Aquino’s 5th Sona fails to address OFWs’ issues
Staff Report
DUBAI – Many Filipino Overseas Workers (OFWs) expressed frustration after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III delivered his fifth state of the nation (Sona) address and failed to address issues of migrant workers.
Prior to Aquino’s speech in Congress on Monday, many OFWs had expressed hope on social media networks that the president would address the problems of workers abroad. Aquino had promised to enforce state policy of not pursuing overseas employment as a development strategy.
There was no mention of OFWs in his speech, but Aquino called on the nation to support his reforms as he pointed out his administration’s successes in infrastructure development, military modernization and reforms to stamp out corruption in revenue agencies. "This is the result of reforms, and this is what we fought for and continue to fight for, not the continuation of the status quo, but change in the system for everyone's benefit," he said in his televised address.
He became emotional in the last few minutes of his speech, recalling that the reason why he ran for president was to continue the fight of his parents: an assassinated opponent of dictatorship and a democracy hero who became the country's first female president.
"You gave me the opportunity to lead a transformation. If I declined the challenge that you presented, it would be like saying I would support your continued suffering, and my conscience cannot take that," he said. Supporters lauded his performance four years into his term as president.
In the US, several Filipino organizations took to the streets of Woodside, New York as Aquino delivered his speech before Congress, saying that the Philippine president has failed to address the issues and needs of overseas Filipino workers, particularly human and labor trafficking of OFWs. "During Benigno Aquino's term, we have also seen migrant workers in the US subjected to terrible conditions. We have seen hundreds of cases of abuse and trafficked workers," Lorena McRae of Philippine Forum told ABS-CBN.
McRae said the Philippine government has yet to shut down unscrupulous and abusive recruitment agencies as well as prosecute those that prey on unsuspecting OFWs.
In the Philippines, civil society groups at a rally at Magsaysay Park called Aquino’s Sona “rhetorical” and “typical”. “As we can see it, Aquino gives total favor to international investors who he called will uplift the economic state of the country but at the same time forgets the other sectors. If there’s no balance in giving attention to the different sectors, no progress will be made,” Nathaniel Saa, SCMP-Cagayan de Oro chair, told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
However, Aquino did mention the P1.6-billion funding for Technical Skills and Development Authority (Tesda), which has served 223,615 beneficiaries through its Training for Work Scholarship Program. He said a P7,155 budget has been spent on each scholar to sustain their training. One of his promises was to “invest in training and upgrading the skills of our overseas workers”.
Wildon Barros, chairman of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Northern Mindanao, criticised the move. “These Tesda scholars are designed and trained to join the exodus of Filipinos going abroad. In a word, Aquino is pushing our trained citizens to go out of the country instead of helping the country to advance its economy,” Barros told Sun.Star Cagayan De Oro. Every day, 5,000 Filipinos join millions of OFWs abroad, according to a statement by civil group Bayan.
