OFW Partylist Representative Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino filed House Resolution 743 today calling for a review and assessment of bilateral labor agreements (BLAs) entered into by the Philippines with countries of destination.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that there are twenty-five (25) bilateral labor agreements in force between the Philippines and other countries of destination, including Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Italy, among others.
However, it also appears that the Philippines has no binding BLAs with other important and emerging countries of destination such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei, and Oman.
The lone representative of the OFW sector said the review and assessment of BLAs aim to ensure the protection of rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers particularly in cases of abuse, maltreatment, and deprivation of life, and to secure the availability of legal remedies in 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 underscores 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 Magsino.
