 |
| Unifil protests outside the Consulate against the forced OFW contributions in Taiwan |
Members of United Filipinos in Hong Kong staged
a rally on Sunday, Sept.1, to protest against the compulsory collection of
government fees from overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan.
According to the protesters, the “No Pay, No Work” order of the Philippines’ Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan took effect on the same day.
The order reportedly states that OFW contracts will no longer be verified unless they can show proof that they are active members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Social Security System (SSS) and the government’s home financing agencyPag-IBIG.
 |
| Basahin ang detalye! |
In a statement, Unifil chairperson Dolores Balladares warned Hong Kong could be next in line for the re-implementation of the mandatory collection of government fees from OFWs, a plan that was halted amid the pandemic following widespread protests from Filipinos abroad.
“We are worried that what is happening in Taiwan will also happen in HK, because for the past five years, these mandatory collections of SSS, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth, and other fees were not strictly implemented because of the loud and wide resistance of OFWs not only in HK but globally,” sai Balladares.
 |
| A separate protest was held on Chater Road in Central |
She lamented that the current government of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is making only superficial efforts to improve the lives of OFWs through various initiatives by OWWA, such as the provision of OFW lounges and the first-ever OFW Center in Hong Kong.
“Instead, what it has done now is to collect money from OFWs and not give them a choice but to pay because there is repercussion, just like what is happening now in Taiwan,” added Balladares.
She likened the new move to an executive order issued in 1984 by the president’s late father, Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., which directed all OFWs to present proof that they were remitting money to their families in the Philippines, at the pain of not having their contract and passport applications processed.
The protesters also took the opportunity to praise their counterparts in Taiwan for immediately sounding the alarm and calling on MECO to reverse its order and vow not to reissue it.
Unifil vowed to continue its protest against the mandatory fees, saying it was due to concerted action by OFW groups around the world that the law mandating the forced collection of higher membership fees in PhilHealth was held in abeyance in 2021.
 |
| Pindutin dito para sa iba pang mga detalye |
