‘Save OFWs on death row’ campaign victory: OFW Lanuza saved from execution

Press Statement

1 February 2013

Reference: John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator
                 MIGRANTE #96 Sectoral Party of OFWs and Families, Vice-chairperson

                 Mobile No. 00966 544547736

‘Save OFWs on death row’ campaign victory: OFW Lanuza saved from execution

MIGRANTE 'Save the lives of OFWs on death row' Campaign

We are elated upon hearing the report that our fellow overseas Filipino worker Rogelio ‘Dondon’ Lanuza, at long last, will soon be freed after the Saudi government reportedly shouldered the payment of 2.3-M riyals of blood money which he and his family has to pay to the kin of the Saudi national he unintentionally killed in 2000.

For more than 12 long years, Migrante spearheaded a campaign along with various OFWs organizations in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East what we dubbed ‘Save OFWs on death row’; Lanuza being one of our priority cases of OFWs on Saudi death row.

Migrante and allied organizations have to ‘move heaven and earth’ and have campaigned hard to save the life of our fellow OFW Dondon Lanuza and others like him doomed in Saudi jails.

Upon Dondon’s request, after we have talked over the phone several times, he was on his prison cell in Dammam Central Jail, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, while yours truly was in Riyadh then in 2010, we agreed to initiate a fund raising campaign to fulfill the blood money being asked by the aggrieved Saudi family.

I was franked to Dondon telling him that the amount we may raise will fall short of the total amount of blood money being asked from him, but at least we could engage the PH government to help him as he feels then that the PH govt. through its embassy officials in Riyadh are not seriously attending his case.

“Don, it will be a suntok sa buwan if we can raise the total amount of blood money; not even a quarter of it. But initiating a fund raising campaign for your blood money is the right thing we can do and seek the assistance from the millions of our fellow OFWs worldwide.” I repeatedly told this to Dondon so as not to give him false hope.

I promised Dondon that Migrante and our allied organizations will seek the assistance of the Saudi Reconciliation Committee (SRC), a quasi-government agency which mandate is to amicably settle cases with death penalty between the aggrieved and offending party. To his own credit, Dondon was able to establish good relation to the officials of the SRC. He later introduced me to one of the SRC officials and got a chance to talk to them.

Until we received this good news –the Saudi govt. shouldered the balance of the amount of blood money after Dondon’s family initially paid the 700,000 Saudi rials, most of which are from the fund raising campaign.

We salute our fellow OFW Dondon Lanuza for his determination as he repent long time ago on what he had done.

On behalf of Dondon and his family, relatives and friends, we would like to convey our sincerest appreciation to the Saudi government under the leadership of his Highness King Abdullah, custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

To those who have contributed to "Save Dondon Lanuza' fund raising campaign and to our fellow OFWs who have been with us in our 'Save OFWs on death row' campaign, we thank you all! This victory is ours!

We will continue to appeal to spare the lives of other Filipinos on Saudi death row. On our monitoring, there are about 6 of them aside from Dondon.

Our ‘Save OFWs on death row’ campaign will not end upon Dondon Lanuza’s eventual release. We will intensify our efforts until no OFWs are on death row in Saudi Arabia. Like most OFWs, they too were victims of forced migration. # # #

Group bats for lifetime OFW membership to OWWA, pensions for retired OFWs

Press Release

31 January 2013

Group bats for lifetime OFW membership to OWWA, pensions for retired OFWs

The Filipino migrants rights group, Migrante-Middle East (M-ME), today said it will push for every overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) lifetime membership to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the government’s premier welfare agency adjunct to the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), mandated to provide programs and welfare services to OFWs and their dependents.

“We will push for our OFWs lifetime membership to OWWA that majority of us wanted. Non-membership, which means simply a failure to renew and pay the US$25 membership fee, should not be cited as justification for the government not to render programs and welfare services which are supposed to be free anyway,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator and Vice-chairman of MIGRANTE Sectoral Party of OFWs and families.

Monterona said OFWs and their organizations strongly opposed the implementation of the OWWA Omnibus Policies, a codification of various rules and regulations of OWWA that was approved on September 2003 by the OWWA Board and a brainchild of then DoLE secretary Patricia Sto.Tomas under the anti-OFW Arroyo administration.

Sections 3 and 4, Article IV of the OWWA Omnibus Policies set the effectivity and renewal of OFWs membership to OWWA, respectively.

“The OWWA Omnibus Policy is clearly anti-OFW. For one, OFWs membership to OWWA was made on contractual basis of 2-year contract. Non-renewal automatically and arbitrarily dismember an OFW as such could not anymore avail OWWA programs and services,” Monterona added.

With the implementation of OWWA Omnibus Policies, some of the programs and services were not funded and eventually were phased out. “The General Financial Assistance program is an example,” Monterona noted.

Monterona noted thousands of undocumented OFWs were bared to avail OWWA programs and services with the implementation of the OWWA Omnibus Policies.

“Though undocumented, our fellow OFWs are working hard and they continue to send remittances to their families that surge local consumption, not to mention the income the govt. is getting from imposing taxes to the banks and remittance companies. Kasama pa rin sila sa mga tinaguriang ‘Bagong Bayani’, then why exclude them from availing OWWA programs and services just because they failed to renew their membership to OWWA?” Monterona lamented.

He said that support mechanisms should be put in place to accommodate the concerns of undocumented OFWs while working abroad and of former OFWs who have decided to stay ‘for good’ in the Philippines.

“OWWA fund, pooled from US$25 mandatory fee from OFWs believed to have reached P14.8-B including assets and investments, must serve the needs of OFWs-- whether documented or not, whether with or without contract --  and their families as well, through concrete services and benefits including medical assistance, burial, repatriation, social security, pensions and other welfare essentials,” Monterona adding that MIGRANTE will renew its campaign for the scrapping of the anti-OFW OWWA Omnibus Policies.

He said the creation of an OWWA Charter that will safeguard and protect OFWs trust fund and to ensure that there will be enough programs and services to OFWs and their dependents is on MIGRANTE’s agenda once the group won a seat in Congress via party-list election on May 2013.

Reference:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

Mobile No. 00966 543547736

Recall and Investigate incompetent embassy officials tasked to aid Algeria OFWs -group

Press Release

24 January 2013

Recall and Investigate incompetent embassy officials tasked to aid Algeria OFWs -group

This was the renewed call by Filipino migrants’ rights group amid the report on four overseas Filipino workers (OFW), among those held hostage in Algeria, who returned yesterday complaining about the incompetence of PH embassy officials.

Per reports, the four OFWs arrived on board Qatar Airway flight QR-646 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 at around 4:00 p.m.

The four OFWs are Mario Catiis, Crisostomo Carabia, Larry Villariza and Ramon Tortosa, who work for a Japanese corporation that facilitated their repatriation.

“The refusal of our 4 fellow OFWs who were victim of the Algeria hostage siege to decline all the offers for VIP treatment by Immigration and customs officers upon their arrival at NAIA was an act of protest,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

Monterona said their 4 fellow OFWs were really upset because of the treatment and incompetence of PH embassy officials who are supposed to provide all the needed assistance to them after their horrific experience.

“This is not an isolated case. Every time our fellow OFWs in dire need of assistance from our PH officials abroad, we often heard allegations that they were not properly attended and given assistance. This is criminal neglect, plain and simple,” Monterona averred.

Monterona said his group will support and encourage the four OFWs to issue a signed affidavit and formally lodge a complaint against the PH embassy officials who were accused of incompetence.

“A copy of their complaint must be sent to Pres. Aquino, whom we think are very much aware of the poor records of his embassy officials abroad in terms of providing assistance to distress, abused, and OFWs victims in general. He must act on this swiftly,” Monterona suggested.

Monterona observed that PH diplomatic missions abroad wantonly neglecting the 3rd pillar of PH foreign policy, that is ‘protection of rights and promotion of the Filipinos overseas’ especially OFWs whom the government hails as ‘Modern Heroes’, but were actually ‘Modern Slaves’ too, so to speak, in foreign countries.

“Migrante officers, Migrante Sectoral Party, and our allied OFWs organizations active in providing assistance to distressed and abused are willing to share insights of our rich experiences to PH diplomatic missions abroad how to improve its services to OFWs,” Monterona concluded. # # #

Reference:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

MIGRANTE Sectoral Party Vice-chairperson

Mobile No. 00966 543547736

OFW group condoles with the families of OFWs victim of Algeria hostage siege

Press Release

22 January 2013

OFW group condoles with the families of OFWs victim of Algeria hostage siege

‘We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of our fellow OFWs whose precious lives were devoted to fulfilling the dreams of their loved ones who became a ‘collateral damage’ in the recent Algeria hostage crisis,” thus expressed today by John Leonard Monterona, speaking on behalf of Migrante-Middle East, a Filipino migrants rights group in the Middle East.

On Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that there were 6 OFWs dead in Algeria hostage crisis, while 4 are missing out of the 22 OFWs working in that BP gas plant in Algeria.

Monterona said his group received information from fellow OFWs leaving and working near the Libya-Algeria borders that there were more than 30 OFWs working on that gas plant prior to the hostage crisis.

“This figure is different from the count of the DFA. There could be different figure from the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE). We call on the PH government to confirm how many OFWs are really working in that gas plant. Dead or alive, all OFWs must be accounted for and repatriated,” Monterona added.

Monterona added the Algeria hostage crisis exposes how vulnerable OFWs to terrorism and hostile acts. “It applies to all OFWs and no one is excuse. But we in the Middle East and Africa are more vulnerable to hostile acts like the Algeria hostage siege.”

Monterona said he is taking this opportunity to renew Migrante’s call to PNoy administration to provide protection to OFWs especially those working in high risk jobs and places.

“The Aquino govt. through its Labor department should call the attention of its counterpart host governments to ensure the safety and security of our fellow OFWs,” Monterona averred.

Asked what will be the effect of the Algeria hostage crisis in the deployment of OFWs, Monterona said, ‘It will have a negative impact to the Aquino govt. intensified labor export program noting its reliance to huge inflows of OFWs remittances believed to have channeled US$21-B last year.”

“Algeria is one of the fertile labor frontiers eyed by Aquino’s labor honchos and it is looking to peddling cheap labor of the millions unemployed Filipinos instead of fulfilling its mandate to generate local jobs with decent pay and benefits in the home land,” Monterona added.

“An administration that is relying heavily on peddling cheap human labor is doomed to fail and will only produce more disgruntled people,”Monterona concluded. # # #

Reference:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

MIGRANTE Sectoral Party Vice-chairperson

Mobile No. 00966 543547736

Spare the P14-B OFW trust fund from partisan election spending, group appeals to PNoy

Press Release

16 January 2013

Spare the P14-B OFW trust fund from partisan election spending, group appeals to PNoy

As President Benigno Simeon ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III started to publicly introduced administration’s bet during his recent visit to Cebu, migrants rights group Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) today appealed to PNoy to spare overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) trust fund held in trust to the government from partisan election spending.

“We all knew that administration’s candidates especially if the President himself commits to campaign for his bets are in an advantage position. It goes without saying that government resources will be used for partisan electoral agenda,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

M-ME issued the statement noting that the previous Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime had been alleged to spend a huge portion of the OFWs trust fund held in trust to the government for partisan electoral purposes.

“We have reasons to worry about in regards to secure the OFWs trust fund from partisan electoral spending,” Monterona lamented.

OFW trust fund is believed to have reached nearly P14.8-B, is pooled from US$25 OFW membership fee in trust to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Monterona recalled that Migrante International and former solicitor general Atty. Frank Chavez filed a case at the DOJ against former president Gloria Arroyo for alleged misuse, re-channel and charge to OWWA funds various projects that had nothing to do with OFWs, among them the supposed evacuation of Filipinos from Iraq, Kuwait and Afganistan in 2003.

Arroyo also reportedly transferred P100 Million Livelihood Development Program from the OWWA to the National Livelihood Support Fund under the Office of the President in September 2003.

Mrs. Arroyo and the other respondents are also accused of electoral fraud by “intending, facilitating and ordering the diversion of migrant workers’ trust funds from the OWWA to finance her campaign machinery starting 2003” with regard the release of PhilHealth cards bearing Arroyo’s name and picture as an election campaign tactic in the 2004 elections, Monterona recalled.

“We are not saying that PNoy administration will do what GMA had done in depleting our OFWs trust fund for partisan activities,” Monterona quickly adding that ‘OFWs must be vigilant to secure the P14.8-B OFWs trust fund.’

Monterona also urges PNoy to instruct the OWWA to publicly issue its 2012 Financial Report.

“All OFW stakeholders should know the real financial standing of our trust fund. And we will keep an eye how OWWA will spend our funds this year,” Monterona added.

He noted that based on 2011 OWWA Financial report, the OFW premier agency reported that it spent a total of P1.8-B for as ‘Expenses’ covering Personal Services (23.34%), Maintenance & Other Operating Expenses (15.26%), and for Programs & Projects (61.40%).

Reference:

John Leonard Monteria

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

Mobile No. 00966 543547736

Fix glitches in AES first for OAV, COMELEC urged

Press Release

8 January 2012

Fix glitches in AES first for OAV, COMELEC urged

Amid the recent proposal made by a Commission on Elections (COMELEC) commissioner to subject additional places with more than 20,000 registered overseas absentee voters to automated election system (AES), a Filipino migrants rights group in the Middle East today urged the COMELEC ‘to first fix the glitches in AES and ensure that it will never happen during the month-long overseas absentee voting.’

Weeks ago, COMELEC commissioner Lucenito Tagle recommended to the COMELEC En banc the inclusion of 5 places where automated elections will be conducted -in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Jeddah, and Riyadh -in addition to Singapore and Hong Kong, where automated elections took place in 2010.

Per COMELEC records, registered AOVs in the places mentioned above are as follows: Abu Dhabi with 21,418, Jeddah with 42,454 voters, Kuwait with 28,458 voters, Dubai with 30,513 voters, and Riyadh with 62,509 voters.

“We are raising our reservation on the proposal to include the 5 places here in the Middle East under automated election system (AES) though in principle we are amenable, but given the numerous glitches reported on the 2010 AES-OAV in Hong Kong and Singapore, we are asking COMELEC to fix the glitches first,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

Monterona citing reports from Migrante colleagues who were able to witness the conduct of May 2010 AES-OAV in Hong Kong and Singapore, pointed some of the irregularities in the conduct of AES.

“One, ballots accepted by the PCOS machine even if an ordinary ballpoint pen was used. COMELEC said before that the customized pen was supposedly the only one that the machine will recognize. Second, the breakdown of PCOS machines due to humidity that caused regular voting to stop for more than two hours, and third, ballot accepted by the PCOS machine even after more than four tries which the Smartmatic and the COMELEC said were the maximum number of tries a voter can have, are among the AES glitches,” Monterona noted.

Monterona added that if the AES glitches enumerated above will not be fixed, ‘it will lead to pulling out of CF cards subject to reconfiguration that will cast doubt on the sanctity of the OAV process, which we don’t want to happen.’

Monterona, however, clarified that his group will welcome a detailed proposal from the COMELEC for the inclusion of the said 5 places and how the AES glitches could be fixed.

“The OFWs, through their organizations and leaders, should be allowed to scrutinize the COMELEC proposed implementing rules and regulation in the conduct of AES abroad in line with our aim to have a fraud-free, honest, and orderly OAV,” he suggested.

Monterona added that his group will strongly suggest to the COMELEC, noting the special character of overseas absentee voting with the limitations imposed by the host governments, that there must be close coordination and participation of Filipino community leaders at every posts and witness the conduct of the OAV-AES to counting of votes to transmittal of the result.

‘Duly accredited OFWs party-list groups must have their representatives in the election board of canvassers.’

Monterona also underscores the need for a massive voters’ education campaign about AES processes in countries where OAV will be done through AES.  ‘Of course, there must be voters’ education in places where manual and personal voting is prescribed,” he added.

“Without massive voters’ education about AES processes, then we fear that many will be disenfranchised, if not negatively impact the turnouts of OAV in these countries mentioned above,” Monterona lamented.

Reference:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

Mobile No. 00966 543547736

Commit to an honest, orderly, and fraud-free OAV, COMELEC, PH officials abroad urged

Press Release

6 January 2013

Commit to an honest, orderly, and fraud-free OAV, COMELEC, PH officials abroad urged

A Filipino migrants’ rights group in the Middle East today urges the officials of various Philippine diplomatic posts abroad to be nonpartisan and apolitical in the conduct of the overseas absentee voting (OAV), which begins normally one month ahead on the day of the election on May 2013.

Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona called on PH embassies and consulates’ officers-in-charge in the conduct of the AOV to be nonpartisan and remains apolitical ‘so that an honest, orderly, peaceful, and fraud-free OAV will materialize.’

Monterona issued the call amid the recent proposal made by Commission on Election (COMELEC) commissioner Lucenito Tagle, chairman of the committee on the overseas, to subject additional places with relatively huge numbers of overseas absentee voters to automated elections system (AES).

COMELEC commissioner Tagle recommended to the COMELEC En banc the inclusion of 5 places where automated elections will be conducted -in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Jeddah, and Riyadh -in addition to Singapore and Hong Kong, where automated elections took place in 2010.

Per COMELEC records, registered AOVs in the places mentioned above are as follows: Abu Dhabi with 21,418, Jeddah with 42,454 voters, Kuwait with 28,458 voters, Dubai with 30,513 voters, and Riyadh with 62,509 voters.

“There were questions raise which until now have not been properly explained on the conduct of May 2010 automated elections. Now, the COMELEC wanted to include OAV in places where there are relatively big numbers of registrants,” Monterona averred.

Monterona added the idea of an automated election is not bad, but the manner how it is being conducted is not hocus-pocus-free and the result is subject to manipulation to favor a candidate or a party.

Monterona, however, clarified that his group will welcome a detailed proposal from the COMELEC for the inclusion of the said 5 places.“The OFWs, through their organizations and leaders, should be allowed to scrutinize the COMELEC proposed implementing rules and regulation in the conduct of automated elections abroad in line with our aim to have a fraud-free, honest, and orderly OAV,” he suggested.

Monterona added that his group will strongly suggest to the COMELEC, noting the special character of overseas absentee voting with the limitations imposed by the host governments, that there must be close coordination and participation of Filipino community leaders at every posts and witness the conduct of the OAV-AES to counting of votes to transmittal of the result. ‘Duly accredited OFWs party-list groups must have their representatives in the election board of canvassers.’

Meanwhile, the OFW group raises serious concern on the political and electoral machinations of the Aquino administration to favor its candidates by giving access and advantage of govt. resources to advance its candidates’ electoral bid while slapping suspension to local chief executives who were in the opposition such is the case of the incumbent Cebu governor.

“We are referring to the release of millions of pork barrel to Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, though she was appointed as caretaker by Speaker Belmonte, both belongs to the ruling party, of the district where Rep. Ecleo was elected. There is nothing incidental to this but certainly an act of political opportunism as Rep. Bag-ao is running in the district of former Rep. Ecleo. Are we going to see more of this as the elections draw near?” Monterona concluded. # # #

Reference:

John Leonard Monterona

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator

Mobile No. 00966 543547736