Sen. Angara’s concern for overseas workers

We commend Senator Edgardo J. Angara for the great concern that he has manifested for the thousands of undocumented Filipino workers being deported from several Asian countries, Europe and the Middle East. He is 100 percent right when he says that they are our modern-day heroes, perhaps, we can even say saviors, for it is they who have kept our economy afloat by regularly sending dollar remittances to their families in their home country. And we agree with him completely when he added that we are duty-bound to protect them at all cost.

But best of all, he has not only defended them with words, but with a three-course plan of action. First, conduct diplomatic nego-tiations with the host countries to have their stay legitimized. True, that their stay was illegal, but other than that they have not broken other laws. They are, in short, workers in search of jobs overseas. If this effort fails, Sen. Angara’s second plan of action is to ensure that their deportation to their country is done as humanely as possible. Third and last is the government and private organizations’ responsibility to create domestic employment for these deportees and to help future overseas workers get legitimate working papers abroad.

Our overseas workers are not only modern heroes, now many of them have literally become martyrs. The worse part is that many of the martyrs were children. We really should do everything we can to alleviate their plight. We should give them the welcome and care that they did not get abroad.

We know for instance that every June, October and December, our local dollar supply goes up considerably. That is because, our overseas workers remit dollars home so that their children can enroll in their schools and have a good Christmas. No matter where a Filipino is, his heart is still with his family and homeland.

The refugees that were deported from Malaysia are mostly Muslims from Mindanao. Malaysia should have shown some concern for their fellow Muslim neighbors.

Sen. Angara has suggested the national government to tap funds from various sources, particularly the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, to help alleviate the plight of the recently-deported workers in Mindanao. A newspaper has launched a fund drive and so far has managed to raise more than two million. Metrobank Foundation also donated P2 million for the refugees. We hope that different groups from the private sector also conduct their own campaign and we hope that it will not be limited to Metro manila but to different parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.