MANILA, 20 September — Overseas Filipinos communicating through the Internet yesterday thanked Bulacan Rep. Willie Villarama for his proposal to form an OFW party but said it makes no sense.
In a meeting with representatives of the International Coalition for Overseas Filipinos Voting Rights (ICOFVR) this week, Villarama said OFWs need to have their own political party so they can effectively protect their interests and rights and work on legislation that would benefit themselves.
But the consensus among OFWs who commented via the Internet was that Villarama and other legislators could be of better help if they vigorously fight for the passage of the AVB.
"How can OFWs set up their own political party when they are not allowed to vote in the first place?" said Los Angeles-based Ren Arrieta, who is a member of the International Coalition for Overseas Filipinos Voting Rights (ICOFVR).
Bob Gabuna, based in Canada, said the proposals "is laudable but is not viable under the present circumstances."
"Let the House of Congress and the Philippine Senate pass the absentee voting bill and I may reconsider my position," Gabuna said.
Mel Viado, a permanent resident in the United States and also an absentee voting advocate, said, "a political party whose political base does not have even the right to vote will never survive anyway."
Villarama made the proposal in a meeting with leaders of ICOFVR, an umbrella organization of expatriate Filipinos lobbying for the passage of the Absentee Voting Bill.
The measure would give OFWs and other Filipino expatriates the right to vote in Philippine elections for president, vice president, senators, and party-list representatives.
Vacationing OFW Robert Ceralvo, who is based in Jersey City in the United States, said Villarama made the proposal to protect the interests of the OFWs within the government structure.
Ceralvo said Villarama suggested consolidating all existing OFW parties who participated in the last elections and transforming this into a major political party.
ICOFVR earlier decried the failure of Congress for the past 15 years to enact the bill despite a constitutional mandate giving OFWs the right to vote in Philippine national elections.
Despite the valuable contribution of OFWs to the economy, Villarama said that the nation’s leaders have often neglected these workers. "Our overseas labor force is a dynamic showcase of Filipino enterprise and a powerful economic machine. Yet, they are ignored and taken for granted by the political establishment," he said.
Other OFWs said Villarama should as well use his connections well by urging President Arroyo to ensure the enactment of an absentee voting law.
The leadership of OFW-Net, one of the member organizations of ICOFVR, said any plan to form a political party at this time would only be misconstrued as an opportunist move even if the desire and intentions are noble. "It will be difficult to distinguish the party from those who are jockeying for positions this early … and … (it) will only put the (absentee voting bill) advocacy in a compromising situation…," it said.
Tokyo-based Yuko S. Takei, who is married to a Japanese national, cautioned OFWs against such proposals because "it’s amazing how a lot of people want to take advantage of this growing political force called ‘Overseas Filipinos Worldwide.’"