Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago
Photo credit: Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago Official Facebook PageSenator Miriam Defensor Santiago’s platform for presidency includes giving more options to Overseas Filipino Workers like you. Having more job choices in the Philippines will help you avoid leaving the country. This means creating more jobs locally.
She believes that legal assistance is key in helping OFWs. You will have hotlines to the DOLE (or the Labor Department) and OWWA for asking for help. OWWA is the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. Our consuls will take special training in helping those in need.
Her credentials in the Senate include filing a bill to expand the legal assistance fund. Under the bill, OFWs charged of cases with penalty of life sentence or death will receive legal support from the very start of your case. This will protect your rights during the crucial period of the case against you.
Other platforms of
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on OFWs
In the coming election in the Philippines, she offers herself to defend you against abuses in the country and abroad. Your absentee voting ballots can make a difference. So let’s find out more about Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago’s plans.
Illegal recruitment. Recruiters should account for their actions. Your rights and duties as migrant workers will also be crystal clear. She asked the Senate to probe the rise of illegal recruitment online (or internet job scams) and the double visa scheme of recruitment agencies. This scheme gives you one visa to show at the airport and another visa, usually "servant" visa, to show to your employer.
Read this page on how OFWs can avoid illegal recruitment.
High placement fees. Sen. Miriam Santiago will reduce the steps and costs in going abroad. Are you in the province? You do not have to go to Manila to process your papers. You can do it in your region as part of the Senator’s plan.
Employer abuse. She plans to collect data on countries and firms which are good employers, then deploy OFWs to countries treating workers fairly. Recruiters with past records of abuse will be banned. A gradual shift in the nature of jobs abroad will change from unskilled and blue collar workers to skilled and white collar workers.
Corrupt airport staff and officials. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago plans to enforce laws firmly. She will remove inept and corrupt officials in the airports. She wants a tougher law with higher penalties against those involved in the "laglag bala" scheme.
Balikbayan boxes. Many of these boxes contain untold hardships just to send them to your loved ones. Sen. Santiago will enforce strict rules for bringing in or sending goods to the country to prevent Customs people from prying into your boxes. She asked the Senate to review these rules when complaints about despoiled or sullied balikbayan boxes made the headlines.
These measures will improve your plight when done right. A Philippine election is the right time to choose leaders and make your voices heard. Given the track record and plans of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago for the OFWs, will you give her your vote?
Overseas Filipinos › Election in the Philippines › Miriam Defensor Santiago
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