OFWs threatened by warming ties between China, Taiwan
Mayen Jaymalin
Philippine Star
Filipinos might lose jobs in Taiwan following the détente between China and the island nation, according to an association of labor recruiters.
Jackson Gan, Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME) vice president, said the situation is a threat to the employment of 100,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan.
“The warming relations between China and Taiwan could lead to serious loss of jobs for Filipinos unless government exert efforts to increase investments of Taiwanese in the country,” he said.
The increasing good relations between the two countries may encourage Taiwan to move more of its factories to China, where Chinese workers could be hired instead of Filipinos, he added.
However, Gan said the government could revise investment policies to attract Taiwanese industrialists to move their small and medium scale factories to Northern Luzon instead China.
“The Board of Investments, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority should propose a nautical highway between Kaoshiung and Port Irene, Cagayan so that trade and commerce between the country and Taiwan can increase in the next five years,” he said.
Gan said the less than 100 nautical miles between the southernmost Taiwan city of Kaoshiung and Aparri in Cagayan province in the northern tip of Luzon is less than eight hours via a roll-on-roll-off ship that can handle large containers and trucks.
Direct flights between Taiwan and the Philippines can also attract more tourists to the country, he said.
Gan said Taiwanese companies are already moving their factories to China and Vietnam to lower their labor costs.
“But Northern Luzon is nearer to Taiwan, and our labor force is more literate than other Asian countries, thus (our workers) can be easily trained in manufacturing and assembly operations,” he said.
Migrant rights
The Coalition of International Migrant Workers Groups urged the government yesterday to uphold their rights.
“We will call on governments and other parties involved to renounce the treatment of migrant workers as commodities,” the group said in a statement.
Migrant workers are set to convene on Friday and launch the People’s Global Action for the protection of their rights in the Philippines and in other countries.
The Global Call to Action is also organizing a parallel meeting in Manila in October to oppose perspectives being promoted by governments that “perpetuate migrants’ exploitation, reinforce gender oppression, undermine human rights and surrender State responsibility for development.
“Governments must focus on maximizing the development benefits of migration while reducing discussions on the human rights of migrants, the causes of massive migration like failed economic development programs and widespread poverty in many countries.”
The meeting of government officials in Manila should now veer away from the themes promoted by banks, remittance companies and corporate giants, which center on treating migrants as sources of revenues and as financiers of social development programs, the group said.
“These are all consistent with the neo-liberal agenda of making the people bear the burden of development, reducing government responsibility and accountability and ensuring more profits for the companies.”
The Manila forum should be an opportunity for hundreds of delegates from all over the world to discuss the impact of migrant workers who remit more than $300 billion annually to their home countries, Organizers said.
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