Villanueva lauds Asean accord to protect

rights of migrant workers

By Pathricia Ann V. Roxas

INQUIRER.net

2017-11-15 09:49:45

Senator Joel Villanueva hailed on Wednesday the recently signed

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Consensus on the
protection of migrant workers’ rights, saying it would complement
the proposed measures, including the creation of a separate
department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Villanueva, chair of the Senate committee on labor, issued the

statement a day after Asean leaders signed on Tuesday the accord
titled the Asean Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the
Rights of Migrant Workers.

The document is considered a milestone achievement of the

Philippines’ chairmanship of the Asean this 2017.

“As the Chairperson of the Committee on Labor, we welcome the

recent signing of the Asean Consensus on the Protection and
Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. It is a testament to the
commitment of the region to improve the labor standards and
protect the legal rights of our workers especially in line with ASEAN
integration,” Villanueva noted.

The senator believed that the document would benefit the OFWs.

“Truly, there is a need to do so especially since we are in an era

where our countrymen have increasingly chosen to work abroad,”
Villanueva also said.

The lawmaker pointed out that the Consensus would complement

and strengthen the pending bills in the Senate, including the creation
of a separate department for OFWs.
“The agreement will complement and strengthen our pending bills in
the Senate to improve the benefits and protection of our OFWs,”
Villanueva said.

“One such example is the creation of a separate department for

migrant workers which will cater to all their concerns and thereby
reduce or eliminate bureaucracy in OFW assistance,” he added.

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the agreement

“upholds fair treatment of migrant workers with respect to gender
and nationality, provides for visitation rights by family members,
prohibits confiscation of passports and overcharging of placement
or recruitment fees, and protects against violence and sexual
harassment in the workplace.”

The DFA also said that the accord likewise “regulates recruiters for
better protection of workers, and respects their right to fair and
appropriate remuneration and benefits and their right to join trade
unions and association.”

“Like all Asean agreements, the implementation of the Asean

Consensus will be subject to the respective laws of the
organizations member-countries,” the DFA added.