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MANILA, Philippines—A migrant rights watchdog seeks “transparency and consultation” in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s choice for the next administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
"The selection of the new OWWA administrator is an excellent opportunity for the administration to show that it is a government that listens and values the voices of the people it hopes to serve and lead," Philippine Migrants Rights Watch president Carmelita Nuqui said in a letter to the President.
In the letter, a copy of which was furnished INQUIRER.net, Nuqui said the post is critical as OWWA is the principal government agency tasked with protecting and promoting the rights of overseas Filipino workers.
Noting that various names have cropped up as possible replacement to now Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, Nuqui stressed the importance of the OWWA chief who would oversee the estimated P10-billion fund of the overseas Filipino workers.
OWWA, although a government agency, does not receive any budget from the national government; it runs on the $25 membership fee that every departing OFW pays.
The PMRW official said a cautious selection will result in an appointee who has "competence, integrity, sensitivity to OFW-related issues, and openness to dialogue and consultation."
Nuqui said that OFWs, hailed as the country's new heroes, would be truly honored with proper representation not just in OWWA but also in the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, where they are only given token representation.
Moreover, she said, the choice of OFW representatives to OWWA and POEA does not go through a process of consultation with OFWs.
The PMRW is a network of non-government organizations promoting the rights of migrant workers.
