"Paddling in a sinking boat" -- Gabriela solon on GMA

"Despite the intensifying clamor of Filipino migrant workers to get the most out of jobs abroad, President Arroyo still pursues her labor export policy, which is her administration's sole solution to the rising unemployment in the country," said Gabriela solon Luzviminda Ilagan.

Rep. Ilagan assailed the systematic rummage sale of our Filipino workers amid increasing cases of rights violations, threats and even death of OFWs. She said that the United Nations Committee on Migrant Workers (UNCMW) has at last admitted the incapacity of the Arroyo government to protect the rights of OFWs by deleting the Philippines as a “positive case study of state ratification and implementation" in the document "Guide on Ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and members of Their Families."

The progressive solon supports the decision of the UNCMW as this should alarm the President on her hustling to seek more jobs for Filipinos abroad setting aside their protection and welfare. Rep. Ilagan also noted that even the Omnibus Rules and Regulations Implementing the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, also known as RA 8042, which was supposed to be the Philippine government's translation of the said UN convention, has not fully protected the OFWs.

"While the Arroyo administration announces thousands of job orders abroad, more and more Filipinos have been victimized by illegal recruiters. This is a clear manifestation that the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs have failed to implement the law," Ilagan said.

Having known that Pres. Arroyo is off for another expensive visit to the Middle East for job deals, Ilagan said that the president is  "paddling in a sinking boat." Pres. Arroyo, according to her, deliberately disregards the UN Convention and continues to sail on her desperate economic program which is selling out the Filipino work force to other nations.

"Hindi nilalako ang karapatan ng mga OFW, sa halip ito ay dapat pangalagaan at depensahan," said Ilagan, stressing that Arroyo's labor export policy has boomeranged.#