No alternative for Filipino workers in Taiwan, says recruitment expert

MANILA, Philippines – The alternative labor markets being eyed by the Philippine government for Filipino who may be affected by the brewing tension between Taiwan and the Philippines are not feasible, a recruitment industry expert said Saturday.

According to Emmanuel Geslani, there are no alternative markets for OFWs in Taiwan in case the Philippines eventually loses this labor market, which, he said, was the most sought-after destination of OFWs.

“Malacañang should stop deceiving the public… that there are other markets where OFWs can find work,” he said, adding, “This will further infuriate Taiwanese employers who are now serious in removing Filipinos as their contracts expire.”

He also disclosed that more employers in Taiwan have recalled job orders for Filipinos issued this year and transferred these job orders to other countries in support of their government’s stand.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said her department was eyeing new markets, especially in the manufacturing sector, the Middle East, South Korea and Malaysia.

But Geslani explained that the markets identified by DOLE could not absorb the yearly deployment of OFWs to Taiwan.

In South Korea, there is a yearly quota which cannot be increased at will by the Philippine government, and this year it is for only 7,000 workers, positions which the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has not been able to fill, he said.

“The Middle East does not have electronic factories or manufacturing companies where most of our workers are working and there is no country which can offer the same salary that our factory workers are getting [in Taiwan] which is P30,000 a month plus overtime,” Geslani added.

Malaysia has some electronic and assembly companies but these are small compared with the giant factories in Taiwan, which is the leader in information technology components and semi-conductor assembly, he said.

“The government is just taking our people for a ride by issuing statements which cannot be backed up by facts and the POEA statistics will show that Taiwan is the 7th largest destination of our OFWs,” Geslani said.

He said the government should instead take measures, including taking negotiations on a higher level, to solve the situation and not to inflame further the emotions of the Taiwanese.

A statement posted on the website of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) in the Philippines said: “As per the Council of Labor of the Republic of China mandate, effective May 15, 2013, all work permit applications of Filipino blue-collar workers, including the first time applications, substitutes, and re-hiring are frozen.”

But Baldoz said that Taiwan was still open to accepting Filipino workers although at a slower pace.

“There is no hiring freeze but only a slow down in hiring of Filipino workers because Taiwan imposed additional requirements for the processing of visa applications,” she said.