SAYS POEA Direct hires for overseas work should be cleared by DoLE

lenjoy03, RN · Sep 6, 2007

I think, since there are lots of nurses living the Philippines, the government might have found new ways to earn money! Sometimes... It's as if people involve are not thinking that they already destroyed our reputation!

lawrence01 · Sep 6, 2007

They should clarify when this takes effect and for fairness, indicate that it should only cover newly formed contracts when it takes effect.

It would be grossly unfair for both the direct foreign employer/petitioner and the hired nurse if they will be made to abide w/ this, even though they have contracted w/ each way before this would be implemented.

In short, it should not be retro-active. Having the nurse part of this is already quite questionable already, in my opinion. Even for nurses that went through agencies here in PH. What 'benefits' can the POEA or DOLE possibly give to would-be US Legal Permanent Residents. If these were workers on temp. work-visas, then they may have a case that they can offer this so-called 'benefits', even though everyone know there's really none and it's just talk.

They can't even take care of our hard-working Domestic Helpers in other countries when they need help.

pinoy_guy · Sep 7, 2007

they should clarify when this takes effect and for fairness, indicate that it should only cover newly formed contracts when it takes effect.

i don't think it should be implemented at all.

this is the philippine government killing another goose that lays golden eggs.

it had killed the market for japanese entertainers by requiring the "artist's log book," which ended up being a money-making scheme...then finally scrapped. some entertainers claimed they had to shell out up to p30,000 each just to collect the required signatures.

it is killing the market for domestic helpers by unilaterally increasing their salaries from $200 to $400 per month...without even consulting the employers. deployment is way down.

now it will be killing the market for philippine nurses. nurses from all over the world are applying for jobs in us hospitals...and they do not require the $10,000 to $20,000 "service fee" that the philippine government will be requiring.

philippine nurses will be priced out of the market.

in short, it should not be retro-active.

sadly there's no guarantee.

as long as the nurse does not have the green card, he/she is still under the mercy of the philippine government.

when he/she gets the green card, he/she gets some protection from the us government.

having the nurse part of this is already quite questionable already, in my opinion. even for nurses that went through agencies here in ph. what 'benefits' can the poea or dole possibly give to would-be us legal permanent residents. if these were workers on temp. work-visas, then they may have a case that they can offer this so-called 'benefits', even though everyone know there's really none and it's just talk.

i remember watching the evacuation of filipino refugees from lebanon when the fighting broke out july of 2006.

tribune editorial

yet in the case of the overseas workers' funds, where her government should have, at the very least, some p8 billion that should be flowing, given the war conditions in lebanon, where some 34,000 filipino workers are stationed, all gloria has eked out for evacuation purposes is p150 million.
and gloria's people are stingy with that miniscule amount even at this time of evacuation.
philippine ambassador to lebanon al bichara has been complaining publicly that the embassy's funds are running out. he has asked for at least $1 million to keep things going.
for airing this complaint, bichara has been berated heavily by malacañang and the department of foreign affairs with even a dfa undersecretary saying that if bichara were a soldier during a time of war, he would shoot him dead. that's the diplomacy they teach this undersecretary?
there was too that remark from the undersecretary that all bichara spends on is food and bus transport from lebanon to damascus. just how much does this undersecretary think feeding sardine-packed ofws in that church costs, given the many days they have been staying there?
rafael seguis, a dfa official, was sent to lebanon to check on the claim of bichara, and said the ambassador had less than $100,000 total. so what's that amount when one is dealing with the problem of some 34,000 filipinos? but why are they so measly with the funds, since the owwa funds, precisely meant for such contingencies, amount to some p8 billion minimum?
they all denied that there is a lack of funds, yet it was clear, from the flight arrivals of filipino workers from the war-torn country, that there are less and less workers being brought home by the philippine government, with the latest batch numbering some 50 workers and in a commercial flight, which means that chartered flights have been dumped by the arroyo government as a means to get more pinoy workers home and fast.
even more ridiculous was the claim of budget secretary andaya that he wouldn't release any money to bichara unless and until the ambassador liquidates that which he has been given. with the red tape in gloria's government and considering that the times are extraordinary in lebanon and the filipino situation, the budget secretary wants to wait for a liquidation report? has gloria even liquidated the cash advances her office got for her many jaunts abroad? past commission on audit reports showed a huge amount that has been left unliquidated for these trips.
chances are, those billions in owwa funds no longer exist, with the funds diverted elsewhere-again.

i recall the news reports on tv.

the philippine government representative in lebanon was begging the passing trucks and buses from other countries to let our filipino ofws (which had been hailed as the new heroes) hitch rides in their vehicles.

i wonder what sort of protection this new measure will supposedly provide.

they can't even take care of our hard-working domestic helpers in other countries when they need help.

exactly.

precy · Sep 7, 2007

All I can say is Philippines is ran by thieves, ....and now they are going after the nurses.

lawrence01 · Sep 7, 2007

And we almost forget to ask if whether they did something for the nurses on the Sentosa case. These nurses, undoubtedly went through POEA since Sentosa has a local office here. Can they mention any significant help they have given so far and will be giving if the case further deteriorates not in favor of the nurses. The agency is winning, so far.

pinoy_guy · Sep 7, 2007

and we almost forget to ask if whether they did something for the nurses on the sentosa case. these nurses, undoubtedly went through poea since sentosa has a local office here. can they mention any significant help they have given so far and will be giving if the case further deteriorates not in favor of the nurses.

lifting order on sentosa valid - poea

"the fact that all complainants are eb3 visa holders, effectively vesting them the mantle of protection afforded by the united states to all its immigrant visa holders, is an assurance that their rights and grievances will be properly addressed in the us," the poea administrator added.

our poea is leaving things to the us government.

the agency is winning, so far.

i suggest not looking at this case as who's winning or who's losing.

let's stand on the side of truth, and let the hammer fall on the guilty ones.

after the us courts (us doj & nassau county supreme court) came out with their carefully studied decisions, i'm beginning to have some questions about the case.

the complaints of the sentosa 27 that the decisions are being influenced by political dealings...are casting more doubts on their case.

i don't think 2 independent us courts are that easily influenced by political pressure.

imho.

lawrence01 · Sep 8, 2007

lifting order on sentosa valid - poea
our poea is leaving things to the us government.
i suggest not looking at this case as who's winning or who's losing.
let's stand on the side of truth, and let the hammer fall on the guilty ones.
after the us courts (us doj & nassau county supreme court) came out with their carefully studied decisions, i'm beginning to have some questions about the case.
the complaints of the sentosa 27 that the decisions are being influenced by political dealings...are casting more doubts on their case.
i don't think 2 independent us courts are that easily influenced by political pressure.
imho.

i think you misunderstood me. it's not who's winning or not, it's if they are helping during the case or will help after the case, whatever the result it may be. i am by no means siding on anyone and it doesn't matter who is the perceived guilty party or not because that is for the us courts to decide as you have said.

but, since we are talking about benefits, insurance, protection, etc.. and that is what they claim to give when nurses go through poea, they should extend their help such as maybe partly shouldering expenses for lawyers, and other ancillary things. they of course have no say on the case but it doesn't mean they have no obligation to help by other means either. those are the 'benefits' we are taking about and sadly they are no where to be found again. this is what i'm trying to drive at. not because the nurses are perceived to be guilty would mean they don't have obligations to help anymore. they still do, and that is what the poea was tasked to do and should do, no matter what.

we won't see an american left alone w/o the help of the us gov't when he will have a case in another country. we saw this happening last year or so when an american soldier had trial and consequently convicted. the us gov't, thru the us embassy was there to give whatever support they can give because it is their obligation to do so, regardless of any perceived notions.

and i gave the example on my previous post to just emphasize that a nurse won't be able rely on any help from our country (thru the poea or owwa or whatever) when he needs help just like what they do (or not do) to other workers, in other countries.

it would just be another way to collect money for promised 'benefits', insurance, protection, etc.. that would never come when the time comes when the nurse needs it.

potatomasher · Sep 9, 2007

All I can say is Philippines is ran by thieves, ....and now they are going after the nurses.

This thought is scary but true. Don't they have enough money from the corruption going on?

pinoy_guy · Sep 13, 2007

but, since we are talking about benefits, insurance, protection, etc.. and that is what they claim to give when nurses go through poea, they should extend their help such as maybe partly shouldering expenses for lawyers, and other ancillary things. they of course have no say on the case but it doesn't mean they have no obligation to help by other means either. those are the 'benefits' we are taking about and sadly they are no where to be found again. this is what i'm trying to drive at. not because the nurses are perceived to be guilty would mean they don't have obligations to help anymore. they still do, and that is what the poea was tasked to do and should do, no matter what.

i see your point.

the philippine government forgot that it is supposed to be a 2-way street.

collect the fees, but provide the service the ofws are supposedly paying for.

we won't see an american left alone w/o the help of the us gov't when he will have a case in another country. we saw this happening last year or so when an american soldier had trial and consequently convicted. the us gov't, thru the us embassy was there to give whatever support they can give because it is their obligation to do so, regardless of any perceived notions.

this is a painful truth.

and i gave the example on my previous post to just emphasize that a nurse won't be able rely on any help from our country (thru the poea or owwa or whatever) when he needs help just like what they do (or not do) to other workers, in other countries.

i agree.

it would just be another way to collect money for promised 'benefits', insurance, protection, etc.. that would never come when the time comes when the nurse needs it.

exactly.

pinoy_guy · Sep 20, 2007

washington think-tank bats for more owwa transparency

a migrant worker think-tank urged the philippine government to be more transparent on how it manages the $134 million overseas workers welfare fund and provide a bigger voice to more than eight million overseas filipino workers (ofws).
. . .
the study, titled "protecting overseas workers: lessons and cautions from the philippines," was written by mpi associate analyst dovelyn rannvieg agunias and brookings institution research fellow neil ruiz.
agunias and ruiz, who both have filipino roots, said they decided to focus on the overseas workers welfare administration (owwa) because it is a centerpiece of the philippines' ofw support system.

the study noted that one of every 12 filipinos is a migrant worker. it added that the 8.2 million ofws in 2006 represent nine percent of the philippine population.

ofws remitted $12.8 billion to the philippines in 2006, representing nearly nine percent of the country's gnp and equivalent to more than 23 percent of export earnings. remittances are expected to reach $15 billion, they said, citing bangko sentral ng pilipinas estimates.

the trust fund is generated from the $25 mandatory membership contribution for all outgoing ofws. this has been a source of controversy, which the mpi blames on the lack of transparency and accountability by owwa.

this is the fund they want all ofw nurses to contribute to, especially direct hires.

agunias and ruiz, however, said the philippine government has been found wanting in its efforts to help migrant workers.

former jobs creation czar and agriculture secretary luis "cito" lorenzo, who was present at the mpi presentation, noted that most ofws recognize owwa only by the $25 fee they pay the agency rather than the benefits they can get from membership.

indeed, the paper noted that less than 30 percent of registered migrant workers are owwa members despite the mandatory membership fees. agunias and ruiz believe that could be an offshoot of the mistrust most ofws have about the owwa and how it spends the workers' money.

ballpark estimates: a news article about 2 years ago said more than 1,000 filipinos leave for jobs abroad daily, which was one of the reasons we were running out of passports.

using 1,000 as base, multiplied by 365 days in a year, that's 365,000 x $25 or $9,125,000 (php 419,750,000 at current exchange rates) in a year.

using 30% membership in owwa, that's $2,737,500 (php 125,925,000) a year.

for the owwa to have $134,000,000 in funds is good news...if the owwa is really using this money for the ofws who need it.

the deep doubts are partly an offshoot of the fact that owwa spends only about three percent of the fund for services. more than 50 percent of owwa's $17 million annual budget goes to operating and administrative expenses. more than 90 percent of the agency's $134 million portfolio are in investments.

3%??? that's less than the tax rate!

50% for "operating and administrative expenses???" for transparency, i think they should publish just how much these presidential appointees are getting in salaries and perks.

reminds me of other government-sequestered companies with presidential appointees earning millions of pesos a month, where the minimum daily wage is around $7 (php 350).

and what investments are the 90% sunk into?

ruiz said owwa board members are all presidential appointees, and only three seats are reserved for ofws, two of whom reportedly spend most of the year working abroad.

there should be transparency on who these appointees are, and their salaries and perks.

the hesitation of ofws to join owwa has bred further complications. when israel launched a war against the hezbollah in lebanon in july 2006, the owwa spent nearly $10 million to repatriate 6,300 ofws - but it wasn't clear how many of them were owwa members. ruiz noted that unless ofws become confident enough to join owwa, there will always be the prospect of owwa members subsidizing non-members during emergency repatriations, spurring debates of who should foot the bill.

this incident highlighted the fact that the philippine goverment will not release the money--if it still has the money--even when filipino lives are at stake.

the best the filipino representative in lebanon could do was to beg foreign-chartered trucks and buses to let our ofws hitch rides in their vehicles.

"the philippine experience shows that the protection of overseas workers can be institutionalized through three elements - a mechanism for repatriation, provision of insurance and loans, and education and training," the paper concluded.

there is a 4th element currently being used as a milking cow: health insurance.

and the 5th element being proposed: sss pension.

pinoy_guy · Sep 20, 2007

some sad anecdotes on what happens to "mandatory contributions."

what are we getting for our owwa & philhealth payments?

it is so sad to know that when we need to seek "financial benefits" from our government, paid from own pocket, we have to go through like hell, and at the end we get nothing.
. . .
one ofw who went to poea main office caught my attention - an ofw beneficiary whose parent was hospitalized. the owwa office in their provincial branch asked him (the ofw himself) to bring other documents until he got irritated as they kept on asking him to come back, asking for so many papers. it was as if they were begging for something the ofw had already paid!
the ofw stopped going back and forth as they had spent so much in transportation fare as though they would be reimbursed for it and the time spent. as we all know transportation fare is not cheap anymore. you also stand in the long queue and some government employees are not really accommodating when asked all these things...
. . .
of p2,175.00 (p1275 + 900) per ofw valid for one year only and it is a must to pay again for our travel exit clearance requirement

p2,175 is not $25.

p2,175 is $47.

different story but same conclusion - i met an accident as an ofw and went home with the aid of wheel chair. my employer shouldered all expenses during my deportation. when i regained my physical fitness, i went to owwa to file for medical support but the officer just told me that i get nothing from owwa since my company already paid everything!
another type of milking cow from ofw is the philhealth which also happened to me. i paid a premium every year and you have to pay it once for one-year validity but all your contribution are useless once your premium for the next month is missed and unfortunately it is the time that you are going to use it as your loved ones got sick and confined in the hospital.
where are my contributions for several years?

you don't have to be a super mathematician to figure out how much p 2,175.00 per ofw per year will sum up when you talk about 1,000 ofw's renew their policy each day for just ten days! and all these amounts simply vanish into thin air just after 365 days in the hands of an agency whose top positions are manned by the country's best minds?

php 2,175 x 1,000 = php 2,175,000 ($47,282) per day

php 2,175,000 ($47,282) x 365 days = php 793,875,000 ($ 17,258,152) per year

nobody knows where all this money goes.