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U.S. protests echo opposition to Duterte in PH

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Alliance & Solidarity

From Inquirer.net
Original Article: https://usa.inquirer.net/57313/u-s-protests-echo-opposition-to-duterte-in-ph
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SAN FRANCISCO — Passage of the Anti-Terror Law, rising COVID cases, and the harassment of activists and government critics have drawn a strong response from Filipinos at home and abroad, many of whom have taken to take to the streets to denounce what they see as continuous attacks on democracy.

Members and allies of the Filipino community gathered in front of the San Francisco Philippine Consulate on Monday to counter President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA). Similar protests were held in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and some cities in Canada.

The United People’s SONA was organized by Bayan USA and Malaya Movement along with other Bay Area based groups and featured a special performance by rapper Ruby Ibarra.

The rally came a day after President Duterte delivered his SONA, which was preceded by a ban on protests during his speech in certain areas around Metro Manila, multiple arrests of protesters, activists, and the confiscation of protest materials.

“He [Duterte] fills it with lies, about how he’s solving poverty, how he’s really taking care of migrant workers, addressing COVID. And this People’s State of the Nation Address is to show that, that’s not true,” said Adrian Bonifacio of Anakbayan USA and Bayan USA of President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address.

Anti Terror Law

A key target of the protests was the newly enacted Anti-Terror Law, with signs, banners and chants declaring “activism is not terrorism.”

“I know that if I don’t say anything it’s not using my platform. Because I have the privilege as a Filipino American to actually speak out, whereas our kababayans back home don’t have that liberty and freedom anymore,” declared by rapper and activist Ruby Ibarra.

Mindanao Martial Law

While Duterte claimed that there were no reports of abuse throughout the duration of martial law in Mindanao. The human rights group Karapatan Alliance thousands of instances of civil rights violations within the two-year military rule in the region.

In a 2017 press conference, President Duterte threatened to destroy Lumad schools in Mindanao stating, “I will use the armed forces, the Philippine Air Force. I’ll really have those bombed because you are operating illegally, and you are teaching the children to rebel against government.”

Frankie Ortanez from Liyang Network, an organization that advocates for Lumad communities, said that Lumad schools have been tagged as breeding grounds for the New People’s Army, which they emphasize is false.

“It’s about autonomy, it’s about sovereignty, it’s about them deciding what their future is going to look like and getting to be the caretakers of their land and live how they want,” stated Ortanez. Ortanez described the closure of Lumad schools as “a violent way to attack multiple generations at once.”

Pandemic

Protesters also slammed the Duterte administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. One sign read, “Solusyong medikal, hindi militar,” (Medical solutions, not military) a protest against Duterte’s orders for law enforcement to shoot quarantine violators.

“From what I’ve heard from relatives and friends in the Philippines, continuously across the board, is that there is no concrete plan in terms of figuring out how to address the pandemic” said rapper Ibarra, who is also a working scientist. “The administration in the Philippines, (must) put a plan in place to make sure that people are taken care of during this pandemic.”

The Philippines currently has the second highest rate of COVID-19 infections in Southeast Asia, with 85,486 total cases according to the Department of Health website at the time of writing.

FROM THE DUMPSTER TO THE GRAVE (SUMA 2020): DUTERTE’S GARBAGE-LIKE TREATMENT OF FILIPINO MIGRANTS AND FAMILIES

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Alliance & Solidarity

Prepared by Migrante International

Not so long ago, many Filipinos were already surviving on a hand-to-mouth existence. In the last four months however, even the most industrious of our kababayans have been reduced into hapless beggars in the streets as the most corrupt of Duterte’s cronies are living their grandest lives in paradise. The Duterte regime’s over reliance on its Labour Export Program is finally taking a toll as more than 551,000 overseas Filipino workers get displaced by the worst global recession ever to hit the world economy since the Great Depression in the 1930s. 

Battered by the world’s longest and harshest lockdown, the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) likely contracted to a whopping 14.3% in the second quarter according to UK-based Oxford economics. 

Exacerbating roots of forced migration and brewing unrest 

Presiding over the death of Philippine agriculture through the Rice Liberalization Law and the absence of a national industry that would withstand external economic turmoils, the Duterte regime is finding itself overwhelmingly polarized further from the masses with 14 Million Filipinos unemployed and 6.4 to 7 Million underemployed as of April. These numbers add up to 20 Million overall. The country’s 22% unemployment rate is the highest in many decades. Even before the COVID-19 global crisis, the Philippines has been consistent as having the highest unemployment rate in the entire Southeast Asian region. 

At least 5.2 million Filipinos experienced hunger in the last three months and the 20.9% hunger incidence rate is the highest since 2014. The increase in the prices of goods have gone unabated after Duterte signed the TRAIN Law in December 2017. Many Filipino households writhe with bill shock over the cost of electricity, water and other services. Meanwhile, Duterte’s economic mismanagement team is pushing for a cut on corporate income tax rates from 30% to 25% in July. 

In terms of social services, Duterte’s reallocation and realignment of budget through the BAHO Act (Bayanihan Heal As One) brought about the reduction of the education budget by Php 21.9 Billion. Last year, the Duterte regime halved the budget for the health department’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Program from P262.9 million in 2019 to only P115.5 million in 2020 while allocation for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine was slashed by 57%. Before the COVID-19 lockdown, there have been 19 countries that have standing travel advisories against the Philippines with the reappearance of polio after 19 years, all thanks to a very poor public healthcare system. Healthcare workers in the Philippines are not only being overworked and underpaid but are also being forced to work in overcrowded, underfunded and understaffed hospitals. This is exacerbating brain drain in the Philippines. In a country with a privately-dominated healthcare system, the Duterte regime’s much vaunted ‘Universal Healthcare Law’ which he signed last year is marred by corruption in Philhealth. Moreover, OFWs are strongly against the mandatory Philhealth and premium rate increase. 

At about this period last year, President Duterte had no qualms of vetoing even the sanitized version of the anti-endo bill going with the argument that it ‘destroys balance.’ Hypocritically his minions cited contractualization as one of their reasonings in shutting down ABS-CBN, the Philippine government itself is the chief implementer of contractualization with 600,000 government employees deprived of secure tenureship and access to benefits. 

Out of 195 countries in the world, the Philippines is among the world’s top 10 worst countries for workers according to the 2020 global rights index of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The country’s labour force are oppressed through contractualization, regionalization of minimum wage rates and the violent repression of workers through union-busting, red-tagging and murder. NCR’s minimum wage rate of Php 537 per day, the highest in the country, is way below the Php 1,400 / day or Php 42,000 / month  family living wage revealed by former Socioeconomic Secretary Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). 

In December 2019, self-rated poverty was already at 54% which translates to 13.1 million families. Expect this number to be even higher now. The Duterte regime is using all manner of tricks to manipulate data and deceive the public just as how PSA pegged the poverty threshold to Php 10,727/month which is akin to the government telling us that any Filipino individual who earns 71 pesos a day is no longer considered poor. We find this ridiculous knowing that 71 pesos a day will never be enough to give a commuting worker a decent meal three times a day. How much more if we add the bills he has to pay plus other basic expenses?

VIP treatment of OFWs? 

President Duterte’s promise to Filipinos that working abroad will soon become an option is a hoax. The passage in the Lower House of the bill creating an OFW department only means that the government’s Labour Export Programme (LEP) is set to last far longer. But the current global crisis has really shown that over-reliance on LEP does not spur tenable development in the Philippines. 

Malacañang’s so called ‘VIP treatment’ of OFWs is decoded as ‘Very Important Palagatasan’ in the manner by which the regime has forcefully extorted OFWs with all sorts of state exactions. The government did not even set a moratorium on monthly collections from OFWs at the height of the COVID-19 crisis. Through the compulsory SSS, OFWs are required to pay for the employer’s share as well. Former SSS Chairman Amado Valdez has revealed SSS’ intention to divert reserve funds as additional investments in Duterte’s Build Build Build projects where profits go directly to big private contractors while OFWs would have to meet life-threatening accidents or even death before they could even get the additional insurance benefits promised to them by the government agency. The most despised Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) remains a money-making scheme that is being used by the government to forcibly collect other state exactions. 

The Universal Healthcare Law signed by President Duterte himself in February 2019 indicated an annual premium rate increase from the current 3% to 5% in 2025. This year alone, OFWs are expected to pay between Php 10,835 to Php 21,600 which is a one-year worth of Philhealth contribution. On 3 May, about 191 Filipino migrant organizations signed a joint position statement against PhilHealth Circular No. 2020-0014 entitled “Premium Contribution and Collection of Payment of Overseas Filipino Member” which was made public on 22 April. Aside from this, there was an online petition opposing the mandatory Philhealth and premium rate hike which garnered 463,696 signatories. Scrambling to save face after a massive uproar from OFWs, Malacanang suspended the mandatory Philhealth and premium rate hike. 

Nevertheless, the Duterte regime is pushing hard once more with its implementation despite enormous opposition from more than 80 Filipino migrant organizations from different leanings during an online consultation hosted by Philhealth on 3 July. Filipino migrants have been arguing that they are already covered by existing health insurance in host countries and Philhealth is not valid in overseas hospitals. The government is unmoved by the objection of OFWs. The Makabayan bloc in Congress has filed House Bill No. 6698 to amend the Universal Healthcare Law and remove the mandatory Philhealth, the penalty and the premium rate increase imposed on OFWs. 

The corruption scandal involving Philhealth officials remains unresolved. The agency lost Php 154 Billion to ghost patients, overpayment and fake deliveries. After Duterte asked all Philhealth board members to resign, Philhealth board member Francisco Duque III is exempted from investigations despite his involvement in the Php 500 Million malversation scandal in 2004. Very recently, COA flagged Philhealth’s overpriced IT project worth Php 2.1 Billion. COA auditors found irregularities. The Duterte regime seeks to penalize wretched OFWs if they fail to remit their Philhealth contributions while Philhealth itself reeks of corruption.  

Between the period 2019 to 2020, OWWA’s cash assets totaled Php 19.5 Billion. DFA has Php 1 Billion for its Assistance to Nationals and Php 200 Million as a Legal Assistance Fund. To date, 3,782 overseas Filipinos continue to languish in jail since there has been no adequate legal support for migrants facing legal cases abroad. 1000 of these jailed OFWs are in Saudi Arabia where 15 are currently on death row. In the case of Mary Jane Veloso, it took 10 years before she was given a chance to finally speak against her traffickers but her deposition is yet to become a reality despite the conviction of Mare Jane’s recruiters in January. Duterte is not doing anything for Mary Jane’s clemency. 

Over 400 OFWs have died in Kuwait alone in the past three years including Constancia Dayag and Jeanelyn Villavende. Duterte’s appointment of Mocha Uson as OWWA Executive director despite her ala rescue mission publicity stunt in Kuwait which endangered OFW lives continues to appall Filipino migrant communities. OFW victims and their families are deprived of welfare justice. During the Taal volcano eruption in January, affected OFW families only received between Php 1,500 and Php 3,000 each from OWWA’s Calamity Assistance Fund even for those OFWs who have been OWWA contributors for more than 20 years.  

We have seen how the government has handled the case of Mary Jean Alberto where it took 11 days before the Philippine embassy provided a lawyer to process the death certificate and reclaim her belongings. By then, the employer’s house had been cleared of possible pieces of evidence.

In the US, 70 Filipino teachers were among 300 victims of human trafficking. No concrete action from the Philippine embassy and consulates to address their pleas. In the Philippines, there has also been a proliferation of Japanese language schools victimizing students who pay up to US$5000 for placement, only to end up as manual labourers in Japan.

The Duterte regime pretends to solve the modern-day slavery of Filipino migrants by simply pimping them out from Kafala-imposing countries into what it sees as newer ‘labour markets’ like Russia and China. 

Middle East crisis

Failing to learn from the lessons of Iraq, Syria and Libya, the Duterte regime refused to take heed of repeated warnings and did not even bother to create a comprehensive evacuation plan. As early as the 2nd quarter last year, armed clashes between KSA and Yemeni forces have already reached deeper into Saudi territory especially in the border regions of Asir, Jizan, Najran where more than 40 thousand Filipinos live and work. While in Lebanon, stranded and distressed OFWs flocked to the Philippine Embassy in Beirut in December 2019 for mass repatriation. Many were dejected with the embassy’s instruction for them to submit documents like passport, birth and marriage certificate to avail of the government’s ‘one-time’ repatriation program. OFW victims of maltreatment argued that their documents are being withheld from them by their abusive employers. 

During the US-conflict with Iran, President Duterte did not take a strong stance against US military aggression in the Middle East. The US threat of war against Iran endangered the Middle East where about 2.4 Million Filipino migrants reside and work and the risks they faced were furthered by Duterte’s pro-US default position. Instead of sending a humanitarian mission composed of healthcare professionals, translators and social workers, Duterte tapped 800 soldiers for deployment. The militarization of the evacuation efforts from the Middle East jeopardized OFW safety. Duterte’s enemy tag on Iran only made AFP a hostile force in the Middle East which was detrimental to its supposed task of evacuating Filipinos to safety. It showed how the Duterte regime was more than willing to turn Filipinos in Iraq and Iran into collateral pawns in favour of US aggression against the Iranian people.

The appointment of DENR Secretary Cimatu in January 2020 as Middle East envoy was likewise reprehensible. Lest we forget that in 2003, it was none other than OWWA which confirmed that no evacuation took place at all during the US-Iraq War despite the release of US$293,500 to Pabaon General Cimatu. Instead, the budget allocation was used to purchase military assets and the troops sent were actually ordered to aid the US military in its terrorist war of aggression in Iraq. 

Economies of countries in the Gulf region are in the process of meltdown even before the global pandemic. 270 Filipinos were retrenched by Structurel and Qatar Airways in March. Over 23,000 Filipinos have lost jobs in Kuwait while 81,000 across the UAE were either terminated or under No-Work No-Pay status. Numbers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are believed to be even higher. Those who have retained employment are hit with 20% to 70% reductions in their salaries according to Migrante chapters in the Middle East. Contract substitution remains rampant. Many are being forced to work with unpaid salaries for months and subjected to physical and emotional abuse. 

COVID-19 crisis 

With 420,000 OFWs expected to be repatriated due to the crisis, remittances plunged to a 4-yr low  in April at $2.276 Billion, down 16.1% from $2.715 billion year on year. For the first four months of 2020, cumulative remittances was down to $10.494 Billion, a 2.9% decrease from $10.811 billion of the same period last year. In 2019, OFW remittances totaled $33.5 Billion, 10% of the Philippines’ GDP. Analysts expect remittances to plummet between $6.7 Billion to $10 Billion this year due to overseas mass retrenchments and displacements. 

As of 25 July 2020, there are 9,239 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 653 deaths among Filipinos abroad. 381 or 58% of recorded COVID-19 deaths are in the Middle East. The first reported case was in February when a seafarer was infected. Meanwhile, OFW families back in the Philippines are getting impoverished further by the world’s longest and harshest lockdown. Just as how the Duterte regime is mishandling the impacts of the Middle East crisis on OFWs, it does not have a comprehensive plan for Filipino migrants affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Migrante International and other sectoral groups even filed a Mandamus petition before the supreme court on 3 July to demand mass testing and release of accurate data. 

Over 550,000 Filipino migrants are surfacing as either displaced, terminated or under no-work no pay status. Day by day, OFWs are running out of cash to pay for their house rent, food, and other basic necessities.

President Duterte created a COVID-19 interagency task force without a single epidemiologist as member. After overborrowing hundreds of billions in loans and exacting higher state exactions, the government posted a budget surplus of Php 1.8 Billion in June and at the beginning of the lockdown, Duterte still asked for emergency powers despite having Php13 Billion as Contingency Fund and Php 16 Billion Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund. Migrant workers are always the government’s preferred extortion victims but they are never compensated with adequate welfare assistance. OFW families were also barred from availing DSWD’s Social Amelioration Package. 

Many of those who were repatriated found themselves stuck for a month-long incarceration period instead of the promised 14-days because of delays in the release of test results. Contrary to government propaganda of promised hotel accommodations, OFWs were seen in a viral video clip in April languishing in an overcrowded OWWA shelter in Pasay City. They already underwent proper isolation in Kuwait but were packed like sardines at the OWWA shelter, sleeping on floors, and subjected to food and water scarcity. 

Distressed OFWs fleeing detention-like quarantine facilities were treated like fugitive criminals while NCRPO Chief Debold Sinas, Mocha Uson, Koko Pimentel and Bong Go are enjoying full impunity. To date, nobody in the Philippine Coast Guard has been sanctioned for publishing on social media in May the google drive link containing a masterlist of OFW names who tested negative. The Google link was without online security to safeguard sensitive data and protect OFWs from identity theft.

The Duterte regime’s imposed entry quota in the early months of the lock down, from less than 1,000 then to 1,500 was only meant to buy time as the government scrambles to absorb the almost half a million Filipino migrants demanding repatriation and other assistance. DFA says that it will take until August before it is able to repatriate all 117,000 OFWs requesting for repatriation. The number should still be higher as there are still tens of thousands unable to leave the premises of their abusive employers who refuse to provide them with exit visas. DFA’s complacency with its figures show its lack of foresight which is disastrous for affected OFWs. 

DFA Usec. Sarah Arriola even went to the point of hurling cyberlibel and jail threats against starving OFWs in Saudi Arabia who posted online videos while they were scavenging for food from dumpsters after their pleas for urgent amelioration and repatriation remained unheard for months. DFA even lied claiming that an OFW has already been arrested for posting ‘staged’ videos on social media. The OFWs have denied this and none of them have been arrested. Jeffrey Yape, one of the fellow workers of scavenging OFWs died without receiving substantial help from the government. DFA Usec. Arriola would rather serve as damage controllers for abusive employers of exploited OFWs. Philippine Ambassador to KSA Adnan Alonto on the other hand insulted starving OFWs and tagged the viral video as mere theatrics. 

The string of suicide cases among stranded OFWs do not seem to alarm the Duterte regime. Without psychosocial support and substantial relief from the government, the militarized lockdown will surely take the hardest toll on the mental health of many OFWs displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Experts say that its impact on mental health could outlast the virus itself. Prior to getting repatriated, these OFWs have already endured traumatic experiences while working overseas. 

Believed to be caused by severe stress, anxiety and depression, an OFW in Pasay City committed suicide on 26 April. According to her fellow repatriates, she has already attempted suicide twice and they have been stuck at the quarantine facility since 3rd of April but were neither provided with substantial aid nor psychosocial support. Two seafarers also died of suicide in May and June aboard their cruise ships. On June 4, Melvin Cacho ended his life in Thailand after a prolonged period of depression. He recounted in the last words he penned that he was without work, without pay and has been unable to eat anything. Thailand is one of the many countries excluded from the Duterte regime’s DOLE AKAP cash aid program. In Alberta, Canada, workers complain that they only received $100 instead of $200. Located in Alberta, Cargill meat processing plant already has 1,000 cases of COVID-19 among its workers, majority of whom are Filipinos under the Temporary Workers Program. 

The DOLE AKAP’s $200 cash aid program excluded so many groups of Filipino migrants like OFWs in jail, trafficking victims, undocumented Halaw’s in Sabah, Au Pairs in Europe and J1 visa holders in the US. In Australia alone, there are 8,000 Filipino international students who have not received assistance from the Philippine government. They are prohibited from applying for work even as they continue to pay for housing rent and other expenses. As of July 4, there have already been 551,000 applications for assistance from land-based and sea-based workers according to DOLE. This reflects the total number of OFWs displaced by the COVID-19 crisis but only 188,000 who have received cash aid so far. Cash aid distribution is very poor considering that in Europe, there are 130,000 undocumented Filipinos and there are 100,000 seafarers worldwide waiting to receive cash aid. Labour secretary Bello fears that as many as 1 Million Filipino migrants will lose their jobs. The $200 cash aid won’t even suffice for one month to sustain the needs of their families. 

On March 29 and 30, there were 1,300 OFWs who trooped to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh to process the DOLE AKAP cash aid and the food assistance promised by Labor Attache Nasser S. Mustafa.  It turned out that 5 to 9 OFWs were asked to divide among themselves the promised food assistance. The entire process was full of panic and stress. Philippine embassy officials harassed the OFWs and called the police to drive them out. Many OFWs were outraged since they feared being caught by the 3pm curfew and many of them travelled all the way from distant cities and locations in Saudi. 

As for Filipino migrants repatriated back to the Philippines, the world’s longest lockdown has left thousands of OFWs stranded in NCR. Many of these repatriates are now penniless after a month-long wait for medical services and financial aid that never came. OFWs complain that they are being dumped like garbage in Metro Manila’s airport terminals. Starved and made to sit close to heaps of junk airport equipment. Hundreds were likewise seen sleeping along roads, pathways and under bridges leading to NAIA. 

It can be also remembered that in April, OFWs en route to their quarantine facility in Lian, Batangas were stranded for almost 24 hours after the LGUs opposed the arrival of busloads of repatriates. LGUs blasted OWWA for failing to coordinate with local officials. The OFWs arrived at their quarantine facility famished and worn out. 

With the cessation of ship operations, 20,000 seafarers are already out of work. Tens of thousands of others remain stranded aboard their ships and are demanding repatriation. Seafarers Raul Calopez and Stanley Jungco died without receiving medical attention. Their cries for help directed to the Duterte government fell on deaf ears. House Bill 6588 or the Magna Carta of Seafarers filed by the Makabayan bloc which could have served better protection for Filipino seafarers remains out of the Duterte regime’s priorities. 

The militarized approach to address a public health emergency situation has made AFP very active in crafting Fascist methods to contain the movements of repatriates. In March, AFP Westmincom proposed to isolate 131 stranded ship passengers from Sabah in Sibakil Island where they will be confined in scorching tents. These Filipinos have already experienced all sorts of sufferings in Sabah including abuse, caning and imprisonment. Instead of prioritizing their welfare, AFP Westmincom was very keen on setting up a concentration camp for them in an uninhabited island far from healthcare and social welfare facilities. 

Duterte’s far-reaching Fascist tyranny

Filipino migrant communities overseas have not been spared by the Duterte regime’s Fascist assaults. The creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) also brought about the fielding of military attaches in Philippine embassies who conduct redtagging seminars to discredit right-based advocacies of migrants’ groups. 

At a time when the pandemic and humanitarian crisis was raging, NTF ELCAC funded military junkets like that of Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.’s  ‘peace briefing’ at the Philippine consulate in Melbourne, Australia where he red-tagged Migrante Australia and other progressive groups. NTF ELCAC likewise sponsored a redtagging fora conducted at the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos and University of St. La Salle on 24 August by 303rd IBPA in Bacolod City where Migrante International along with other rights-based groups were tagged as “NPA recruiters.”

For expressing her criticisms against the Duterte regime’s inutility, Elanel Ordidor was harassed by POLO officials in Taiwan which included Labor Attaché Fidel V. Macauyag. DOLE even raised a deportation order against Ordidor but their attempts were thwarted following denunciations from different rights groups in Taiwan and from Filipino organizations in other countries. 

Even worse, the Duterte regime is systematically persecuting and having a killing rampage against migrants rights advocates and ordinary members of OFW families. Bryan Conje, the son of a Saudi-based OFW was a victim of extrajudicial killing after he was reportedly abducted by elements of PNP in Navotas in July 2019. Anne Kreuger who worked closely with Migrante during the justice campaign for slain OFW Henry Acorda was among the Bacolod57 illegally arrested in November based on trumped-up charges and fabricated evidence planted by Bacolod PNP. On April 30, Jory Porquia was assassinated right inside his place of residence in Iloilo City. Porquia was a founding organizer of Migrante Iloilo and whose profession as an architect brought him to Saudi Arabia, Singapore and China as an OFW and migrant rights’ activist. 

The recent passage of the Terror Law is the Duterte regime’s nullification of democratic rights. Human rights groups know for certain that this will be used by the Duterte regime to persecute his critics and keep himself immune from liability for all atrocious crimes committed by state forces under his watch. 184 Filipino migrant organizations sent an open letter to the 18th Congress urging house representatives to prevent its enactment. Ignoring widespread opposition, President Duterte signed the Terror Bill. 

For freedom-loving Filipino migrants and their families, they will no longer be deceived by flowery and colourful words from President Duterte when he delivers his 2020 State of the Nation Address. Even outside of the Phlippines, Filipino migrants themselves are experiencing extortion, criminal negligence, harassment and terrorism from the Duterte regime. Filipino migrants and their families are more determined than ever to unite with the Filipino masses, to stand up and speak in the struggle to terminate the Duterte regime’s puppetry, corruption and tyranny. 

Scrap Mandatory PhilHealth and Premium Increase! Support Genuine Free, Universal Healthcare – MIGRANTE USA

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Scrap Mandatory PhilHealth and Premium Increase! Support Genuine Free, Universal Healthcare – MIGRANTE USA

We, overseas Filipinos, OFWs, reaffirm and express our strong and collective opposition to the mandatory PhilHealth membership and premium increase.

The mandatory PhilHealth membership and premium rate hike was signed into law through the passage of the Universal Healthcare Act (UHC) signed by President Duterte on February 20, 2019.

OFWs and Overseas Filipinos are already covered by existing health insurance programs in their host countries and will not benefit from PhilHealth. Without bilateral agreements with host countries, OFWs will be forced to pay for their employer’s contributions and will be penalized if they fail to remit their PhilHealth contributions. The mandatory membership and premium increase further overburdens our OFWs who are already charged with other mandatory government fees whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID19 pandemic and have not received financial assistance from the Philippine government.

Merely suspending the collection of the mandatory PhilHealth premium increase during the pandemic is not enough. Provisions of the UHC must be amended to remove the mandatory collection among OFWs and overseas Filipinos, and the premium increase.

Therefore, we support the urgent passage of House Bill 6698, filed on May 7, 2020 that would allow VOLUNTARY membership among overseas Filipinos, remove the “double payment”, and compounded interest for unpaid premium, and unjust premium increase by amending provisions of the UHC Law.

We call on members of Congress and Senate to support the passage of House Bill 6698.

We call on President Duterte to certify urgent House Bill 6698 by the time he delivers his annual state of the nation address (SONA).

OUR DEMANDS:

1. Scrap mandatory PhilHealth membership for OFWs and Overseas Filipinos

2. No to premium increase

3. Certify urgent and Pass House Bill 6698

4. Establish a genuine, pro-people, universal health care program through free and comprehensive medical and health services

5. Enhance and strengthen the public health care system in the Philippines

Demand Just Treatment for Grand Princess Workers Stranded on Coronavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship

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Alliance & Solidarity

We hold Princess Cruises responsible for the death of a Filipino crew member of the Grand Princess ship who died from COVID-19 on April 1 in a hospital in San Francisco, CA. Like other crew members and passengers, this worker was denied adequate access to full testing, humane treatment, and safe quarantine, all which might have prevented this catastrophe.

Hundreds of mostly foreign-born workers remain stranded on the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess ship since it journeyed back to the San Francisco Bay Area and docked in Oakland, CA on March 9, 2020, after an outbreak of COVID-19 infections was confirmed. Although passengers and crew members were evacuated when the ship docked, over 600 workers remained on board when it pushed back out from port and remained in the SF Bay. This was despite the fact that, by March 21, seventeen percent of all the passengers who were tested for coronavirus returned positive results.

Princess Cruises’ management of the coronavirus outbreak has been a clear and egregious violation of its responsibility as an employer to protect its workers, and it acted counter to public health best practices and scientific guidelines. Read more about the failure of Princess Cruises’ failure to protect workers.

Help amplify the voices of these workers who are demanding COVID-19 testing & treatment, repatriation to their home countries, compensation for lost wages, and transparency from Princess Cruises by signing this petition and sharing it with your networks.

Our demands:

Princess Cruises has thus far resisted all calls for transparency regarding any measures it has supposedly taken to guarantee crew members’ safety, and, because of this lack of transparency, we cannot be sure that workers are safe from harm amidst the current pandemic. Workers continue to face a high risk of exposure and infection until they are disembarked and provided testing, medical care, and safe quarantine. We demand that Princess Cruises take the necessary immediate action to preserve the health, safety, and well-being of its workers on all of its ships, including:

  1. Disembarking, testing, and humanely treating all workers. All workers must be tested, and not just screened for symptoms; and that testing must be paid for by Princess Cruises. Those who test positive must be given proper treatment and documentation of the treatment, and those who test negative must be provided the documentation proving negative test status.
  2. Providing all workers with comprehensive medical and mental health services Workers should be provided access to a social worker and full psychiatric and medical evaluations and treatment to address their mental and physical health concerns upon disembarking, especially after being quarantined on a contaminated ship with limited to no contact with their families, their union representation, and the outside world throughout this traumatic experience.
  3. Providing safe housing accommodations. Disturbingly, the San Francisco Port Commission has indicated that workers may continue to be housed on the ship. We believe that all workers (non-essential and essential) should be removed from the ship, per WHO guidelines, and provided temporary housing in a local hotel, paid for by Princess Cruises, throughout the duration of their quarantine and their process of returning to their home countries, until they reach their own homes safely and completely healthy.  
  4. Compensating workers for lost wages for their full contracted term, ensuring financial and job security. According to their Collective Bargaining Agreement, seafarers are entitled to additional compensation specified in the event of an unexpected termination of their voyage or contract. Princess Cruises needs to honor all its commitments to its workers whose contracted work will be terminated prematurely by this public health crisis. Beyond that, Princess Cruises should provide hazard pay for work conducted while on board infected ships, and any and all additional compensation needed to restore the workers’ being “fit to work.” Princess Cruises should not discriminate in the rehiring and recontracting of these workers when the industry restores its cruise operations.
  5. Covering all costs attendant to repatriating workers to their countries of origin. After providing testing and humane treatment, Princess Cruises must work with the workers’ home countries to repatriate the workers, and cover the cost, as expeditiously as possible.
  6. Decommissioning the ship and having it disinfected by professionals with proper protection and equipment in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines.
  7. Transparency on its management of the COVID-19 outbreak. Princess Cruises must divulge its process of testing workers, answer to why workers were kept on the ship despite official recommendations to disembark all people on cruise ships, and, share its supposed outbreak management plan, with confirmation from workers that outbreak management training was provided, and a sanitation certificate.

In solidarity,

Migrante NorCal

ASATA (Alliance of South Asians Taking Action)

NAFCON (National Alliance for Filipino Concerns)

PAWIS (People’s Association for Workers and Immigrants)

FCC (Filipino Community Center)

ABSF (Anakbayan SF)

Filipinx Health Initiative SF

League of Filipino Students – SFSU

Equality Labs

Sign The Petition Now

Quarantined crew from California ship demands for more tests, health workers

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) — The Filipino crew members who were rescued from a coronavirus-hit cruise in California raised several concerns as their 14-day quarantine in Tarlac nears its end. This includes a need to conduct more COVID-19 tests and to deploy more health workers to their facilities.

The crew sent a letter to the government on Friday, urging that all of its members be tested for COVID-19 before their scheduled return to their families on March 29.

“If the politicians and their families are able to avail of testing, then we, who were exposed continuously to COVID-19 for a long time, need and deserve the testing even more,” the letter stated.

The letter was addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), Department of Health and Magsaysay Maritime Corporation at Princess Cruises.

“While in quarantine, only our temperature is being checked, and testing remains random and unsystematic,” the crew complained.

Over 400 Filipinos, most of whom are crew members, arrived in the country on March 16 from the MV Grand Princess, which was docked off the coast of California after a passenger onboard a previous trip died due to COVID-19.

The evacuees have since been on quarantine in the Athlete’s Village in New Clark City.

“It’s also essential to send more of our hardworking frontline health workers to care for us here,” the letter also said.

The crew also expressed concern how they will return to their respective provinces given the Luzon-wide quarantine.

“At this time we do not know where we will go after the quarantine,” they wrote. “There should be a clear plan so that we can go back home to our families.”

The evacuees also appealed for financial and livelihood assistance as well as help for those who were left behind in the ship.

CNN Coverage
Rappler Link

Duterte’s Dictatorship Aggravates Public Health Crisis – Malaya Movement’s Statement on Duterte regime’s response of COVID 19

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OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Reference: Yves Nibungco, National Coordinator, malayamovement@gmail.com

Malaya Movement joins the Filipino people and the global community in battling the deadly virus COVID-19, also known as the Novel Coronavirus. We call on our members, allies and supporters to extend their utmost solidarity and assistance to all peoples affected by this public health crisis, and to keep a keen eye on the Philippines, most especially poor and working class Filipinos. 

With the rise of positive cases of COVID-19, it is both heartbreaking and enraging to watch the hellish conditions imposed upon the Filipino people, especially the urban poor, workers, and the frontliners. The Filipino people are facing a double tragedy: the ravages of the coronavirus coupled with the tyranny and incompetence of the Duterte regime. 

Duterte’s disastrous handling of the Coronavirus pandemic

Time and again, Duterte puts his puppetry to foreign powers above the welfare and interest of the Filipino people. Duterte deliberately chose to appease the interests of foreign powers, particularly China, and ignored clamors for an immediate travel ban increasing the risk and spread of COVID-19 to the general population. 

Capitalizing on the genuine fear and panic from the population, Duterte resorted to a militaristic approach in handling the pandemic. With the lockdown of Metro Manila and the whole of Luzon, he has imposed policies that only exacerbate the public health crisis without any coherent and comprehensive plan. For example, military checkpoints created enormous crowds of people travelling by foot or motorcycle, and the shutdown of public transportation stranded essential workers, including healthcare frontliners who were unable to get to hospitals. Cases of abuse at checkpoints by police and soldiers are emerging. In recent reports, checkpoint police had threatened to shoot those found not to comply with local lockdown orders, locking some in dog cages and left out in the harsh sun. These punitive and cruel examples have characterized the Duterte administration’s response to public health challenges as seen in the past years of his administration’s notorious Drug War.

Uncontented with just the lockdown, Duterte and his rubber stamp senate and congress took advantage of the COVID crisis to give him “special powers” through Republic Act 11469 or the “Bayanihan We Heal as One Act.” It gives Duterte powers to direct operations of private hospitals and public transportation, regulate the distribution of power, fuel, energy, and water, and realign funding. These powers also include penalizing individuals and groups who will be spreading “fake news,” as well as a broad mandate to undertake “other measures as may be necessary” to respond to the pandemic. Such policies are prone to abuse, deepen unequal distribution of resources tipped toward the wealthy and powerful, and are designed to silence the growing protests and vocalized criticisms and discontent among the people as a result of Duterte’s sheer incompetence. The Malaya Movement condemns this shameless maneuver towards a full blown dictatorship and failure to address the true needs of the people. 

We denounce Duterte’s continuing reign of terror. As the people are struggling against COVID-19, the Duterte government and its armed minions continue to commit human rights violations with the arrest of human rights activist Teresita Naul, 60, Lanao del Norte last March 15 and the assassination of peasant activist Marlon Maldos, 25, from Bohol last March 17. These violent attacks on youth and the elderly human rights defenders reveal the sustained bloodlust of the Duterte regime even amidst a global pandemic plaguing the nation.

People’s Demands to Duterte 

It is clear that the Filipino people have nothing more to expect from the Duterte regime other than more suffering amidst this pandemic. Like in previous crises, the Filipino people have to rely on our own collective effort to save ourselves. In light of that, The Malaya Movement encourages our members, allies and supporters to support our front line workers and other community efforts. The Malaya Movement supports the 7 point demand of the Citizens Urgent Response to end COVID-19 (Cure COVID) as well as other cause oriented groups:

  1. Enact medical solutions instead of military actions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  2. Assign more doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers to communities instead of deploying police and military.
  3. Immediately allocate a significant portion of the government’s budget to the COVID-19 crisis for prevention, monitoring, testing and treatment, and to hire additional frontline health workers, instead of allocating more funds for tourism or support for large businesses.
  4. Perform community-level steps including: free and mass COVID-19 testing and urgent treatment of those who contract the virus,information drives related to COVID-19; distribution of free face masks, alcohol, sanitizers and vitamins C and B12; mass disinfection of schools, markets, neighborhoods and common people; 
  5. Ensure safe and healthy workplaces. Ensure job security and benefits for those who cannot go to work. Ensure accessible transportation services from home to work and back.
  6. For Maynilad and Manila Water to resolve their failed and unreliable water services. 24/7 water supply in the homes must be ensured for hand washing. 
  7. Support local scientists and health workers. Fund and fast track the production of test kits created by the University of the Philippines. 

Lastly, if the past three years is not yet enough, the past three months alone further validates our position that the Filipino people’s suffering will only increase so long as Duterte remains in power. With the longstanding, real needs of the Filipino people for better economic opportunities, and land for the vast masses of peasant farmers to till, and this most recent public health crisis of Covid-19, Duterte’s leadership has proven not fit for purpose. Instead of continuing to power grab and employ a dictatorial and totalitarian style of leadership, he might better serve the Philippines by stepping down and resigning. 

Tens of thousands of people have already been murdered by the Duterte regime, and his militaristic and anti-people response to COVID-19 will no doubt add more deaths to his legacy. The Malaya Movement calls on Duterte to resign so that more lives can be spared. His deadly reign cannot continue. Join the Malaya Movement in calling for Duterte’s resignation. Heed the people’s demands for medical response to the COVID-19 crisis, and arm the health professionals with medical equipment, not the military! 

A Message to Filipino Workers in the U.S. from Migrante USA

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Covid-19 is spreading across the US. California and New York, which have large concentrations of Filipino works, are seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases. According to DOLE, there are now 6 overseas Filipino workers in the U.S. that have tested positive. There were 538 crew members and passengers from the virus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship who recently disembarked in Oakland, CA. 

Migrante USA calls on Filipino workers in the U.S. to stay vigilant not just with respect to health and well-being but also their rights as workers, unionized or not, documented or undocumented. 

1. Know the correct information and relevant information about Covid-19.

As the disease caused by Covid-19 rapidly spreads, it is important to know official warnings and advice from authorities especially from doctors and health professionals. Ensure that you consume verified information and don’t be deceived by “fake news”.

Pay attention to advisories and directions from the government (local, city or state) on proper washing of hands, social distancing, and other information and directions for precautions to safeguard health.  

2. Join collective efforts to safeguard the health of yourself, your family and the community. 

Migrante USA amplifies the call to safeguard health. Know the proper measures to avoid Covid-19 such as proper hand-washing, self-quarantine when symptoms occur, social distancing and other safety measures as prescribed by professionals and medical experts. Urgently see consultation with a doctor when symptoms arise (especially fever, cough and difficulty in breathing).

Take note that the most vulnerable are those 50 years old and above and those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, compromised immune systems and hypertension.

Know the terms and conditions of your medical insurance. If you don’t have any, learn how you can get free or affordable Covid-19 testing in your city. Do not ignore perceived symptoms.

Feel free to contact a Migrante USA member organization nearest you to get information on how to get medical attention or for referrals to non-profit organizations who may be able to help with medical insurance matters. 

3. Know and fight for workers’ rights!

Majority of Filipinos in the US are workers and comprise a large workforce in the service industry. Although there are professionals that are able to “work from home” a vast majority of workers do not have this option. Many Filipinos’ livelihood are affected by cases of “lock down” or the call to “quarantine” where they may not leave their house to go to work. 

Make sure that you know the terms and conditions of your sick leave and other matters regarding taking leave from work in case you are unable to work due to Covid-19.

If you have any questions regarding workers’ rights, feel free to contact a Migrante USA member organization nearest you for referrals to labor attorneys. 

4. Stand for the rights of Filipino People!

Migrante USA unites with the call of  progressive organizations in the Philippines to implement the following: Free and widespread testing for COVID-19, proactive and free health services, additional deployment of health workers, protection for workers and the poor, and provision of supplies or resources. Fight against anti-people lockdown and fight the budget cut in public services!!

Migrante USA also unites with the call of Migrante International for embassies and consulates to be active in offering health services for migrants (acquiring testing kits and distributing supplies) and to ensure compensation and support for affected migrants. 

5. Stand up against discrimination and racism.

Because COVID-19 originated in China, this does not mean we should blame Chinese people. Many Filipinos in different countries are vicitims of harassment blaming provinces and discrimination against Asians including Filipinos. 

6. Unite with workers across the world 

In the midst of this crisis caused by COVID-19, poverty and other social problems become more prominent and it is workers who are the most impacted. Many workers are unable to engage in social distancing or working from home because of their work conditions in manufacturing and service industry jobs that require them to interact with people. They also have no way to move through the city without using often crowded mass transportation. Most of all, because of depressed wages, lack of job security, and rollback in benefits, workers have nothing to eat and feed their families if they do not go to work. Because of the intense privatization of healthcare, it is hard for workers to access health services. 

Capitalists have been laying off workers left and right and cutting hours without compensation to avoid hurting their profits. This can be seen in mass lay-offs such as in Philippine Airlines (300 workers laid off). Many contracted Migrant Filipinos have had their contracts cancelled without compensation for themselves or their families. 

Many overseas Filipino workers are gravely affected by COVID-19 (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Italy, etc.). We need to unite, cooperate, and exchange accurate information on how to ensure the rights and well-being of migrant workers or OFWs. There is no one to help Filipino workers but Filipino workers themselves. 

At a time of intensifying economic crisis,  now exacerbated by the grave human health threat posed by COVID-19, working class unity is essential to ensure stability to fight and struggle for the right to live, work with security and the right to health services.

Dare to struggle! Don’t be afraid!

Filipino Workers unite!

Long live the working class! 

*Philippine Department of Labor and Employment 

References:

Panawagan ng Migrante USA sa mga Pilipinong Manggagawa sa U.S.

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Lumalaganap ngayon ang Covid-19 sa Estados Unidos. Ang California at New York na may malaking konsentrasyon ng mga manggagawang Pilipino ay may tumataas na bilang ng mga biktima ng Covid-19. Ayon sa DOLE*, may 6 na OFW na sa U.S. ang may sakit. May 538 tripulante at pasahero ng tinamaang barko na Grand Princess cruise ship ang kamakailang nag-disembark sa Oakland, CA. 

Ang Migrante USA ay nananawagan sa lahat ng manggagawang Pilipino sa Estados Unidos na manatiling mapagbantay (vigilant) hindi lamang sa kalusugan kundi pati sa ating mga karapatan bilang manggagawa, kasapi man sa unyon o hindi, dokumentado man o hindi.

1. Alamin ang tama at mahalagang impormasyon hinggil sa COVID-19.

Sa panahon na lumalaganap ang nakahahawang sakit na dulot ng Covid-19, mahalaga na alamin ang mga opisyal na babala at payo mula sa kinauukulan lalu na mula sa mga ekspertong doktor at propesyunal pangkalusugan. Tiyakin na tama ang mga impormasyon at huwag magpalinlang sa mga “fake news”. 

Dinggin ang panawagan at babala mula sa kinauukulang ahensya ng gobyerno (local, city or state) tulad ng tamang paghuhugas ng kamay, pag-iwas sa paglabas o pakikisalamuha sa maraming tao bilang paraan ng pag-iwas sa sakit, at iba pang impormasyon at mga direksyon ukol sa pag-iingat pangkalusugan.

2. Makilahok sa sama-samang pangangalaga ng kalusugan ng sarili, pamilya at komunidad.

Kaisa ang Migrante USA sa malawak na panawagan hinggil sa pangangalaga sa kalusugan.  Alamin ang mga matuwid na hakbang upang maka-iwas sa Covid-19 tulad ng tamang paraan ng paghuhugas ng kamay, pag- “self-quarantine” pag may sintomas, pag-iwas sa mataong lugar at iba pang hakbang sa pag-iingat ayon sa direksyon ng mga propesyunal at ekspertong medikal. Maagap na magpa-konsulta sa doktor kung may nararamdamang sakit (lalu na ang lagnat, ubo at karamdaman sa paghinga). 

Tandaan na pinaka-bulnerable ang sinumang edad 50 pataas at may mga “pre-existing conditions” tulad ng diabetes, sakit sa puso (cardio-vascular), sakit sa baga (respiratory), kanser, “compromised immune system”, at alta-presyon (hypertension/high blood). 

Alamin ang mga patakaran at itinakda ng inyong medical insurance. At kung wala kayong medical insurance ay alamin kung paano ito magagawan ng paraan. Alamin kung saan at paano makakakuha ng libre o murang testing sa Covid-19 sa inyong mga lunsod. Huwag isa-walang bahala kung mayroong nararamdamang sakit.

Maaaring lumapit sa pinaka malapit na organisasyon ng Migrante USA upang makakuha ng impormasyon hinggil sa pagkuha ng atensyong medikal o di kaya ay mai-refer kayo sa mga non-profit organizations na maaaring makatulong hinggil sa usapin ng medical insurance. 

3. Alamin at ipaglaban ang mga karapatan bilang manggagawa. 

Mayorya ng Pilipino sa Estados Unidos ay mga manggagawa na kalakhan ay nagtatrabaho sa service industry. Bagama’t may mga propesyunal na maaaring makapag-“work from home”, kalakhan ng mga manggagawa ay walang ganitong option. Maraming bilang ng mga Pilipino ang maaapektuhan ang kabuhayan kung sakaling magkaroon ng “lockdown” o sapilitang “quarantine” kung saan ay hindi na pwedeng umalis ng bahay upang pumasok sa trabaho. 

Tiyakin na alam ninyo ang mga patakaran at kundisyon hinggil sa inyong “sick leave” at iba pang bagay hinggil sa pagliban sa trabaho kung sakaling hindi kayo makakapasok dulot ng COVID-19.

Kung may iba kayong katanungan hinggil sa inyong mga karapatan bilang manggagawa, lumapit sa pinaka-malapit na kasaping organisasyon ng Migrante USA para sa katanungan at/o referral sa labor attorney. 

4. Manindigan para sa karapatan ng mamamayang Pilipino! Nakikiisa ang Migrante USA sa panawagan ng mga progresibong organisasyon sa Pilipinas na ipatupad ang mga sumusunod: Libre at malawakang testing sa Covid-19, maagap at libreng serbisyong pangkalusugan, dagdag na deployment ng health workers, proteksyon sa mga manggagawa at mahihirap, at dagdag na supply o rekurso. Labanan ang kontra mamamayang lockdown at kaltas sa badyet para serbisyong pampubliko!

Nakikiisa din ang Migrante USA sa panawagan ng Migrante International para sa mga embahada at konsulado na maging aktibo sa pag-alalay sa pagbibigay ng serbisyong pangkalusugan sa mga migrante (pag-acquire ng testing kits at pamamahagi ng supply) at pagtiyak ng maagap na compensation at suporta sa mga apektadong migrante.

5. Manindigan laban sa diskriminasyon at racism.

Dahil ang Covid-19 ay unang kumalat sa China, hindi nangangahulugan na dapat sisihin ang mga Chinese. Maraming Pilipino sa ibang bansa ang biktima ng karahasan dulot ng paninisi at diskriminasyon laban sa mga Asian kasama na ang mga Pilipino. 

6. Makiisa sa mga manggagawa sa buong daigdig. Sa gitna ng krisis na dulot ng COVID-19, lumilitaw lalo ang kahirapan at iba pang suliraning panlipunan at ang mga manggagawa ang tinatamaan nang husto. Maraming manggagawa ang hindi kakayaning makipag-“social distancing” at mag-“work from home” dahil sa kondisyon ng kanilang trabaho sa manupaktura at serbisyo kung saan kailangan nila makisalamuha sa mga tao. Gayundin, wala silang ibang paraan upang gumalaw sa syudad kung hindi gagamit ng madalas masikip na mass transportation. Higit sa lahat, dahil sa pagbaba ng sahod, kawalan ng job security at pagbawi sa mga benepisyo, ang mga manggagawa ay walang kakainin at ipapakain sa pamilya kung hindi sila makakapagtrabaho. Dahil sa matinding pribatisasyon ng serbisyong pangkalusugan, hirap ang mga manggagawa na abutin ang mga serbisyong pangkalusugan.

Walang pag-aalinlangan ang mga kapitalistang sisantehin ang mga manggagawa o bawasan ang oras nang walang compensation upang iwasan ang pagbulusok ng kanilang tubo. Makikita ito sa mass lay-offs tulad ng sa Philippine Airlines (300 workers). Maraming kontrata ng mga migranteng Pilipino ang nakansela na nang walang compensation para sa kanila at mga pamilya nila.

Maraming manggagawang Pilipino sa ibang bansa ang higit na apektado ng Covid-19 (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Italy, atbp.). Kailangan tayong magkaisa, magtulungan at mag palitan ng tamang impormasyon kung paano matitiyak ang kagalingan at karapatan bilang mga migranteng manggagawa o OFWs. Walang ibang magtutulungan kundi tayong mga Pilipinong manggagawa din. 

Sa panahon na umiigting din ang krisis pang-ekonomiya at ngayo’y nadagdagan pa ng matinding banta sa kalusugan ng tao na dulot ng COVID-19, mahalaga ang pagkakaisa ng uring manggagawa upang matiyak ang paninindigan, pakikipaglaban at pakikibaka para sa karapatang mabuhay, magtrabaho nang may seguridad at karapatan sa serbisyong pangkalusugan.

Makibaka! Huwag Matakot!

Manggagawang Pilipino Magkaisa!

Mabuhay ang uring manggagawa!

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