***Two (2)
Stories***
Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 6, 2002
SOTTO URGES REVIEW
OF SLEX RATE INCREASE
==============================================
Senator Vicente C.
Sotto III filed Monday Senate Resolution No. 399 that seeks to review the
approved rate increase being implemented by CITRA Metro Manila Tollway
Corporation on all classes of vehicles using the Southern Luzon Tollway
Corporation on all classes of vehicles using the Southern Luzon Tollway (SLT)
and Skyway.
"I am a
regular commuter using the SLT and the Skyway and I find the increase quite
high and it puts motorists at a grave disadvantage," Sotto said.
Senator Sotto also
added that his office has been besieged by calls from citizens from the
southern part of the metropolis requesting for the justification of the toll
increase. It was alleged in the news reports that no public hearing was conducted
to discuss the toll fee hike.
"When rates of
public utilities are increased, the public has the right to tknow how these
rates are arrived at and if proper consultation and requirements have been
ment. I urge the Senate Committee on Public Services to look into this
matter," the Senator stressed.
Lastly, Sotto said
that it should also be determined whether such increases will be used for
future maintenance and improvement or to compensate for the improvement that
has already been made in the past. ///camille p. balagtas
Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 6, 2002
SIX OFWs ARRIVE
HOME DAILY IN COFFINS?
=====================================================
The statistics, if
true, are downright alarming-an average of six overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)
reportedly arrive daily in coffins, 42 others are awaiting beheading in the
Middle East, and thousands more are stranded in Saudi Arabia after fleeing cruel
employers.
Senate Majority
Leader Loren Legarda asked government today (August 5) to give an accurate
account on the state of the Philippines' manpower deployment so that Congress
can be guided accordingly in enacting substantive laws that would better serve
the interests of OFWs.
"With the
countless sad stories we hear - from household helpers being raped by their
foreign employers to Filipino workers languishing in jail for crimes they claim
they did not commit - I think it's high time that we assess the effectiveness
of the Migrant Act of 1995," Legarda said.
The statistics in
question came from Migrante-International, an organization that espouses labor
concerns. According to the group, 36 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and six in
Malaysia are in prison facing the death penalty, while 44 domestic helpers have
been sexually assaulted in Hong Kong.
Legarda said the
perception that the Philippines cannot take care of its nationals working
abroad should change by strengthening and making more effective the institutions
that look after the welfare of OFWs.
She identified the
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Overseas Workers
Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as
among the institutions that should be made more effective.
Citing figures from
the Philippine Association of Service Exporters (PASEI), the senator said most
Filipino contract workers abroad belong to the so-called low-value categories
like entertainers and domestic helpers, and will continue to face abuse and
discrimination because of it.
PASEI, which
studied OFW deployment from 1999 to 2001, dispute the government claim that
OFWs in high-value categories like information technology and medical services
are in high demand.
PASEI reported that
over 50 percent of all deployments between 1999 and 2001 were composed of
domestic helpers and entertainers.
"Our
government must ensure that help is available when OFWs come calling on our
embassies worldwide with their various problems and complaints," she said.
"Our embassies
must stand at the forefront of protecting our workers."
Legarda lamented
that some embassy staffers, particularly those in Saudi Arabia, have been the
subject of complaints filed by OFWs, including some who claimed that Filipino
officials force them into the skin trade while seeking refuge at the embassy.
Last month, Legarda
warned that the exodus of Filipino nurses for high paying jobs abroad are
leaving Philippine hospitals understaffed or lacking experienced personnel. She
said that unless local hospitals stop working their nurses to death with
16-hour shifts and stop paying them "starvation wages," they would
not think twice of immigrating to other countries. ///camille p. balagtas