By ANTHONY IAN CRUZ
Malaya
Dec. 19, 2007

SCORES of migrant workers and their families marched yesterday from Plaza Lacson to Plaza Miranda in downtown Manila to mark International Migrants Day.

Even as they celebrated the commutation of sentence granted by the Emir of Kuwait on death convict Marilou Ranario, Migrante International demanded government action on 33 other overseas Filipino workers sentenced to die in various countries and assistance for about 5,000 others languishing in prisons worldwide.

“Overall, there’s no reason to celebrate on International Migrants Day especially under the crisis-stricken regime of President Arroyo,” said Migrante chair Connie Bragas Regalado. “Hirap, kotong, abuso, kulong, bitay – are words that best describe the situation of OFWs, ironically dubbed the nation’s new heroes.”

Citing data from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Regalado said that “around 5,000 OFWs are now behind bars around the world, mostly for immigration-related offenses, and they demand help from the government.”

Regalado challenged the Arroyo government to act with dispatch on the cases of Rolando and Edison Gonzalez, and Eduardo Arcilla who have been sentenced to death for purportedly killing two other Filipinos in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Regalado said the three OFWs were tortured by Saudi police into giving false confessions.

The marchers also scored government inaction on OFWs’ pleas for help amid the plunge in the value of dollar remittances. “While OFWs toil day and night and suffer from harassments abroad, the Arroyo government does not lift a finger to address our families’ economic woes worsened by the dollar’s depreciation and by the continued rise in prices of basic goods, utilities and services,” said Regalado.

She said OFWs worldwide are watching to see what government will do over exposes showing the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration overcharging OFWs for OWWA membership fees.  ###