MANILA, 6 April 2008 — Any distressed overseas Filipino worker (OFW) may now seek help by texting and send it to +63 9209 OFW SOS (+63 9290 639 767).
This project is a “back-up” of the Center for Migrants Advocacy (CMA) for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), two government agencies that have been implementing such program having the same concept.
The message sent by any distressed OFW is simultaneously received by the CMA, DFA and OWWA. Distressed text message may be sent by any OFW seeking help anywhere and anytime.
The CMA reported that it received a total of 860 text messages out of the 1,000 texts through the SOS SMS Hotline from February 2006 up to February 2007. Other cases received through text messaging were referrals, phone calls, emails and walk-ins.
According to CMA, an NGO which caters to the needs of the returning and former OFWs, the high number of text messages proves that text messaging is really a “friendly, accessible and affordable” technology for OFWs.
The CMA record reveals that 40 percent of the text messages received come from males and 36 percent from females.
Some 20 percent remained unknown because the texters refused to divulge their identity.
Most of the texters were individual cases but there were cases where an individual carried the sentiment of a group such as those of the 700 drivers in Kuwait, 11 stranded seafarers in Albania and 21 seafarers who refused to leave their docked ship in Denmark.
The highest number of messages came from Saudi Arabia, at 656. Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria and UAE had a total of 121 texters. Hongkong has 20, USA has 30, 16 for Europe and three for Latin America. Australia and Ethiopia have one texter each.
Distressed OFWs texted complaints such as contract violations, contract substitution, unhealthy working conditions, unpaid salaries, low salaries, long work hours, no private room, no working visa or iqama, maltreatment, no day-off, unpaid overtime pay, change of employer, running away from employer and a lot more related to money. Some texters asked for the location of the Philippine Embassy, Consulate and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
Others admitted they do not know the labor laws pertaining to OFWs.
CMA acted on the 33 percent texts; 29.4 percent was referred to the Philippine Embassy, Consulate POLO and other government agencies; 4.6 percent were reconnected to their families back in the Philippines; and a big 27.8 percent of the texters did not follow-up the complains they texted in.
The Department of Labor and Employment acted on 32.6 percent of the cases reported through texts; 4.4 percent were resolved by the DFA; 4.2 percent were received only as reports; and 9.3 percent were acted upon by other government agencies.
