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Nobody Home?, OFW group asks who’s heading DFA’s Migrant Workers Affairs office

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 21:01

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Press Release

29 August 2012

Nobody Home?

OFW group asks who’s heading DFA’s Migrant Workers Affairs office

Migrante Legal assistance campaign file photo

The Filipino migrants rights group Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) today asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) who is heading its Migrant Workers Affairs division, noting that there had been no appointment yet of an undersecretary who will supposed to replace Esteban Conejos, Jr. as then the undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs.

On February 2012, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III appointed DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos, Jr., head then of the Office the Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA, as the country’s permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

On March 14, 2012, Usec. Conejos appointment as Philippine permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) was unanimously approved by the Commission on Appointments, with a rank of Chief of Mission, Class 1 in the roll of officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Technically speaking since the appointment of Mr. Conejos as PH permanent representative to the WTO been approved by the CA, the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) was left with no official head who shall be responsible to administer the legal assistance program and services of the DFA,” said John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante-Middle East.

Monterona added DFA’s OUMWA performs vital functions for the provision and over-all coordination of all legal assistance services to Filipino Migrant Workers as well as Overseas Filipinos in distress as stated on the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) (Sec.1, Rule IX) of the amended Migrant Workers Act or RA10022.

He also cited Sec.2, Rule IX of the RA10022 IRR, which states the qualification of the person who will head the OUMWA and the appointing authority that states, “The Legal Assistant for Migrant Workers Affairs shall be headed by a lawyer of proven competence in the field of law with at least ten (10) years experience as a legal practitioner and who must not have been a candidate to an elective office in the last local or national elections. He/she shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines. He/she shall have the title, rank, salary, and privileges of an Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, and shall head the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“We could not understand why until now, 5 months after its vacancy, there is no undersecretary to head the DFA’s OUMWA to be appointed by the President being the appointing authority. This will explain why the legal assistance program and services of the government to distress OFWs was an utter failure,” Monterona averred.

During a House budget hearings, no less than Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary Albert Del Rosario confirmed that P52.2 million of the legal assistance fund under the care of his department remained unspent. He added that only P7.78 million was used.

The DFA chief revealed that only 196 overseas workers had availed themselves of the fund from 2011 to August 2012.

“So, it was no surprise that DFA-OUMWA could not render effective and efficient legal assistance program and services to distress OFWs primarily because nobody’s in-charge to take the responsibilities of the said office,” Monterona averred.

The OFW leader calls on DFA secretary Albert Del Rosario to submit a list of nominees for the consideration of PNoy, ‘so that the latter could immediately appoint and fill the vacant position that is of importance to us, OFWs, especially to thousands of distress OFWs.’

“We urge PNoy to immediately appoint a person with the same qualities of Sec. Robredo, if not at least a person who could deliver honest-to-goodness public service and have a big heart or genuine concern for OFWs,” Monterona adding, ‘certainly, not the like of Conejos who performed poorly during his term. # # #

Reference:

John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator

Migrante-Middle East

Mobile No. 00974 33 20 5565 / 0063 923 420 0112

–

Let me share this: If a writer is so cautious that he never writes anything that cannot be criticized, he will never be able to write anything that can be read. If you want to help other people you have got to make up your mind to write things that some men will condemn. – Thomas Merton

2012-08-28 20:53:47

Source: http://migranteme.blogspot.com/2012/08/nobody-home-ofw-group-asks-whos-heading.html

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