JEDDAH, 13 May — Neither the proposed merger of the Philippine Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) with the POEA nor its transfer to another department will solve the problems of migrant Filipino workers, a militant advocacy group based in Manila said yesterday.

It is the Philippine government’s labor export policy, among other things, that need to be overhauled, Migrante International said in a press statement posted on the Internet.

Migrante also scolded labor officials in Manila for fighting over “spoils” instead of doing their jobs.

Migrante, so far, is the only non-government organization based in Manila to openly react to Soriano’s proposal to have the OWWA transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

According to Soriano, his agency would become more effective if placed under the DFA since the Philippine missions abroad are headed by ambassadors, who represent the foreign office.

Soriano’s motive in making the proposal, however, is being questioned.

Sources from the labor export sector in Manila claimed that the proposal was a result of Soriano’s quarrel with Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas, who reportedly wanted to merge OWWA’s operations abroad with those of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to cut down on administrative costs.

In his speech during the OWWA’s 20th anniversary celebration, Soriano had said he was only responding to the “clamor” of millions of OFWs. He went on to cite some groups, including Migrante, as among those seeking the transfer.

It turned out that the petition came from an obscure group called OFWs Alliances (Overseas) and the signatures collected by another group called Kakampi for the Absentee Voting Bill was appended to it.

In its reaction yesterday, Migrante said it had nothing to do with any petition for such transfer. It slammed not only Soriano but Santo Tomas as well.

Migrante International Secretary-General Poe Gratela said his group “is very much aware of their petty squabbles and we strongly urge Santo Tomas and Soriano to stop using the reputation of Migrante International in chasing your ominous intentions.”

“We denounce in the strongest possible terms the use of the good name of Migrante International in the pursuit of personal and sinister interests of clinging to their juicy positions,” it added.

The order of the day, Migrante said, should be for the officials concerned to shape up.

“… the continuing state exactions bleeding the OFWs dry, exorbitant placement fees, threat of passport price increase, and the inhumane and abused conditions of the migrant workers that should be addressed squarely and not on how spoils should be distributed among high bureaucrats like OWWA Administrator Wilhelm Soriano and Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) Patricia Santo Tomas,” said the statement.

If the officials cannot do their work properly, Migrante said, they should resign or be kicked out unceremoniously. It further said the President Gloria Arroyo’s administration “is very much to be blamed and should be ousted like her predecessor for the continuing despair and detestable status of the Filipino migrant workers.”

Amused by OWWA

Also yesterday, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrant Filipinos (APMMF) threw its support behind calls by OFW groups and individuals on the OWWA to submit itself to a full public financial and management audit and an end to the forcible collection of fees from migrant workers.

Effective December last year, the OWWA in cahoots with POEA, started a mandatory collection of $25 from each OFW for every contract they sign.

Claims by OWWA officials that the collection is voluntary only adds insult to injury, say OFWs who were forced to pay the fee as a requirement for their getting an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) from the POEA. With the certificate, an OFW could not leave the Manila airport for work abroad.

In its own press statement, the APMMF yesterday urged the Arroyo government to not only scrap the fee but investigate other anomalies involving the OWWA in the past which has now been forgotten.

The group also urged the OWWA personnel to stop fooling themselves by bloating their accomplishments in their accomplishment reports. It expressed amusement by OWWA’s report that the agency had assisted more than 200,000 distressed workers in the year 2000.