan," Basilio said. "In fact, even if the OFWs have already flown home, Meco continues to pursue their money claims and keeps track of their yet-to-be-released tax refunds."
The Philippine resident representative in Taiwan added that the recovered claims are immediately wired to the OFWs' bank accounts.
Rodolfo Sabulao, Meco's director of labor affairs, said that one of the agency's priorities in 2008 is to forge an agreement with Taiwan's Ministry of Finance on the tax claims of OFWs.
"We are requesting Taiwan's finance ministry to designate Meco as the OFWs' proxy or representative [in the filing of] tax refund claims," Sabulao explained. "This would simplify and expedite the process."
Meco wants to improve the OFWs' chances in recovering their claims. At present, workers who are about to complete their employment contracts in Taiwan tend to authorize their brokers or employers in making refund claims, Sabulao said.
"This complicates matters since not all brokers and employers promptly remit the OFWs' tax refunds," he explained.
With Meco as the OFWs' representative, the Filipino workers may expect the recovered funds to be turned over to them as soon as possible, he said.
Sabulao also said that, last year, Meco provided shelter to 58 distressed Filipinos, conducted on-site management visits to 145 Taiwanese companies, nursing homes, and manpower agencies to monitor the employment and living conditions of Filipino recruits, and offered 97 reintegration seminars and skills training, from basic computing to language-learning courses in Taiwan.
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