As a venue to address issues and concerns involving land-based Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFW), the Overseas Land-based Tripartite Consultative Council
(OLTCC) held series of meetings. Among the agenda in the said meeting includes
update on the situation in Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt) by the
Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA), and OFW
concerns on the Department of Health (DOH) and Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA).
Mr. Renato Villa, Senior Special Assistant of the Office of the
Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) provided a situationer
of undocumented migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. The amnesty granted for
undocumented workers to correct their visa status will end in November 3, 2013.
He mentioned that embassy staff are doing their best to facilitate OFW
documents for their repatriation but the bottleneck is with the slow processing
of exit visa by the JAWAZAT (Passport Department).
Women and their children are being prioritized and there are about 300
being processed. The situation in Riyadh unlike Jeddah is far more challenging
since mothers and children are subjected to DNA testing to establish their
relationship.
As per record of the embassy, more than 20,000 applied for new
passports. In the month of September, there were 2,969 OFWs that have been
repatriated and another 2,130 are awaiting their exit visa. The embassy
estimates at least 30% of the undocumented workers are looking for new employers
and will get employed before the deadline. The embassy is also negotiating with
Saudi Immigration to allow immediate departure of OFWs once the exit visa is
issued and not to go through the prison anymore.
In Egypt out of 6,000 Filipinos there are only 2,500 registered. The
embassy has not advised for repatriation. Meanwhile, in Syria there are more
than 3,000 OFWs scheduled for repatriation and as of September 4,500 OFWs were
already sent home.
In the meeting, TESDA reported that of the 217 training centers for household
service workers only 200 centers were assessed and 100 are found to have
violated the rules. The centers were given 30 days to comply or face closure
and at least 32 centers had voluntarily closed their operations. Several issues
were
raised to TESDA like the official and required number of days for HSW
training; the observation that assessment centers have also become training
centers; and the practice of training centers being used as collection agents
for placement fees. There were reports that some training centers charge as
high as 80,000.00 pesos. TESDA was urged to set an acceptable and affordable
training fees that should not be substituted as placement fees.
It was also suggested that aside from trade skills HSWs should also be
taught life skills (example health and reproductive rights). And that a closer
coordination between and among POEA, TESDA and agencies should be strengthened
to curb the issue of high training fees. Civil society groups also raised the
need to revisit the current conduct of the pre-departure orientation seminars
(PDOS).
The Gulf Accredited Medical Clinics Association (GAMCA) practice of “decking”
was raised. DOH was told to
supervise such practice of GAMCA requiring OFWs to avail medical test
only from their accredited clinics.
An NGO representative suggested that small committees be formed to act
on the different issues that have been raised to the Council so that there will
be real concrete results and output on the issues.
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