September 16 - 30 , 2018 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY IMMIGRATION 9 durianrepublic by JJ Atencio
Just last week , an opposition Senator expressed concern about the rising number of foreign workers , particularly Chinese nationals working in the call centers that cater to online gambling Chinese clients . The estimate is that some 400,000 foreign workers were employed in Metro Manila alone .
The concerns were the usual ones : mainly that foreign workers were depriving Filipinos to be gainfully employed . I beg to differ . Many times , it is easy for us to latch on to labor issues because the optics are “ pro-Filipino ” and the sound bytes are so “ pro-labor ”. But what is really the situation on the ground ?
Obviously , Chinese nationals are needed for the on-line gaming BPOs that market to Chinese clients . I know some Filipino-Chinese friends who also work in these BPOs , but only a handful actually like this job or are qualified with a level of Chinese language proficiency that makes them acceptable to the clientele .
In the construction industry , its very clear that there ’ s already a severe shortage in labor , both skilled and unskilled , that started some years ago , and exacerbated by the “ build build build ” program of the present government . Now , even with higher wages , it is still not easy to get sufficient good labor . And the lack of workers causes project delays and higher execution costs .
Sadly , it is difficult to match OFW salaries because these are based on standards of higher developed countries . And it also raises costs that make the product uncompetitive .
So when a good worker says goodbye because his foreign job offers twice or three times his local salary , the best I can do is wish him well , thank him for his service and assure him that whatever happens abroad , he can always come back to work with us .
Admittedly , there were times I actually thought about importing Burmese or Vietnamese engineers and skilled workers just to augment the
REVERSING THE BRAIN DRAIN
labor shortage . Sort of like reversing the OFW migration of our labor force by hiring ASEAN workers . The “ brain drain ” throughout these decades have caused a labor shortage problem we are experiencing today not just in the construction industry but other sectors as well , from IT and health , to education and hospitality .
So , is the hiring of foreign workers depriving Filipinos of gainful employment ? Not at all , there ’ s a labor shortage and that ’ s the problem . There has always been a stigma attached to technical and vocational courses that creates a small supply of industrial workers . It is one of the reasons why it ’ s not easy for the Philippines to industrialize . There is a mismatch of skills that are needed by manufacturing and industry versus what is taught in school .
So let ’ s think about this : As an employer , I ’ d always prefer Filipino workers because they ’ re easier to work with and cheaper to maintain . But in this age of globalization , perhaps hiring foreign labor is the way to go to finally achieve industrialization and new levels of economic growth .
Guilty Verdict ...
impositions by the IMF , WB and WTO and their transnationals and foreign banks doing business in the Philippines , thereby perpetuating economic backwardness , plunder , and dependency .
Diehard Duterte Supporters ( DDS ) dismiss the Verdict as biased and not factual ; the Presidential spokesperson called the verdict a “ sham decision ”, the IPT a “ propaganda body of the international left ” and the verdict as a useless piece of propaganda against the government .” It must be noted that Duterte , Trump , and the other Defendants were duly served with the Notice , Calendar of the Case and Rules of Procedure by the IPPT . The Defendants nor their counsel did not appear and did not reply back to the Tribunal . In doing so , the Defendants waived their rights to present evidence in their defense . They could have had their day in court but they chose not to .
The Defendants could have challenged the evidence but they did not . The evidence presented by the Complainants to the Tribunal included oral testimonies under oath , judicial affidavits and sworn statements , case summaries , fact sheets , studies , expert analysis , videotaped depositions and clips , slides presentations , and other relevant documents presented or submitted in person or into the record at the Tribunal in public session . There were 31 witnesses , experts and resource persons for all three charges against the Defendants . It was made clear by the jurors that even with the absence of the Defendants , the Complainants still had to prove their charges with “ clear , convincing and credible evidence .” And they did .
The Philippine Government ’ s
dismissal of the Verdict cannot hide what the IPT described as the “ window of visibility ” that has opened on the “ gravity of the violations and related responsibility ” – “ a tragic scenario of intolerable violence , impunity , and state terror , which must be immediately exposed not only to be condemned , but to require an immediate awareness by the peoples of the world and intervention by the responsible actors of international law .”.....“ The narratives are eerily familiar and oftentimes similar to previous violations that past peoples ’ tribunals have covered . And yet the Defendant Duterte has created new forms of attacks and intensified the old ones .”
The copies of the Verdict were submitted to the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) where charges against Duterte are also pending , the European Parliament and the United Nations Human Rights Council on September 21 which coincided with the anniversary of Martial Law in the Philippines . Human rights advocates and solidarity groups are expected to deliver a copy of the verdict to Philippine embassies and consulates in Canada and other countries . Copies of the Verdict are expected to be sent to other organizations , entities and States , including the US Embassy in Brussels and the Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations .
The Videos of the Tribunal process and the Verdict is available online at http :// iadllaw . org / 2018 / 09 / internationalpeoples-tribunal- on-the-philippinesissues-verdict-on-duterte-and-trump / ( this is the website of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers ). ###
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