BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO | Bulatlat  With the US dominating the world economy, the effects of this crunch have spread to other countries including the Philippines – affecting multitudes of workers who are now struggling to simply live through the difficult times.

Migrant workers in the Eurozone are seeking an investigation over new service rates imposed by the Department of Foreign Affairs in nine Philippine embassies and three consulates general across Europe.
Starting January, DFA has mandated Philippine embassies in Greece, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Vatican City and Philippine consulates general in [...]

Migrante International together with retrenched OFWs from Taiwan today trooped down the office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to denounce the government’s failure to deliver its promises of assistance to OFWs who were laid off due to the global financial crisis.
“This Filipino Expatriate Livelihood Support Fund is a hoax. Just like the cheques [...]

The biggest alliance of Filipino migrant organizations lambasted OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon for pinning hopes on US President Obama to solve the retrenchments caused by the global financial crisis.
“No wonder distressed OFWs find it very difficult to get their benefits from OWWA. No less than the OWWA administrator herself is spending more time daydreaming rather [...]

Migrante International, the biggest alliance of Filipino migrant organizations, denounced President Arroyo’s Administrative Order 248 that will allegedly further intensify the exportation of Filipinos as cheap and docile labor.
“This order is a blatant violation of R.A. 8042, the Magna Carta for overseas Filipinos of 1995, which explicitly states that the state can never engage in [...]

Business, tourism and migrant workers groups have hailed the forthcoming aviation talks between the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines as a major opportunity to expand and strengthen economic ties at amidst the global economic slowdown.
After a long hiatus of six years, the negotiating panels of the Philippines and the UAE are scheduled [...]

OFWS AND MIGRATION   By Nora O. Gamolo |  OFWs call for an end to racism and xenophobia; sex trafficking; violence against women; unpaid or low wages; domestic work; lack of proper documentation; labor contract violations; and political persecution — just some of the many abuses faced by the international migrant community.

By Center for People Empowerment in Governance (Cenpeg)  |  The more the economy is stagnant, the less its ability to create jobs, the more dependent government becomes on overseas labor deployment.

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of 12 Filipino organizations across the US, joins the rest of the American people and beyond in celebrating the historical significance of having the first Black president elected into the executive office of the White House. It is overwhelming and appropriate that [...]

Migrante International assails the Philippine government for sitting down on the issue of about 6,000 stranded OFWs in different countries in the Middle East. The group particularly criticized acting DFA Secretary Esteban Conejos, Jr. for literally waiting for the response of the UAE government before acting on the matter.

“The BI is practically saying toFiipino citizens,” pag di kayo pumirma dito, problema niyo na iyan, bahala na kayo mag-isa niyo” Migrante spokesperson Garry Martinez declared. “This is precisely the kind of response we expect from a self-serving government who cares little, if at all, for its citizens.”

We Filipinos needed to re-calibrate our understanding of what’s usual or normal, the instant we began to move out into the world en masse. Unfortunately, that has been difficult, because of the re-feudalization accompanying migration, particularly for women.

Senate President Manuel Villar and Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) have introduced a bill that seeks to correct the flaws in the Overseas Absentee Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9189), especially in the areas of registration, voting and disqualification of voters, and enable more Filipinos abroad to exercise their right of suffrage.
Senate [...]