‘RP migration system consistent with global standards’

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said yesterday that the country’s migration system is consistent with the principles set out by the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM).

Sto. Tomas also noted the country’s system could even stand "possibly as the best available in the world."

"I would like to offer the Philippine case as an example of a national effort to manage migration and move within the GCIM principles," she added.

These principles are: the people should migrate out of their (free and responsible) choice; there must be recognition of the economic and development impact of migration; irregular migration must be addressed; social reintegration must be strengthened; the rights of migrant workers must be protected and competence enhanced.

Sto. Tomas, one of 19 commissioners of GCIM, claimed that the commission was formed to draw up a "coherent, comprehensive and global response to global migration."

She said that globally, the Philippine government was able to set up a "core of labor attachés and personnel posted on site in areas where there is a preponderance of overseas Filipino workers."

The core includes lawyers, doctors and social welfare officers tasked to assist migrant workers in cases of contract violations, maltreatment, repatriation or reintegration.

"No Filipino in distress is turned away by the government and we verify employers and their records in the area of employment and welfare and also try to detect any systematic patterns of exploitation or abuse," she maintained.

And locally, the "stringent standards" have been imposed on recruitment, wages and working conditions of workers to ensure their protection.