A lawmaker on Monday called for an urgent review and assessment of bilateral labor agreements (BLAs) entered into by the Philippines with countries of destination.
OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino filed House Resolution 743 in light of the reported high-profile incidents of maltreatment and the recent horrible murders of Filipino migrant domestic workers in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
“There is a growing clamor for a review of all labor agreements entered by the Philippines with countries of destination to determine specific guidelines and mechanisms needed for the protection of their human rights, on legal remedies available to them and their families to secure justice and diplomatic actions and strategies the country has to pursue to ensure their incorporation in the BLAs and enhance their enforceability,” she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported there are 25 bilateral labor agreements in force between the Philippines and other countries of destination, including Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Italy, among others.
But Magsino said the Philippines has no binding BLAs with other important and emerging countries of destination such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei and Oman.
Magsino said the review and assessment of BLAs aim to ensure the protection of rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFW), particularly in cases of abuse, maltreatment, and deprivation of life, and to secure the availability of legal remedies to their favor to assure justice.
“It is alarming that most of our BLAs are lacking explicit provisions relating to social security, equality of treatment, repatriation, and most importantly, on protocols governing the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses committed against OFWs, and on legal remedies available to them and their families for redress of grievance and to secure justice. With the recent atrocities against our OFWs, it is high time for us to review and assess the substance and effectiveness of our BLAs,” said Magsino.
Republic Act No. 10022, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act also underscored the importance of the country entering into BLAs, which provides that the State shall allow the deployment of OFWs only in countries where the Philippines has concluded a bilateral agreement or arrangement with the government of the receiving country on the protection of the rights of OFW.
“Our bilateral labor agreements envelop the policy support for our OFWs while they are abroad. It must have decisiveness and grit to make sure there is no space for abuses against our OFWs. If there are some abuses, the agreements should provide for serious consequences that would deter foreign employers from committing a similar transgression,” said the lawmaker.