TORONTO – As global Filipinos commemorate International Migrants Day on December 18, Filipino migrants in Canada call on the Philippine government to respond to migrants’ urgent needs and provide genuine assistance to Filipinos abroad.
According to Migrante Canada, the continued struggle of Filipinos caused by “poverty, landlessness, lack of livable wages and decent working and living conditions, and systemic government corruption continues to force Filipinos to leave the country every day.”
Migrante Canada joined Migrante International in declaring December 18 as Zero Remittance Day, expressing outrage against systemic government corruption in the Philippines, where hard-earned remittances sent daily by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are pocketed by the state.
In 2024 alone, nearly $40 billion was sent by migrants in remittances, boosting the government’s economy while migrant workers remain neglected and abused in host countries.
‘Zero remittance against corruption’
In an online discussion yesterday, December 17, Migrante Ontario chairperson, Marisol Bobadilla, emphasized the importance of remittances to her family. Having been an OFW for over a decade, Bobadilla shared that all her earnings go toward her family’s basic needs—food and school fees yet these same hard-earned funds are pocketed by officials instead of being used for much-needed social services.
“Lahat ng pera na kinita ko since 2021, mula Taiwan hanggang dito sa Canada, wala akong savings. Ibig sabihin, lahat ng pera na kinita ko ay napadala ko sa Pilipinas,” she said.
(All the money I earned since 2021, from Taiwan to Canada, I have no savings. Meaning, all the money I earned, I sent back to the Philippines.)
Filipino migrants continues to suffer
Just two days ago, Migrante Canada, Migrante Manitoba, and allied organizations from the Migrants Resource Centre Canada met with 17 Filipino Temporary Foreign Workers in Winnipeg who were unjustly terminated by their employer, 4Tracks Ltd., only two weeks into their employment.
According to the migrants’ rights group, the terminations followed serious violations of the workers’ health, safety, and labour rights. The employer failed to provide proper onboarding and employment orientation, did not supply the tools and equipment required for their work as mechanics as stated in their contracts and job descriptions, and denied them adequate accommodations, food, and appropriate winter clothing including jackets, gloves, and boots, all of which were clearly stipulated in their employment agreements.
The workers arrived in Canada less than a month ago from the Philippines through the placement agency Venture Management, which is based in the Philippines.
In response, the group demands that the Philippine government immediately address the urgent needs of overseas Filipinos by providing genuine protection and services to OFWs, ending mandatory premium hikes and state exactions, investigating and prosecuting the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and related agencies including the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President for plunder and corruption, freeing Mary Jane Veloso, ending the labour export program, and creating genuine jobs, services, and development so migration becomes a choice, not a necessity. (RTS)
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