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Sulyap Vol 2 Issue 8
SULYAPINOY vol2 issue 8 South Korea FEWA
News:
PKCH,FEWA Strengthen Ties
News:
Philippine Fiesta in Seoul
News:
SSS-NPS Update
Editorial:
Too Early for Optimism
Labor Updates:
EPS Guide Part 2Nominees for the upcoming FEWA Elections
Volume 2 Issue 7 2009
www.sulyapinoy.org
NOT FOR SALE
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OFW-KOREA-2006-001
by Alden Balgos
SULYAPINOY is accepting cash donations for its monthly printing expenses. You may deposit them @ Account #: 049702 04 058587 / Account Name: Sofonias N. Paragsa / Bank: KB or Kookmin Bank
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(turn to page 2)(turn to page 2)
S
eoul, May 31- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged overseas Filipinoworkers (OFWs) in South Korea to unite and volunteer their time, skill andresources to support the government in its campaign to secure a brighter futurefor Filipinos and the country.The President made the appeal during a gathering with the Filipino communityheld at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul. She stressed the need for volunteerism asa tool against poverty amidst the recurrent world economic crisis and promised tohelp OFWs who might lose their jobs and be forced to go home.In her speech, she said that workers in such situation could borrow from the P1-billion fund set up by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).They can also receive additional entrepreneurial and skills training under the P3-billion fund allocated to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA). The President said that her administration is carrying out this
programof full reciprocity
to help expatriate workers who are returning home from their host countries that are now being affected by the global economic crisis.
“
My advocacy is on doing everything in our power to protect our people and our country during these challenging times and to work on economic growth. We arefocused on putting food on the table, investing in education and basic social services, improving infrastructure and, most of all, securing peace in the country.Poverty is the root of terrorism, thus the need to further improve the economy isimperative,
”
President Arroyo said.
Signatories of the MOU on EPS:
Labor Executives pose for a photograph as they meetduring the signing of the labor deal on EPS last May 30. On the left is DOLE Secretary Marianito D.Roque and MOL Labor Minister Lee Young Hee.
Photo courtesy of RP Embassy
The Presidential Delegation:
Photo taken during the Meeting with the FilipinoCommunity held in Lotte Hotel in Seoul. From the left is Senator Ed Angara, President Arroyo,FG Mike Arroyo, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo. They are also joined by other high ranking government officials (not on the photo) like DOLE Sec. Marianito Roque, EnergySec. Angelo Reyes, DENR Sec. Lito Atienza, and several LGU officials from different cities andprovinces of the Philippines.
Photo by Felix Ferrer
JJJJ
ongno-gu, Seoul
–
Approximately 8,000 Filipino aspirants may be hired inSouth Korea every year for the next three years following the signing of anew memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Employment Permit System(EPS) in Seoul last May 30.The labor deal between the two countries - the Philippines and South Korea,was signed with Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Lee Myung Bak aswitnesses at Cheong Wa Dae or the Blue House
–
the executive office andpresidential residence. The MOU signing was part of a myriad of activities of President Arroyo during her official state visit here.The new MOU on EPS was signed by Philippine Labor Secretary Mariantio D.Roque and his Korean counterpart, Labor Minister Lee Young Hee. The MOUwhich was last renewed in October 2006 and expired last year, aims to continu-ally provide protection and security to Filipino workers by recognizing their rights and privileges as contributors to the Korean economy.Secretary Roque said the renewal of the MOU
“
reflects the high regard of theKorean government for Filipino workers
”
. It also ensures
“
greater transparency and efficiency
”
in the deployment of Filipino workers, Roque added. He likewiseenthused that there is a special provision in the MOU for the reintegration of Filipino workers who will be forced to return to the Philippines due to the globaleconomic crisis.Under the new MOU, Filipino workers will be granted rights such as coverageunder the Korean Labor Standards Act: minimum wage, medical and accidentinsurance, severance pay and freedom of association. Originally, the labor dealwas supposedly only for two years however, due to strong and positive feed-back from Filipino workers, it was extended to three years.The three-year provision of the labor deal cites the Philippine OverseasEmployment Administration (POEA) as the primary Philippine governmentagency responsible for the deployment of workers, and its Korean counterpart,the Ministry of Labor (MOL) as the primary government agency responsible for the screening and prequalifying of OFWs intending to work in South Korea.
by Edward Castro
NEWS
2
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by Reeve
JJJJ
ong-gak, Seoul - The Philippine-Korean CulturalHouse (PKCH) and the Filipino EPS Workers Association (FEWA) are continually working together toprovide services to the Filipino community through freelegal assistance every third Sunday of the month in itsSeoul office.FEWA officers led by President Sofonias Paragsarecently visited PKCH office to seek legal advice for thecomplaint of Felix Ferrer, an EPS worker, regardingunpaid salaries against his Korean employer. Atty. LeeSeung Woo of the Seoul Bar Association assured Ferrer of legal assistance. Also, PKCH told the group of its support to the Filipinocommunity to continually offer free legal services andpursue means to help improve its current socialprograms.Moreover, PKCH coordinator for Filipino community,Rebenson Recana urged Atty. Lee to be more aggressivein dealing with labor related problems.Beside counseling, Recana solicited help from Atty.Lee to extend assistance in negotiating and filingcriminal cases against unscrupulous and abusiveemployers.Whereas, PKCH Public Relations Coordinator ParkEun Ha vowed to strengthen the tie-up betweenPKCH and FEWA by providing free legal service andsupport to Filipino migrant workers as well as tothose Filipina women married to Korean nationals.
“
We are doing our best to serve Filipinos throughcultural exchange,
”
Park said.FEWA established ties with PKCH for more than oneyear now to curb-down labor and migration relatedproblems of OFW’s and help promote Philippineculture to Koreans and vice versa .Individuals who wish to seek legal guidance fromPKCH, you can contact Mr. Recana at his mobilenumber 010-30406204 or email him atfewa.prexy@gmail.com
MOU on EPS
The MOU also reiterates that POEA has the right to review contract offers from Korean employers. Minimum labor standards such as workers' free food and accommodation should be ensured, otherwise, a contract will berejected. It will also likewise lessen pre-departure cancellations of employment contracts and early terminations of the existing ones by disqualifying employers as well as workers with prior derogatory records.The EPS is a government-to-government recruitment system implemented by both countries since 2004. It waslaunched to remedy the exorbitant mobilization costs charged by recruitment companies and their brokers in SouthKorea.
PGMA Meets FilCom
Additional support to be given specifically to OFW’s inKorea, is a program to ensure their proper documenta-tion and protection which she said is the goal of theMemorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Employ-ment Permit System (EPS). Labor Secretary MarianitoRo
q
ue and Korea’s Labor Minister Lee Young Heesigned the new labor deal at the antechamber of theBlue House with the presence of Presidents Arroyoand Lee Myung Bak.There are presently around 60,000 Filipinos working asfactory workers, teachers, and high-skilled profession-als in various companies throughout Korea.
`
We recog-nize the value of the contributions of the overseasFilipino workers, but we also want to have an economic revolution in our country so that one day, going abroad
'
will only be a career option and not because theres no
''
choice. That is our goal,
Arroyo added.She also pointed out that among the things Filipinosshould be thankful about is the positive economicgrowth rate the country has been experiencing despitethe global crisis. But that does not mean the countryhas not been affected. The Philippines has beenaffected, but her administration remain cautiouslyoptimistic that its resources and plans will allow them tomanage their way through this difficult time.
“
D
uring these trying times, the Filipino spirit and commitment to caring should prompt each of us, tocount our blessings and give back to those who areless fortunate. Our nation needs us all pulling in thesame direction. Volunteering time, skill and resourcesis a noble undertaking we should all take seriously,
”
the President said.Likewise, President Arroyo along with members of thePhilippine delegation came to join other heads of governments of the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) in commemorating the 20th anniver-sary of the establishment of dialogue relations between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea held in Seogwipo
&
City, Jeju Province last June 1 2.
Photo courtesy of Alfonso Delgado
All Set for Fiestas Filipinas!
Sinulog
performers fittingtheir costumes for the upcoming 14th Filipino Migrants Day inBanpo Park, Seoul on July 5. Also joining the street danceparade are performers representing various Fiestas of thePhilippines:
Ati-Atihan, Maskarra, Panagbenga, Kadayawan,
D
inagyang,
and
Flores de Mayo
. Other activities that day willinclude Catholic Mass to be officiated by HE Papal NuncioOsvaldo Padilla, musical and cultural performances fromdifferent Filipino organizations, and Free Medical and Labor Counseling services.
The Philippine Embassy in Seoul will organize Free Medical Services for OFW’s during the upcoming 14th FilipinoMigrant Workers Day celebration on July 5 at Banpo Park in Seoul.The Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) in cooperation with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO)will bring state-of-the-
X
art medical equipment and machines that will produce detailed analysis on
—
ray, ultrasono-graph and electrocardiogram, rendering results in the fields of internal medicine, orthopedics, ophthalmology andotorhinolaryngology. The services will be administered by specialist doctors and medical practitioners of SNUH.Embassy officials are encouraging OFW’s to take advantage of this rare opportunity especially when getting eventhe most basic medical services these days are too expensive.The Embassy also plans to provide Korean Labor Law counseling, and Occupational Accident Preventiondemonstrations from Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) during the occasion.The event is in conjunction with the joint-celebration of the Philippines' 111th Philippine Independence Day and60th Year of RP-ROK Bilateral Relations.
by Amie Sison
Hanging by a thread -
Social SecuritySystem’s
(
SSS
)
Chief Actuary and ExecutiveVice President for Operations Horacio T.Templo told SULYAPINOY in an interview thatthe social security agreement between SSS andSouth Korea’s National Pension System
(
NPS
)
is still indefinite. Templo said that the bilateralagreement
“
needs still to be reviewed and ratified by the Philippine Senate
”
and is uncer-tain as to when. Recalling, the Filipino EPSWorkers Association and SULYAPINOY spear-headed a community-wide signature campaignin September of last year to oppose the imple-mentation of the said agreement and havegathered around 6,000 signatures. Mr. Templomet with SULYAPINOY staff at the Meeting withFilipino Community at Lotte Hotel in Seoulduring the recent state visit of President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo here in South Korea.
Photo by Felix Ferrer
EDITORIAL
D I S C L A I M E R D I S C L A I M E R D I S C L A I M E R D I S C L A I M E R
Different opinions are encourage to stimulatemember input and involvement.
SULYAPINOY’
srole is to provide information that permits
FEWA
members to develop informed opinions onsubjects that will affect their status as migrantworkers and, in some instances, their personallives. FEWA does not hold itself responsible for statements made by any contributor. Statementsor opinions expressed in SULYAPINOY reflect theviews of the author(s) and not the official policy of FEWA unless so stated.
For Comments, Suggestions, Contributions & Advertisements
Please submit them to our website or to the following emails below:
All Staff:
editorialstaff@sulyapinoy.org
or
sulyap.editorialstaff@gmail.com
* SULYAPINOY
observes the Philippine Press Code of Ethics .
*
We reserve the right to refuse any submission we deem does not meet our policies and guidelines.
* SULYAPINOY
is still in need of writers and community correspondents. Aspirants may email theEditorial Staff for more details.
Thank you for your time and interest!
SULYAPINOY Office Address:
115-9 Songbuk-gu, Songbuk 1 dong, Songbuk Villa, Seoul, Korea 136-020
FEWA Office Address & SULYAPINOY Distribution Center:
Inside WOORI BANK, Hyehwa-dong Branch, Jongno-gu, Seoul
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief:
Edward A. Castro
Managing Editor:
Alden C. Balgos
Opinion Editor:
Rebenson B. Reca
ñ
a
News Editor:
Edward A. Castro
Literary Editor:
Amie Sison
Cartoonist:
Alden C. Balgos
Photojournalist:
Felix S. Ferrer
Layout Artist:
ß
L
ЏħΣ
Circulation Managers:
Teofilo C. Camo
;
Alwyin A. Casi
ñ
o
;
Marcelino M. Serde
ñ
a III
Community Correspondents:
Billy Vela (Ansan); Anthony Carl Dacones (Kasan)Valentino de Guzman (Gimhae, Busan); Maria Elena Famor (Ulsan)
Contributor/s:
&
Mary Ann Octavio (Literary), the Philippine Embassy POLO
Adviser:
Ma. Regina P. Arquiza
Editorial Consultant:
Elizer M. Pe
ñ
aranda
BOARD OF PUBLICATION
Chairman:
Rebenson B. Reca
ñ
a
V-Chairman:
Marcelino M. Serde
ñ
a III
Secretary:
Rodney Queman
Board of Publication in:
Outreach, Recreation and Religious Program:
Alden C. Balgos
SULYAPINOY Website Development and Maintenance:
Dondave Jabay
Sponsorship & Promotions Program:
Annabelle Lopez
Trainings & Workshop:
Ehd G. Villarta Jr.
Board Consultants:
Fr. Alvin B. Parantar, MSP; Prof. Emely Dicolen-Abagat, Ph.D.
FEWA President:
Sofonias N. Paragsa
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P
resident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, after visitingthe Filipino Community here last month, and after meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung Bakfor bilateral talks in improving both our countries'partneship, also followed by signing of several govern-ment-to-government MOU's, her return in thePhilippines was what her aides say was another
“
overwhelming success
”
state visit. However seem-ingly sounds like encouraging, we beg to differ.
One of the several MOU's signed was that of a newlabor deal on Employment Permit System (EPS).Despite the renewal of the pact, salient issues regard-ing the
“
hiring permit program
”
are still left uncertainand questionable. Pre-mature cancellation of contracts,denial of medical and financial benefits, discriminationand basic rights violations, as well as removal of workers' free food and accommodation allowances are just few of the many predicaments of OFWs plight.
It was certainly reassuring to discern that Presidents Arroyo and Lee, as well as both RP and ROK's labor bureaus headed by DOLE Secretary Roque and Labor Minister Lee respectively, vowed once again- tocontinually hold working level consultations in improv-ing the EPS side-by-side with other sending countriesof the said permit program. Equally relieving, the twolabor chiefs also signed an MOU on Labor andManpower Development which provides, amongothers, for the training of workers onsite to better pre-pare them for their eventual return to the Philippines.
Still, this is no time to be a roaring bull, although somedegree of optimism may be just the ticket. Frustratinglyabsent in their rhetoric however, is a clear solution asto how they would deal and downsize these labor andmigration problems. With the renewal of the EPS MOU,around 8,000 Filipino hopefuls are expected to enter and work in Korea every year for the next three (3)years. What's truly worrisome is - if the irregularitiesof the labor program are left unsolved, it will likelymake these
“
hopefuls
”
susceptible to similar miseryand frustrations that many of the OFWs here arealready battling.
After the most feared abolition of worker's food andaccommodation benefits, another reason for our pessimism is the Ministry of Labor
'
s
“
Directions for Improving the Minimum Wage Program.
”
We areforced to wonder whether it really is the ministryresponsible for policy pertaining to working people.Rather, we get the feeling that it has lowered itself tobeing some company’s labor management depart-ment. Many workers are facing a crisis of survival inthis unprecedented economic cold front. To say thatyou are going to cut the minimum wage by half atsuch a time instead of thinking about ways tosupport working people is like this administrationcutting out the liver of a flea and using it to fatten therich.
In October, during the Korea National Assembly’syearly review of government affairs, Labor Minister Lee hinted that he would be meddling with theminimum wage when he declared that it
“
has risentoo steeply compared to South Korea's economiclevel.
”
The minimum wage was created to guaranteea minimum of a livelihood for low-paid workingpeople. Currently, Korea’s minimum wage is 4,000won an hour. With that you earn 904,000 won amonth, if you work all 44 hours a week and even get
“
weekly holiday
”
pay for working on Saturdays. If thisplan pushes through and the minimum wage isreduced to a certain extent, is it best still to work andearn 452,000 won monthly in a country dubbed asthe world's seventh largest economy?
It seems difficult to expect that the context of labor migration will reform itself on its own. Judging fromwhat has been revealed so far, it is hard to guaranteethat despite the renewal of the labor agreement,OFWs’ ordeal will get better. At this point, it may be toosoon for anyone to be talking of success. Too muchoptimism could send wrong signals to both aspiringoverseas workers in the Philippines and the Filipinolabor community here, thus hampering the labor bureau's efforts in resolving the issues and to further improve the permit program.
In the end, the choice is both our government’s. Wehope that both DOLE and MOL decide wisely to ration-ally resolve the issues through constant dialogue withthe labor sector and actively involving the migrantworkers themselves in consultations and decisionmaking, as it will help secure its goals of effective labor management and the advancement of the hiringsystem, otherwise, choosing a hard line stance will onlybe an invitation to disaster. Both must do its best toensure that the deal goes through and that we haverightful reasons to celebrate.
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