OFWs strengthen their voice

AN UNIDENTIFIED witness answers questions from senators during a public hearing on alleged sexual exploitation of OFWs by some Philippine embassy employees and officials in the Middle East. Joseph Vidal/Contributor

Whether on local corruption scandals or immigration issues abroad, overseas Filipinos, now estimated to number over 10 million, are gaining a louder voice—and signs are they will continue to make themselves heard in the new year.

SEN. JUAN Edgardo Angara questions Department of Foreign Affairs officials during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged sexual exploitation of OFW by some Philippine embassy employees and officials. Joseph Vidal/Contributor

Filipinos abroad raised their voices on the pork barrel scam and other big corruption scandals that rocked the country last year—posting their own forms of protest on the Internet.

In response to devastating natural disasters that hit the Visayas last year, overseas Filipinos were likewise at the forefront of fundraising drives to help loved ones back home cope with the calamities.

MILITANTS protest POEA’s ban on direct hiring by foreign employers of household workers, which Migrante claims will leave workers at the mercy of unscrupulous recruiters charging exorbitant fees.

At the same time,  many Filipinos overseas are also throwing their voices behind worldwide campaigns to protect migrant rights and reform immigration policy.

In the United States, Filipino-Americans are demanding a way out of undocumented status through new legislation. Filipinos are the largest ethnic Asian group in California at 1.5 million.

In Saudi Arabia, a crackdown on illegal workers caused months of tension but has also led to some concessions allowing workers to update their sponsorship papers. Over a million Filipinos are contract workers in the Saudi kingdom while hundreds of thousands more are in the neighboring Emirates. New minimum wages and protective rights for domestic workers have been agreed upon although vigilance will be required to see them upheld.

OFWs who lost their jobs abroad due to the global economic crisis in 2009 held a protest action in front of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration building in Pasay City.

The overseas Pinoy is also becoming more outspoken in demanding better overseas services from the country’s foreign affairs personnel. For the first time, women also came out to complain about sexual harassment by some embassy personnel.

The strengthened voices of overseas Filipinos—in the United States, the Middle East and many other Asian cities—may be a reflection of their growing confidence and successes in many parts of the world.

In the US and Canada, Filipino entrepreneurs are making new forays into food, beauty and fashion industries, to name a few.  Marketing and hotel management executives are gaining attention in the Middle East. Filipino farm managers got good notice in New Zealand.