September 11 backlash affecting overseas Filipinos

Tightened security measures imposed by various governments in the wake of the September 11 extremist attacks in the United States have had an indirect effect on Filipino migrant workers, an official in Manila said yesterday.

Labour Secretary, Patricia Santo Tomas, said the perception of vulnerability generated by the September 11 attacks on most governments had also resulted in crack-downs on undocumented foreigners, including illegal workers.

She noted that the sending back of some 12,000 undocumented Philippine nationals in Malaysia since January is just a start of many similar deportations that both the government in Manila and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may have to endure in the coming months.

"The world has changed after September 11. All of a sudden the world has become a little paranoid about the illegal people in their midst. It is expected that many people will be afraid because of what happened last year," the labour chief said.

Of the estimated seven million Filipinos working overseas, about 1.6 million do not possess proper documents from their respective host government, to be employed legally, according to the Commission on Filipino Overseas.

In the United States, the heightened move against illegals is evident.

In the period from October last year to April of this year alone, some 460 Filipinos have been deported from the U.S. - much more than the 230 sent back during the same period from 2000 to 2001.

Apart from deportations in Malaysia and the U.S., Santo Tomas said, they also expect deportation of Filipinos to take place in other countries.

She said they have received reports that some 15,000 and 130,000 undocumented Filipino workers from Israel and Italy, respectively, are in danger of being sent home.

She said that in Italy, where there are about 150,000 Filipino overseas workers, only about 20,000 have proper working documents. "Many of them entered the country by joining pilgrimages and ended up as house caretakers and nannies."

Santo Tomas added there are also those who crossed borders with the help of human smuggling syndicates.

Burdened by the plight of undocumented workers once they are exposed and deported, she says it is high time the government takes initiatives to curb the activities of illegal recruitment at the grassroots level.

By next year, Santo Tomas intends to present a proposal to the local government units to sponsor pre-employment orientation seminars in every village to inform the communities of the risks involved if they become undocumented overseas workers.

They will remind them that the government will not be able to guarantee burial and medical benefits if the unfortunate happens while they are abroad.

"We will also send copies of the list of registered recruitment agencies under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to the cities, municipalities and the churches so the applicant workers will be able to check if they are applying to a legitimate agency," she added.

Overseas workers are regarded as the country's "unsung heroes" for their annual P8 billion ($160 million) contribution to the country's economy.

At present, the government of President Gloria Arroyo is providing assistance to the estimated 12,000 Filipino families who have either been deported by Malaysia or have availed themselves of Kuala Lumpur's amnesty programme and are being repatriated.