OFWs warn of more protests

MANILA, Philippines - Yesterday’s “Zero Remittance Day” had no significant economic impact, according to the central bank, but overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) warned of more mass actions against plans to tighten rules on balikbayan boxes. 

The OFW protest also prompted Customs officials to draw up revised guidelines regarding the handling of balikbayan boxes. The new rules may be out by next week.

The militant labor group Migrante said yesterday’s no-remittance day was not the last of the Filipino migrants’ “show of force and unity” against the government’s anti-OFW policies.

Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante party-list chair, said OFWs would turn the Zero Remittance Day into a Zero Vote campaign against administration candidates in the coming 2016 elections.

“Those who belittle our political exercise also look down on our strength and unity as a sector. Our message today is clear: The migrant sector is a force to reckon with. Those who have insulted us will feel the brunt of OFWs and their families’ ire this coming election season,” Regalado said.

“We have millions of overseas absentee voters, we have millions of relatives back home who are voters. Let today’s Zero Remittance Day serve as a preview of the migrant sector’s unity come election time,” she added.

According to Regalado, the OFWs felt insulted and vowed to take more anti-government actions when President Aquino’s allies belittled no-remittance day.

Regalado said yesterday’s Zero Remittance Day was a success and showed OFWs’ unity.

She said Filipinos from at least 16 countries participated.

“We have once again proven that we are worth much more than the dollars, and the balikbayan boxes, we send,” she said.

OFWs initiated the no-remittance day to signify their protest against the Bureau of Customs’ plan to conduct random inspection of balikbayan boxes.

Regalado said the government agreed to stop the random inspection, but still planned to impose additional taxes on balikbayan boxes.

“For as long as the P600-million target collection stays, the BOC is given license to ransack our balikbayan boxes or impose other tax schemes. In fact, we have received reports from families who still receive ‘inspected’ boxes even after the BOC order was issued. Our main demand today is for the Aquino government to retract its P600-million target collections on OFWs’ balikbayan boxes now,” Regalado said.

Malacañang earlier downplayed the no-remittance day, saying it will have no effect on the economy.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) believes the staging yesterday of zero remittance had no significant impact on the country’s economy.

Francisco Dakila Jr., managing director of the BSP’s Monetary Policy sub-sector, said the protest would have no significant impact but would affect the families of Filipinos living and working abroad.

Cash sent home by overseas Filipinos help fuel the country’s consumption-induced economic growth.

Following the protests, the BOC announced it would come out next week with the revised regulations on how they would handle balikbayan boxes.

BOC Deputy Commissioner Arturo Lachica said they are in the process of finalizing the revised rules.

“The only thing missing is that we want to consolidate with the people in the field, just in case there is something that we forgot to include,” Lachica said.

He said a meeting was set on Tuesday to finalize the draft regulation before it would be presented to Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina for signing on Wednesday.

“We would have a district collectors’ conference on Friday in Davao City, maybe that would be an opportunity for us to give instructions to all the Customs district collectors on how to treat the balikbayan box in consonance with the instruction of the President,” Lachica said.

Lachica refused to disclose the draft rules but gave assurance that this would comply with the instructions of President Aquino for the BOC do away with the physical examination of balikbayan boxes and instead have them placed under X-ray.

On the other hand, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada stressed the need to establish a clear-cut policy on how to treat balikbayan boxes in order to avoid the current outrage over the plan of BOC to conduct random inspection of the contents of these packages.

Estrada said a balance must be struck between the mandate of the BOC and the interest of all concerned parties when it comes to the balikbayan boxes.

However, Estrada said the unwarranted inspection and implementation of “draconian procedures” on the balikbayan boxes should never be allowed.

“It is important that a clear-cut policy regarding balikbayan boxes should be institutionalized, isolating it from any politically driven decisions and making it consistent despite changing leaders,” Estrada said.

Estrada filed Senate Resolution 1549 calling for an inquiry into the issue of the inspection of balikbayan boxes in response to the recent directive of President Aquino for the BOC to stop the plan to inspect these packages. – Evelyn Macairan, Marvin Sy, Lawrence Agcaoili