Labour Rights#1 - One Big Step Forward

HI Everyone,

Shawna and myself were extremely happy to see so many of you show up yesterday. It's a pleasure to see that the hard work ahead dodn't faze most of you. It will be an exciting time ahead, if you pardon the cliche. Hopefully, all of us will find our own rewards for all the work that we will put in.

I can tell you that I am already amply rewarded that you all expressed interest in a topic such as this despite the hard work involved. I thank you for your early gift to me.

In a strange quirk of timing, today's Straits Times reported that domestic workers are now entitled to a compulsory One Day Off or can claim compensation. That is indeed a very, very positive step forward for the rights of the domestic workers in Singapore. You will find details of this story in the attached ST articles below:

Article One
Article Two
Summary

It's a positive step forward but it is not a big step. The Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) quoted aren't too impress which means that our mission is still valid. We can only influence change if we change ourselves. I hope that your quest for knowledge in the Philippines module ahead will transform your worldview. A heightened sense of understanding of ourselves and our place in the world will make us better persons.

So thus we aim to change the world one person at a time beginning with ourselves.

Analyse this Speech

Hi everyone,

Have a look at this speech by the Secretary (meaning Minister) of Foreign Affairs from the Phippines Government. What important data can you find? What important data was left out? How has this speech supported or debunked your findings?

cheers
cl

SHAPING THE WORLD: THE GLOBAL FILIPINO: Speech by the Secretary (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Philippines

SHAPING THE WORLD: THE GLOBAL FILIPINO

REMARKS BY
THE HONORABLE ALBERTO G. ROMULO
SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

ON FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS DAY,
CARLOS P. GARCIA CONFERENCE HALL, DFA, 07 JUNE 2005

Today we honor the hard work, the sacrifices and the inspiring story of our overseas workers. Though far from home, their dedication to their families, their love for their country and their culture and their concern for the future of our nation are values that form indelible links between them and those they left behind.

Our overseas workers have changed the face of the earth. They build stunning structures and magnificent freeways. They bring forth the richness of the earth and the bounties of the seas. They transport the goods that fuel the commerce of our globalized world.

Our overseas workers have also helped to chart the course of technology. They man the portals of the information highways. They write the code and design the chips that move data with the speed of thought. They help to bring knowledge to the far reaches of the globe.

Our overseas workers have bettered the lives of people the world over. Our caregivers tender to the needs of the old and infirm. Our health workers heal the sick, research their illnesses and find the cures.

Our overseas workers care for the children and look after the homes of the people of the world.

Today, one out of every ten Filipinos is overseas, with most being migrant workers.

One out of every two Filipinos is dependent in some way on the earning of a migrant worker relative or kin.

And nearly every Filipino has been touched or affected by the fact that the Philippines is a global nation.

Overseas employment has become a global phenomenon. It is expected to continue because the modern world needs transnational movements to support the increasingly globalizing world economy. For there will always be labor gaps in some countries that are easier to fill with foreigners than with nationals. The phenomenon of overseas employment will continue as long as there are people who perceive that there are greater opportunities abroad and who will want to benefit from them.

The Department of Foreign Affairs continues to be responsive to the needs of our millions of Overseas Filipino Workers. Guided by the Philippine Constitution which mandates the State to provide full protection to labor, both local and overseas, the promotion of the welfare of our overseas workers and the protection of their rights, make up one of the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy, together with national security and economic development. Government has now gone beyond that basic mandate and has launched programs towards our overseas workers’ mobilization as partners of our country’s national development.

Republic Act 8042, which was approved ten years ago, has become the Bible of the DFA’s overseas workers assistance program. It provides that the dignity of citizens shall at all times be upheld whether in the country or overseas. R.A. 8042 ushered in a new era in Philippine foreign policy when it mandated that OFWs shall be provided with timely social, economic and legal services.

Under this landmark legislation, consular assistance and assistance to nationals overseas have been accorded greater significance and prominence and are subject to a more coordinated, cohesive and – more importantly - better-funded approach with the creation of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs or OUMWA in the DFA, which Undersecretary Chito Brillantes proudly chairs.

In very close coordination with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration or POEA headed by Rosalinda D. Baldoz in seeing to the deployment of only legitimate workers, and working hand-in-hand with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA in providing assistance to land-based workers and seafarers, the Department has been at the forefront of our country’s overseas welfare and protection program together with DOLE, POEA and OWWA.

Working with the Commission on Elections, we are determined to ensure that our overseas Filipinos are able to exercise their right to choose their leaders. The document we signed and the materials we received today will further strengthen these efforts. I thank the COMELEC and the POEA for their continuing cooperation.

We are also committed to working with the law enforcement agencies of the government to stamp out illegal recruitment. We have to protect our workers from those who seek to exploit them. A large number of cases of our overseas workers who end up in distress are victims of illegal recruitment.

I am pleased to accept from Captain Jaylo the first annual report of the Task Force on Illegal Recruitment and commend him and the members of his team for their work.

Our overseas workers deserve the care and attention of our entire government. The Department deeply appreciates the cooperation and professionalism of our brother agencies, like the COMELEC, the POEA and the Task Force on Illegal Recruitment. This support is indispensable in carrying out our work.

I would like to reiterate the commitment of the men and women of the Department of Foreign Affairs to the cause of overseas Filipino workers. We will continue to work for your safety and welfare, protect your rights and pursue your interests.
Thank you for celebrating with us in a simple manner Migrant Workers Day. END

Another step forward!

Hi everyone!

I am not sure if any of you caught the news from TODAY yesterday :c). Anyways, smacked right on the front page is the following article. So another huge little step has been planted in our country's quest to make decent employers of FDWs out of us. As you are writing your radio stories, remembered to also include information from the news media in order to show the changing tide, okay?

cheers
cl

Maids get 'bank guarantee'

Published Date: 03 October 2006

MOM moves to ensure maids get their dues, prevent abuse

Loh Chee Kong
cheekong@mediacorp.com.sg

A NOTORIOUS Singapore stereotype — the maid suffering abuse in silence or getting her salary deducted without good reason — may soon have to be revised.

Starting next month, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) may randomly ask to interview your maid, to find out how she is being treated or whether she is facing any problems. In other words, maids new to Singapore may be able to confide in the authorities.

What's more, she along with other migrant workers — including those in the construction sector — may opt to receive salaries in their bank accounts. There would then be records to determine if she has been paid adequately and in time.
It's not all a one-way street, though. To minimise the surprises sometimes sprung on employers, maid agencies will have to share a foreign domestic worker's (FDWs) employment history with those who want to hire her.

The steps are among those being taken by MOM to ensure that maids are sufficiently protected and to smoothen the sometimes-prickly relationship between employers and their FDWs. The initiatives apply to new maids as well as those already working in Singapore.

The random interviews that MOM intends to conduct will afford extra protection to those working here for the first time. It will keep employers on their toes, especially since maids are timid and more prone to being bullied when they first come here, observers said.

Welcoming this move Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of National Trades Union Congress' migrant workers forum, said: "The first three to six months of the FDW's stay in Singapore is the most critical period. The random interviews with FDWs working here for the first time is very useful to enable the MOM officers to understand their situation better and help prevent abuse. We would like to suggest that MOM also consider random checks on first-time employers."

A softer touch has also been put in place. Starting this month, MOM has launched a bi-annual newsletter for FDWs, which would be sent to their employers' homes. It will educate the maids on their rights and responsibilities and teach them how to work safely even in high-rise buildings.

Employers, too, will receive a guidebook from next month that will spell out what is expected of them.
This includes prompt and proper payment of salaries which the maids will be now able to accept directly in their bank accounts.

MOM said that the bank records of salary payment "will be of benefit to both employers and their foreign domestic workers, especially in the event of any salary dispute". It added that migrant workers could choose to continue their current payment arrangements if they wished to.

This could also encourage maids to start some form of saving, added NTUC's Mr Yeo.
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) had recently conducted a survey in which several maids had complained of unreasonable deductions from their wages.

Said its president Braema Mathi, a former Nominated MP: "It is very important that the bank books be kept by the maids. And if the bank can help to send the money directly back to their family's bank accounts, it would be even better."
The employment histories that agencies will have to share with an employer could prove useful, too.
According to MOM, these would contain general information such as the number of employers that a maid had had, and the duration of each employment period.

However, Ms Mathi felt that the employment records should show the reasons for the termination of a particular maid's contract or why was she transferred. Mr Gordon La Faber, president of the Association of Employment Agencies of Singapore, said that making the employment records available would also help the agencies "have an idea" of the job history of maids who are returning from overseas stints.

While happy with the new arrangements, Ms Siti Muyasarh, an Indonesian maid who has been working in Singapore for the past decade, expressed some reservations.

Said the 31-year-old: "There are some employers who are already paying their maids through their bank accounts but they hold on to their bank books."

But Madam Anne Koh, who employs a maid, felt that the employers should be allowed to set up a joint account with their maids, so that legitimate deductions can be made when they chalk up large expenses like telephone bills.

"It's just to play safe that before they leave, you have the option to deduct the money from them," said Mdm Koh, who lauded MOM's move to educate the employers and their maids.

Ms Muyasarh added: "There are many new maids who are clueless about their rights and they are scared. They don't dare to say no to their employers' demands, even when it is against their own safety."

A step has been taken to change that.

=====================

Collection of IMF/WorldBank Related Articles on FDWs

Hi everyone!

Enjoying home? Well the real work now starts! So I am still going to keep feeding this blog with more articles to nourish our minds and to make us think of new directions to pursue for our conferences. Okay?

Anyways, hope these articles supplement what you had already observed first hand.

These articles were published in and around the IMF/World Bank conference dates.

TWC2's Forum
Importance of Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs)
IT Training for FDWs

cheers
cl

Social #4 - IT skills for South Asian migrant workers

Sep 15, 2006

Centres here, in Batam and Philippines part of a Microsoft drive to combat human trafficking

By Arlina Arshad

INDONESIAN migrant workers, including those travelling to and from Singapore, can now stop over in Batam to attend computer lessons for a nominal fee.

A centre to teach them IT skills - including word processing and spreadsheets - was launched yesterday in Batam.

It is the result of a tie-up between Microsoft and Yayasan Mitra Kesehatan dan Kemanusiaan (YMKK), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) there.

A similar centre will be opened in Singapore next Sunday, and another was launched in the Philippines last Sunday.

The centres are part of a $1-million drive by Microsoft to combat South Asia's human trafficking problem. Singapore was one of six countries chosen because it is seen as a 'transit point' for migrant workers, said Ms Lori Forman, Microsoft Asia's regional director of community affairs. The remaining countries are India, Cambodia and Thailand.

The IT giant will give Singapore NGO Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) $79,900 in cash and software over three years to help migrant workers, regardless of their sex or nationality.

But they must be at risk of being abused or trafficked.

Yesterday, Riau police chief Brigadier-General Sutarman said 17 Indonesian women who were referred to the courts this year had been trafficked to Malaysia and Singapore.

Six cases involved women who were promised work as maids and waitresses in Singapore, but instead were duped into becoming prostitutes.

Since 2004, one-third of the 43 badly treated Indonesian migrant workers YMKK has sent back home had worked in Singapore.

'Some were maids who complained about long working hours and their salaries not being paid,' said YMKK counsellor Flora Loupatty.

At the new Batam centre - which is equipped with 10 computers - Indonesian Merah Sari, 20, was learning how to use the Microsoft Word program yesterday.

The maid's agent in Malaysia allegedly kept her two years' salary of RM5,775 (S$2,480) her employer had passed to him.

She is now waiting for the Malaysian courts to settle the case.

She said: 'With these IT skills, perhaps I can work at an office, instead of being a maid.'

arlina@sph.com.sg

Copyright © 2006 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access

Social Activism #1 - Local activists plan to showcase work

Published on Sep 13, 2006

By Lynn Lee & Keith Lin


A SINGAPORE civil society group plans to raise the issue of the rights of migrant workers when foreign activists begin to converge here from today.

The Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) says it will hold a forum to release its findings on the wages of such workers.

The forum on Monday will coincide with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings, which Singapore is hosting.

At these meetings, which start today, civil society groups would often hold protest demonstrations to highlight their causes. About 500 civil society activists from 45 countries are expected to turn up.

However, only a handful of Singapore civil society groups have programmes lined up to engage the activists and the 16,000 delegates expected at the meetings.

TWC2 president Braema Mathi said the forum 'will be a good time to gather views on how the World Bank and IMF can improve the well-being of migrant workers.' She declined to say more.

Her group is among 10 such groups contacted by The Straits Times. Only four have plans to showcase their work during the week-long talks.

This has come as no surprise to Mr Grant Pereira, head of the conservation group Green Volunteers Network, 'as Singaporeans are conditioned not to do anything that would cause trouble'.

Security concerns have led the Singapore police to limit the protest activities of civil society groups to a designated area in the lobby of the meetings' venue in Suntec City.

At least one local organisation, The Substation, has had its plans scuppered. The arts centre in Armenian Street wanted to hold a party outside its premises to coincide with the meetings, with booths set up by civil society groups and performances by artists and local bands.

It changed the date to Sept 30, more than a week after the end of the meetings, in the hope that the police would allow the road to be closed for the event.

But the plans have been canned, said The Substation's programme manager Cyril Wong yesterday.

'We came to the decision because the police basically told us that we are not allowed to close the street because civil society groups are part of the event.'

Groups such as the Singapore International Foundation (SIF), however, say their plans are on track.

The SIF will hold a talk tomorrow on how non-profit groups can better work together in disaster relief efforts, said its executive director Tan Tay Keong.

One (Singapore), an anti-poverty group, has also launched a video, partially funded by the World Bank, with foreign and local celebrities to raise awareness of child poverty.

A 30-second English clip will be shown on the facade of Suntec City once every 10 minutes on alternate days until the event ends.

The political research group Think Centre, meanwhile, has been offering help to foreign activists.

It is also helping to organise the forum in Batam, where activists are holding a meeting following Singapore's refusal to relax its ban on public demonstration.


Copyright © 2006 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access

Economics #4 - Migrants bring economic and social benefits, says UN

Published on Sep 16, 2006

Govts now viewing issue in terms of opportunities, not fear, says Annan

NEW YORK - UNITED Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged governments to recognise the economic and social benefits of migrants even as many countries try to keep them off their soil.

'No one can deny that international migration has negative aspects - trafficking, smuggling, social discontent - or that it often arises from poverty or political strife,' he said at the start of a two-day UN meeting on migration and development.

But, he noted, 'governments are now beginning to see international migration through the prism of opportunity, rather than fear'.

Last year, immigrants sent some US$167 billion (S$264 billion) back to their families - many living in impoverished countries with few other sources of income - and use their skills to transfer technology, capital and institutional knowledge to their host country, he said.

The UN meeting has drawn senior officials from some 131 countries. Governments, considering immigration as a domestic problem, had resisted holding such a meeting for decades.

But world leaders have warmed to the topic as nearly 200 million people - about 3 per cent of the world's population - no longer live in the country of their birth.

This number is double that of 25 years ago, the UN Population Division says.

Most come from poor nations or those marked by conflict in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Six out of 10 now live in rich countries - one in five in the United States - while the rest flock to other developing countries.

However, the phenomenon also causes problems such as the brain drain that 'can deprive countries of their best and brightest', Mr Annan said.

Many countries keep migrants at arm's length for fear they will deplete social services, threaten national security or fuel social tensions by taking on low-level jobs.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted to build a 1,125km fence along portions of the border with Mexico, digging in its heels against a plan by President George W. Bush to create a guest worker programme and legalise millions of illegal immigrants, many of them Mexicans.

Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista told the conference that most migrants see their move to a new country 'as a need'.

'We should not forget that behind the migrant there are men, women and children with faces and names. It is of the utmost importance to avoid treating migrants as goods to be exchanged, or even worse, as criminals.'

Moroccan Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa told Reuters his country has worked hard to discourage its citizens from fleeing to Europe, and spent large sums of money cracking down on immigrants using Morocco as a transit point.

But the money that overseas Moroccans send back is Rabat's second-biggest source of foreign currency after tourism, he said.

At the conclusion of opening statements, there will be discussions of issues, including the brain drain.

'More and more people understand that governments can cooperate to create triple wins - for migrants, for their countries of origin, and for the societies that receive them,' Mr Annan said.

His top envoy on migration issues, Mr Peter Sutherland, said that in the postCold War era, migration has taken on a new importance.

'Looking back to the era of the Soviet Union, we complained about the denial of the right of individuals to leave. Now we have the situation where the right to leave is propounded, but the right to enter is not so easily available,' he said.

He said he hoped the dialogue would be the first of many forums. Belgium has already offered to host the next one.

REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Global migration pattern
Europe is host to nearly 34 per cent of all migrants, North America to 23 per cent and Asia to 28 per cent.

About one-third of migrants move between developing nations; the same proportion move from developing to developed nations.

Approximately 40 per cent of university-educated adults from Turkey and Morocco live in developed countries, and half of the adults with college degrees from the Caribbean states have moved to the United States.

Copyright © 2006 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access

DAY TEN: Malate to Singapore - Last Day!

The sunrises at least an hour earlier here in the Philippines. Work up at about 0615hrs and the sun is already high up in the sky.

Today is merely waiting and getting ready to get to the airport. We are waiting for the reply of Mr Leong a Singaporean running a chain of employment agencies here at the Philippines. However, he didn't reply to our sms yesterday and it seem unlikely to materialise. I will attempt to skype out him later to see if he will pick up our call.

In any case, we will leave here at around 1030-1045hrs to leave for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. We were advised by the hotel staff that we should leave about 4 hours before departure time to leave for the airport. This is amazing when you take into account that the hotel is less than 5-6km from the airport!

Work up to fairly shocking news: A coup d'etat against Thaksin government. While Thailand does hqave a history of military coups AND the Thaksin government is much hated by the Bangkok power elites, it has been a while since a coup d'etat happened in Thailand. Shocking... It's a big step back.

DAY NINE: Labrador, Malate, Makati - Shopping Heaven!

We are now very near the end of our trip. We arrived safely at the CSB International Conference Hotel in Malate, Manila from Labrador after a moderately "short" bus ride of about 4.5hrs. Everyone is safe and sound and very happy that we are going home tomorrow.

At the penultimate day of the trip, we decided to give the team members all another break by taking them to the newest and largest shopping mall in the Philippines. Called Mall of Asia, it was huge! To give you an idea, it is 3 complexes linked together and is about the size of a football field or more. Walking around would probably totalled about a few kilometres long.

Point of interest: Metro Manila is obviously even more gripped by fears of terrorism more than Singapore. It was more evident today in the Mall of Asia as there are security guards checking our bags and frisking our body for arms/body bombs each time we went in and out of the shopping complexes. The city is very safe though which then makes me to think if it is over-kill when it comes to pre-caution taking .

Anyways, back in hotel now. We will go out to the cafe near the hotel for dinner in a short while at 2000hrs.

cl

DAY EIGHT: Multalban, Lingayen - and Leo Tolstoy

Today is another early day. We had to get back from "Maxine by the Sea" which is something that all of us is glad to do as the hotel is really quite spartan to put it politely. We reached Labrador in about half an hour and re-checked into Villa Jireh. We left our bags, showered and changed and were out of there again in less than half an hour to go to the town of Mangaldan. This is to be the last stop in our expedition's data collection. I decided to break with the practice so far and went for homes that were not pre-selected by the government officials. This time round, I surprised the officials by asking for our students to visit the homes of those who cannot afford to leave the country as overseas workers.

What we saw was gut-wrenching. Shacks were cobbled together with plywoods, zince sheets and attap leaves. Family of 9-10 staying in a house that's barely 2metres tall and a total area of about smaller than half our our average HDB living room. The students were all affected and it was very touching for Shawna and myself to see the students collecting monies to give the inhabitants of these houses. Only a day earlier they were running around in a local mall in Daguban buying things and today, they were saying they have no need for the money as these rural poor needs it more than them. I am very proud of them. I also think the message hits home. However, both Shawna and myself were both troubled by the fact that the students gave monies.

We both spoke to the students about the "social intrusion" by us who are supposed to be researchers. We spoke of "best intentions" go wrong. What if the monies were used not for betterment but for drugs and alcohol? What if the inhabitants felt insulted? What if they took to begging thinking that will give them a better livelihood and lose their little farms as a result? What ifs what ifs what ifs... The point we made clear to our students is this: We MUST help but we must decide how we can help.

I told our students this anecdote about Leo Tolstoy who at one point sold off all his belongings in an attempt to help the urban poor in Russia. At the end of it all, there are more impoverish people than those helped. A devastated Tolstoy asked himself this question that he paraphrased from Luke 3:10, “WHAT THEN MUST WE DO?"

I challenged the students to ask themselves this question. Is it what they must do the dissemination of information so that employers will be more understanding towards their domestic workers? Is the "must do" to become better employers themselves when they become one? They and only they can answer this question.

In the evening the Philippine Labour department officials organised a farewell party. The students enjoyed it and especially so when Shawna and myself were dragged out to be humiliated with the bamboo dance...

DAY SEVEN: Lucap, Alaminos City

It was just an hour's ride from Labrador to Alaminos City today, where we went on a boat trip to the Hundred Islands. The students seemed to enjoy the tour, and a trip to the town centre afterwards. We got to walk around the city centre of a small town. It was sort of Geylang or Tekka-area like type of town.

The hotel that we're at, Maxine's by the Sea, is very spartan, and in fact, the phone line appears to be down at the moment and there's no Internet access (my wife is posting this on my behalf in Singapore), but the students are toughing it out.

We're here overnight and then it's back to Labrador tomorrow.

DAY SIX: Labrador, San Fabian, and Daguban - Interviews and Malls!

Writing this post from a large mall in the largest town of Pangansinan, Daguban. The students did very well in their interview this morning. Their second attempt saw them being more comfortable and more skilful in pushing their research. Today also saw the students conducting their first interviews in the homes of their interviewees in the villages or barangays. The whole interview process took nearly four hours and the now we are at a mall for lunch. We thought it would be a treat for the students as all of them haven't seen the inside of a mall for the last 6 days!!! I supposed that is a whole eternity for some of them. This is definitely a morele booster for some of them. However, I must stressed that most of them has been very good and professional about things. Anyways, I found this little internet kiosk on the top floor so I am taking this opportunity to blog about our expedition's progress.

We will be leaving this mall at about 1500hrs to head back to our hotel the Villa Jireh. Again, a reminder that the hotel doesn't have any internet so there will be no more updates once I get back there.

The rest of today's schedule is as follows. The students will make a presentation on their experience learnt for the last three days to each other and then retire for an early night if possible. We are ahead of schedule today so it isn't as bad as I thought it would be yesterday. However, it will still take us two hours to get back to the hotel by bus.

Tomorrow is our rest day. The whole team will move to Maxine's by the Sea at Alaminos City for a one night stay. I suspect the phone arrangements would be as Villa Jireh. SMS and then have the person you want to call go to the front desk to pick it up. Tomorrow is the One Hundred Island tour.

That's all for now.

DAY FIVE: Laoag City, Vigan City, San Fernando, Labrador - More Tired Buns...

I'm doing this through my wife in Singapore as there's no Internet access here.

Woke up this morning to exciting news: we were at the fringe of Typhoon Shanshan that's apparently threatening Taiwan and Hong Kong. The warning was at Signal 1, the lowest typhoon warning. Thank goodness we were heading in the opposite direction from where the typhoon was heading. From where we were, it just seemed like a heavy monsoon downpour. We were in no danger at any one point. The students were thrilled at finding out that it was a typhoon and not an ordinary downpour.

We left Laoag at 0800 and arrived in Vigan City at 1100hrs.

We were invited to the Governor's holiday home, which incidentally, is also a private zoo. This display of financial largess drew lots of thoughts from our students who have seen the vast tracts of poverty amongst his people.



Unfortunately, the heavy rain prevented us from enjoying the traditional tourist activity: riding on the city's horse-drawn carriages.





After lunch, we had to change bus because we were being overcharged on the first ride from Laoag to Vigan. We had to go onto a non-air conditioned bus and the students all accepted the challenge bravely, when I explained to them that this is a good way to experience what some foreign domestic workers have to go through to get home.

The bus journey was supposed to last about five hours but instead, it stretched to over seven hours. We are all safety encamped at Villa Jireh now. Please SMS us before calling as we can only take calls at the front desk. The hotel's number is (63-75)549 5261 to 63.

Tomorrow will be another long day that will stretch from 0700 to 2200hrs. The students will be interviewing some 30 families of returnees and current foreign domestic workers. May or may not update post tomorrow, depending on whether I talk to my wife.

DAY FOUR - Illocos Norte - .and some field actions

Today is another monster day that stretched from 0800hrs to 2200hrs. The students got to interview several families of FDWs. Some groups interview sessions went well without any hitch. However, in others, the handlers from the Philippines side were a tad zealous and this hindered our students data collection. This created some frustrations but I am very proud to say that all handed very well.

Okay the itininery. This morning the students were despatched to three different municipality to meet with different interviewee groups. One stayed in Laoag City, another went to Sarrat while yet the other went to Batac. The Loag City group managed to collect datas rather smoothly. Kudos to them! I must also compliment the other three groups for doing a good job under rather adverse circumstances.

The students were also greeted by the respective mayors of the municipality that they went to and treated to sumptious lunch. After Lunch was the tourist programme and they were ferried from one historic monument to another and culminating in Laoag City's own IR - casino! Of course they weren't inside but they were brought there as part of the Tourism department's PR campaign.

The debrief took rather long and only ended at ten. Hence the late blog entry. Again I must reiterate how good and motivated the students are as none of them complaint or winged. That's all for now.

Tomorrow, we will leave Laoag City at 0800hrs, go to Vigan City which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site before taking another 5 hour bus ride to Pangasinan for the next phase of data collection. The students should enjoy the horse carts that's the main mode of transport in Vigan.

Expect another late post tomorrow from Labrador Pangasinan. The contact information should be Villa Jireh from tomorrow night on.

cl

DAY THREE - Manila, La Union, Illocos Norte - ...and some very tired buns!

We arrived safely at Illocos Norte. For the next two nights we will be at Northview Hotel, Laoag City. The 12 hour journey was unbelievably tiring. I slept most of the way. I am not sure if the rest did the same. The occasional times that I looked, they looked like they were sleeping. So I guess the great land route to see more of Luzon was a qualified failure to a certain extent! :c)

But the times when we were awake were informative. Padi fields abound with new constructions of houses. One suspects that is the remittance of Filipino overseas workers at work. One other telling sign was the proliferation of failure new and spanking clean Western Union signposts that dotted the major population hub in the trip up north.

I believe the journey itself is an experience as most of us have never been on a bus journey that long. The bus was comfortable and big.

We left Malate, Manila at 0630hrs but arrived inb Laoag City only at 1840hrs. The hotel was a bit of a letdown as it looked very rundown and no-frills. But then again, this is what immersion learning is all about, deal with what we are dealt with. The students are doing fine - a little disappointed but keeping their spirits and chins up.

No internet access in the Northview hotel rooms so the students can't skype home with my computer tonight.

Another full day tomorrow.

Rep. for Asia Foundation
DINNER!!!
Rep. for Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
SMILE!!!!!
Expert panelist at POEA
Hmnnn... Something is seriously wrong with this.............
Morning at Philippines Overseas Employment Agency (POEA)
POEA
Mission Possible!!
Dull Symphony

All in a day's work

Today's In-Charge

Kim-bo??

Oh.. Breakfast.....

DAY TWO - Makati, Malate, Manila - Government and Beyond

It was a hectic today after breakfast. We rushed from one end of Manila to the other. Gone through spanking new financial districts to rundown sections of the city. Most importantly, the expedition team saw first hand what workers in the Philippines have to go through (bureacratically) to go overseas to work. They were also briefed by a huge number of high-ranking government officials of POEA and OWWA. However, the best was almost at the end of the day when they met with Asia Foundation and two other non-government organisations working with human trafficking and domestic workers. The passion, the energy and the knowledge they gain is immeasurable. I hope they make good use of the information they received today.

This may be the last post for a while if we cannot get access to the internet up north in the Illocano region. We leave Manila at 5am tomorrow and will arrive at Laoag City only close to the evening.

DAY TWO: Malate, Manila - The Work Begins

Today's IC for the day is Daphne. Like Terence she will be assisting the permanent student helpers Nisha and Gibryon. She is very diligent. We got the wakeup call from her at 6am. The schedule today will be more hectic.

We will be meeting the POEA (Philippines OVerseas Workers Administration) from 0800hrs to 1030hrs.

In the afternoon, we will be briefed by OWWA, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration from 1330 to 1430 hrs.

We will then be head back to the hotel to meet Asia Foundation and three NGOs specialising in analysing and helping victims of human trafficking.

We will update the blog later again tonight and add the pictures if any.

DAY ONE: Malate, Manila - PICTURES

pictures from day 1 in philippines.

DAY ONE - Malate, Manila - Arrived Safely

The IC for today is Terence. He will asist Nisha and Gibryon. He is an excellent leader who does headcounts at all stops.

We arrived safely and is safely parked at the College of Saint Benilde International Conference Hotel. The flight was on time and we were met by the hotel bus. So the air and land transfer was smooth and safe. The entire expedition team had a late lunch at 3pm. Today's programme was basically more low key. We will be preparing questions to ask the Philippines Overseas Employment Agency and Overseas Workers Administration representatives tomorrow. We will also be graced by the Asia Foundation representatives as well as three NGOs who specialised in Human Trafficking.

The students are charged and seemingly excited. Will see how the ten day progress. I am sure they will do well.

Thus far, instuted an daily I/C system where head counts will be done at each stop so that no one gets left behind.

Sofyan will be posting some pictures that he took today as part of the expedition pictorial documentation. I am hoping that he has those pictures up by tonight latest. We will be in Manila all day tomorrow and will leave for Laoag City at 0530hrs on Wednesday.

Two near miss served as excellent learning points for the expedition team. First a camera was left behind in the transfer coach, second a wallet was presumed lost but found in a bag later. These became good briefing examples that all must check their personal belongings at all times.

After dinner, we went to the grocery store round the corner to buy some drinking water. All in all a slow pace day.

Till tomorrow.

One Day before departure

In less than a day we will be travelling to the Philippines. It is very exciting. We will attempt to understand why a group of immigrants come to Singapore to work under often harsh and difficult work environment. We will see the country, the communities, and families they left behind. Our observation will help us understand the world of FDWs better. Through better understanding we can educate the rest better. So far, we have only seen the more fortunate of FDWs, the Filipina who came through the legal POEA-endorsed route who have day off. How many percentage of the Filipina FDWs do not have day off? How long did some of these workers work without pay? So many questions remain and so many answers yet to be pursued. I hope that all of us will have a fruitful journey towards understanding. See all of you at the airport tomorrow.

For those who are interested in following our progress thorugh this blog, we will try to update this blog as often as possible. We are not sure about the access to the internet over at the Philippines, but rest assured that we will take care of each other well.

Bye for now.

cheers, cl

Little by little

Im not sure about the rest of you, but Ive never thought I would be involved in such an experience. Yes, I may have felt that injustice has been done to FDWs, but never would I tried to find out how I could make a difference, or just try to make things better. Im glad this opportunity has arrived and that Im given a chance to do my part for society. In this world, many people's lives revolve around themselves, but I realised it is self-satisfying to be able to help others. Making people smile is always more fulfilling than making yourself smile.

Im looking foward to going to the philippines, and hoping to make just that bit of difference, because every little effort counts.


-Jen

Things to Bring

• First-aid kit
  

1. Bandaids,
   
2. Motion sickness pills (Dramamine, Bonine, and Transderm-Scop),
   
3. Anti-diarrhoea pills (lomotil, imodium etc.),
   
4. Anti-histamines (for runny nose such as Contac),
   
5. Painkillers (panadol etc...)

• Torchlight
• T-shirts
• Track pants, jeans, bermudas
• Toiletries
• Utensils
• Haversack
• Backpack
• Raincoat
• Ziplock bags
• Notebook and stationery
• Water bottle
• Sandals/slippers

Hi people here is the link for the BBC radio programme, "All In a Day's Work: Domestic Workers"

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/worldservice/documentaryarchive/documentaryarchive_20051207-0908_40_st.mp3

Some thoughts.

Hi all, I am Amelia. Just felt like sharing a thought that i had during our meeting yesterday (:

This had occurred to me as i was chewing on pasta while listening to our guest speaker speak on something about foreign domestic workers being able to take minutes for meetings.. then about the organisation not having enough funding because the other organisations prefer to "support the citizens" instead.

I was thinking that.. are we afraid of empowering our foreign workers?

Like [bear with me for the terms i am going to use], we feel that these workers are in some way or other, a lower 'class' compared to us, so if we help them out, give them funding, provide them with opportunities.. We feel like we're giving these 'subordinates' of ours the chance to lord it over us?

By using 'we' i don't mean you guys, but perhaps more like myself and to some extent, some of the population? It sorta puts me off somewhat that i should have these thoughts, but i thought i'd just share them, and perhaps further explore the possibility of using some variation of this idea of 'we are afraid of empowering our foreign domestic workers' as a thesis to work on?

I'll end by saying that i am trying hard to change already T_T it's quite difficult to change notions that have been planted in my head since childhood, but by voicing out the desire to change, hopefully i can see something good come out of it (:

Till Thursday.

Singapore Timetable

LINK FOR DOWNLOADING AUDACITY

Hi everyone,

Here is the download for Audcity. I am assuming that most of you are using the IntelMacs right? If you are follow the relevant links. You should also download the LAME plug-in so that you export to the MP3 format.

Labour Rights #5 - Maids can be flexible if ties are good

Straits Times Forum Letter.

Published Date: 21 August 2006

I REFER to the letter, 'Not practical to specify rest hours, jobs scopes' (ST,

July 28), by Mrs Yong Wei Foong.

We maids understand her kind of situation where the woman of the house has a baby to look after and her mother-in-law is recovering from a stroke.

While it is true that some maids do complain about the lack of rest hours at night even in such situations, most of us do not, if we are given enough time to rest in the day.

Most of us Filipino maids are very understanding when the employer has to look after a bedridden relative.

In such cases, we are ready for some sacrifices on our part because back in our country, we too take care of our parents and grandparents.

But for all this to happen, the relationship between the employer and the employee has to be good.

Some employers are very fussy about the maid's job scope. Like how employers talk about their maids, maids too talk about their employers when they get together.

Some complain that their employers take them to the shops they own to work there as well.

Some employers do not understand the meaning of domestic helpers. As far as I know, car washing is not a domestic job. But some get their maids to wash their cars also.

Lennie G. Pajutining (Mrs)

Political Economy #2 - Are maids here to work as maids or as clerks?

From Straits Times Forum

Published Date: Aug 21, 2006

=====================

RECENTLY, my parents tried to hire a maid for the family. The maid was new to the job, with no experience working here.

She had to sit for a written English test at the Ministry of Manpower, which she attempted nine times but failed.

She was then not allowed to work in Singapore and was sent back to Indonesia - just because she failed her test as she was unable to understand some words.

As a result, my parents had to go through all the trouble of selecting another maid.

What is the actual purpose of having tests like this? Is it not sufficient to just understand some simple words for conversation?

Is it really necessary for the maids to be able to read a lot of English words? So long as they are able to converse in English, why do they even need to read up that much?

When my parents interviewed her in English, she was able to understand them and was also able to show her understanding of English in her answers.

The only problem was that her ability to read English words was limited. And because of that, she failed her test.

Are maids here to work as maids or as clerks? They could slowly learn how to read while working for the family.

Another thing - if there is no language barrier between the family and the maid, why should the maid not be hired?

In our case, being a Malay family, we would have had no problems conversing with her in Malay or Bahasa Indonesia.

Jefferey Loh Ridwan Loh

Political Economy #1 - Making Singapore a magnet for all talents

Published Date: Aug 21, 2006

Unconventional talent wanted, not just professionals, says PM

By Li Xueying

=============================

SINGAPORE will be more aggressive in its efforts to attract immigrants here - and this includes going beyond the conventional pool of graduates and professionals, to embrace all types of talent.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday cited Malaysia-born hairstylist David Gan and India-born Mustaq Ahmad, founder of shopping mall Mustafa, as examples of unconventional talent.

He said: 'We must look for all kinds of talent. It's not just numbers. You are looking for people with ability, with drive, initiative and ideas, and not just one kind of initiative and ideas. Not just graduates, professionals, bankers or lawyers, but all kinds.'

Seeking out these people will be the task of the new Citizenship and Population Unit to promote Singapore's immigration programme overseas. It will come under the Prime Minister's Office.

Said Mr Lee: 'Just as we accept that Singaporeans have the world as their oyster, so too we must promote immigration here and let this be one of the options which talent from around the world will look for when considering where to go and live.'

Many countries are already actively seeking new immigrants, from developed nations such as Australia, Canada and the United States which organises lucky draws for its green cards; or developing China which offers scholarships to top foreign students and hires foreign footballers for its professional league.

'And we must do the same,' said Mr Lee.

While people around the world today know of Singapore, they don't know that Singapore is out looking for talent, said Mr Lee. He gave this example: The advertisement banners on the ChannelNewsAsia or The Straits Times Interactive websites invite surfers to check out their eligibility for Australian permanent residency.

'That should be the Singapore advertisement down there!' said Mr Lee. 'Click here, and the application form for Singapore PR will go to you by e-mail. That's what we need to do.

'We need to get our message across, get people to be interested, then we can choose and have good ones, capable, able, to make a contribution to Singapore.'

The need is acute. Only 36,000 babies were born last year, short of the 50,000 needed to replace the population.

One is Mr Mustaq who came from Uttar Pradesh as a boy. He founded Mustafa department store which today hires over 1,000 staff, refuting the perception that immigrants take away Singaporeans' jobs. Said Mr Lee: 'You get the right foreigner here, he creates thousands of jobs for Singaporeans, like Mr Mustaq.'

Mr Gan, on the other hand, is famed for snipping the tresses of celebrities - and for his $250-per-haircut fee.

Said Mr Lee: 'If you go on paper qualifications, he will not qualify. But you go on talent, skills, he has something which most of us don't have.'

In the audience, Mr Mustaq looked moved, while Mr Gan blinked away tears when Mr Lee told his story.

There was one unconventional talent Singapore missed out on.

Mr Lee told of an illegal immigrant from China who ran a chain of five hawker stalls, hiring 11 Chinese nationals and some Singaporeans, but had to be kicked out.

One day, said the Prime Minister, 'we should get him back and we should get other people like that to come to Singapore, because they have the spunk, the drive, and they will make it with sheer grit and get to the top one day.'

World billiards champion Peter Gilchrist, who gave up his British citizenship for Singapore's red passport three weeks ago, said of Mr Lee's emphasis on unconventional talent: 'This policy will make Singapore a different place.'

Singapore offers something unique, said Mr Lee. It is an Asian society with an Asian heritage, and yet is cosmopolitan. English is the common language but mother tongues are kept intact.

And so people from different cultures are comfortable here. And while they become Singaporean, they 'retain what is unique about them and the links which they have back to their own cultures, their own homelands, their own sense of identity'.

Just as past generations welcomed Armenians, Arabs, Parsis and Jewish communities who sank roots here, so today's generation must welcome the small minority groups such as the Venezuelans, Russians and Moroccans settling down here.

'They add colour and diversity to this society,' said Mr Lee, citing Korean ginseng chicken soup, shisha water-pipes, and a Marwari wedding at which the groom rode in on a white horse. And now 'the zoo is thinking of going into the service of providing horses and elephants for weddings', revealed Mr Lee.

And so it works both ways - diversity helps Singapore attract immigrants, and immigrants help Singapore become a 'special, exciting, diverse cosmopolitan place'.

xueying@sph.com.sg

Economics #1 - Money Circles

Hi Everyone,

Just another article to let you understand the Economics behind the Foreign Domestic Workers (FDW) market. You can see from the article that the money flows both ways - outwards and inwards.

Happy Reading, and most importantly, Happy Thinking!

cheers
cl

Economics #2 - Cashing in on remittance centres

Published Date: 07 August 2006 By Gabriel Chen, gabrielc@sph.com.sg

FILIPINO maid Elena Salvador, 44, received a call one afternoon from her younger sister in Abra Province, about 200km north of Manila. Magelyn, 35, was in a mess, crying over the phone about how her wallet had been stolen. What made it so heart-wrenching was that she had been planning to buy their niece a birthday present.

VITAL SERVICE: Many foreign workers depend on the remittance firms as a convenient financial lifeline to help their families.
Photo by -- CHEW SENG KIM

Ms Salvador, who has been working here since 1992, told her sister: 'Don't cry, I'll send you some money.' Her employer gave her some time off, and she headed for the Western Union Financial Services' branch at Lucky Plaza, presented her loyalty card and signed a receipt to send 10,000 pesos (S$305) to the Philippines. Waiting at a Western Union branch at the other end, Magelyn received the cash in just 15 minutes. Every month, Ms Salvador, who is single, goes to Western Union, which has over 60 outlets here, to send money to her family back home.

She is among the growing number of foreign workers who depend on the services of remittance firms as a convenient, vital financial lifeline to pay their children's school fees, household expenses, and sometimes even the gambling debts of family members.

Remittance is big business here. Around $13.1 billion flowed out of Singapore last year through licensed remittance agents, up from nearly $8 billion in 2000, according to figures from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which oversees this business. There are 95 licensed remittance companies here, with branches across the island and especially in areas popular with foreign workers, such as Orchard Road, Beach Road, Chinatown, Little India and Geylang. For the estimated 400,000 to 500,000 foreigners here on work permits, sending money overseas via a remittance agent is a cheaper option than going to a bank.

The remittance companies offer a better exchange rate, and their handling charges are lower. Most charge between $10 and $12 for transactions to Thailand, compared to around $20 charged by most banks. Foreign workers who use their days off to send their precious pay packets to their hometowns in the Philippines, India, China, Thailand or Bangladesh like the convenience these firms provide, as they usually stay open seven days a week. Adding to the appeal is that the counter staff are usually of their own nationality and communication is no problem. In Lucky Plaza on a weekend, there are lots of women, mainly maids waiting in the Western Union branch, chattering in Tagalog with ringing, merry voices, clinging to their bags, waiting for their turn at the counter.

Filipina Minda Domio, 37, said: 'It helps that the cashiers are also Filipinos and can explain to me in my language.' Over at Golden Mile, it is mainly Thai men who are the customers, and all the signs are in Thai. Contemporary Thai music fills the air, as shops lay out a relaxed charm to draw in the crowd. Similarly, Little India has remittance companies that cater to Indians, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans. Meanwhile, in Chinatown, People's Park Complex is the sweet spot for China nationals who want to remit money home.

Typical transactions could involve anything from a few hundred dollars to $500, though groups of Chinese nationals are known to remit thousands of dollars at a go, as they pool their funds to save on handling charges. While each firm may have its own way of operating, typically it will have a company or a bank overseas to accept wire transfers from Singapore and forward the cash into the account of the recipient.

Things can go wrong, and the remittance industry's reputation took a knock in 2002, after at least one high-profile case of a company that embezzled its clients' money. A moneychanger and partner in a Geylang-based firm which also remitted money swindled 1,153 Chinese workers of $8.8 million of their home-bound earnings over a seven-month period. The cheat, Lam Chen Fong, was sentenced to 22 years in jail.

To restore confidence in remittance companies, the MAS came up new and stricter conditions these firms must comply with. Among other things, they must ensure the remitted sum reaches the recipient within 14 days, whereas previously they had more than a month. Also, they have to submit a financial statement to the MAS every three months, and include information such as the outstanding amount of money yet to reach intended recipients. Then last year, the central bank pushed up entry requirements by requiring the holder of a remittance licence to be incorporated as a company with a minimum paid-up capital of $100,000.

Industry players complain that their operating costs have gone up as a result. They say it also explains why, as at Jan 1 this year, the number of remittance licences renewed was 95, down from 109 in 2003. Still, nobody denies that business is brisk, and companies have stepped up efforts to win their customers' loyalty. For example, Western Union - a US-based company with a network of over 270,000 locations worldwide - came up with a scheme to give out education grants of $500 each to 10 Indian workers and maids and 25 Filipino maids. It also organises and sponsors beauty contests for Filipino customers, and soccer competitions for migrant workers in Little India. 'We create activities to entertain them, and they like it,' said the company's regional vice-president (South-east Asia), Mr Sunil Balagopal.

At Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road - Singapore's Little Thailand - Thai Malaysian Boon Com, 32, is a branch supervisor at the BKK Forex remittance company. He says this is a place where human drama sometimes unfolds, when workers sometimes plead all sorts of reasons why they need help to send money home. Ms Amorn Tharika, 34, who works at the counter of GPL Remittance, also at Golden Mile, has had customers who get nasty or shout expletives when they are asked to show proper identification, and others who are grateful for help rendered. 'One customer struck 4D, winning $16,000. I showed him how to remit the money home, and he gave me a hongbao. I opened it, and he had bought 4D for me,' she said.

Economics #3 - Filipinos abroad grow businesses back home

Publish Date: Aug 15, 2006
The Straits Times
By Alastair McIndoe, Philippines Correspondent =======================

IN MANILA - IN MANILA'S busy Sampaloc district, Mrs Vilmar Oliveria runs one of the ubiquitous 'sari sari' stores to be found on practically every street in the Philippines.

FROM MAID TO SHOP OWNER: After 10 years working in Israel and Cyprus as a maid, Mrs Oliveria returned home to start a 'sari sari' store with her two sisters using S$8,000, the last of her savings after buying a small house. -- ALASTAIR McINDOE

Sari sari means 'all kinds' in Tagalog, and these neighbourhood stores typically sell small portions of snacks, toiletries and basic commodities for a few pesos: finger-sized measures of vinegar or sachets of shampoo, for instance.

After 10 years working as a maid in Israel and Cyprus, Mrs Oliveria, 50, returned home in March to start a store with her two sisters using S$8,000, the last of her savings after buying a small house.

Their Miriam & Hazel Store is part of a growing trend of small businesses being set up by the country's legion of overseas workers, who are putting to productive use some of money they send home.

'We make a profit of about a thousand pesos (S$31) a day,' says Mrs Oliveria, unpacking a box of noodles. 'The demand is good and we want to expand the business by building up our supplies.'

Overseas workers sent home S$18 billion through the banking system last year. The actual amount is known to be far higher because informal channels, such as bringing home cold cash, are used by many overseas workers to avoid paying remittance fees. Nobody knows for sure how much is being plowed into small businesses; only that the sector is busier than ever and that remittances are helping power its growth.

Filipinos Benjamin and Maria Quitiquit, who both work in Singapore, started a laundry in the picturesque town of Vigan in Illocos Norte. She is a nurse at Gleneagles Hospital, he is an electrical engineer. 'We were just putting our savings in the bank, so we decided to put up a small business in our hometown,' said 32-year old Mr Quitiquit, whose Ilocandia Laundry is being managed by a friend from high school. 'We're now planning to invest in a piggery.'

The Quitiquits are typical of the more affluent overseas workers making larger investments in businesses that are helping swell the country's middle class. Dr Steven Rood, country representative of the Asia Foundation, said it is important to establish a middle class in the Philippines. 'Politically, this class demands more democracy and better governance,' he told The Straits Times. 'About half the middle-class households have a family member living abroad, so they have acquired standards of comparison.'

Mr George Arriola, founder of a Manila non-government organisation that helps overseas workers and their families start small businesses, says hard economic times and low incomes are persuading more people to strike out as entrepreneurs. 'People have to create their own means to survive,' he said, noting that the minimum wage in Manila is S$10 a day, and much less in the provinces.

For poor households with one breadwinner and several mouths to feed, that is not enough to make ends meet. And while the economy is doing better than it has for years, the gains are not trickling down to the majority of Filipinos in low-income jobs. Mr Arriola's Pamilyang foundation is among a number of private and government organisations trying to channel remittances into more productive sectors of the economy, rather than have family members spend the hard-earned money.

The foundation is helping overseas workers set up small businesses with capital of as little as S$3,000. The remittances of overseas workers are lifting retail sales back home, especially in the country's thriving shopping malls, and fuelling a construction boom in the countryside.

Decades of poor economic performance, and pressimism that things will get any better, have ingrained a strong live-for-today attitude in many Filipinos. Central bank governor Amando Tetangco told The Straits Times that the government is encouraging overseas workers and their families to put a greater portion of their income in investments, such as mutual funds.

'For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, we are promoting micro-finance lending programmes,' he said, referring to the lending programmes of rural banks to help small borrowers start businesses. Mr Arriola reckons around 60 per cent of new businesses bankrolled by overseas workers' money is in the food sector, and particularly in fast-food carts - a common sight in shopping malls, with vendors selling nachos, fruit juices, sweets and cakes.

Dr Rood of the Asia Foundation believes the coming years will see a sharp rise in the number of small businesses being set up by overseas workers returning home for good. 'They are typically middle-aged, have worked abroad for 10 to 15 years, no longer have to support their families and want to start a small business,' he said.

The ripples of this first wave of small businesses began just before the outbreak of Asia's 1997 financial crisis, when the economy was prospering under the Fidel Ramos administration. Another spur will come from the rising number of Filipinos leaving to work abroad, an exodus mirrored in last year's 20 per cent growth in remittances. There are around 800,000 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) units in the Philippines, which employ 70 per cent of the work force. The sector is often called the backbone of the economy.

For its part, Manila is energetically promoting the SME sector. The Department of Trade and Industry regularly holds workshops and seminars across the country to help Filipinos - and not just returned overseas workers - to start their own businesses. Buying into a franchise rather than starting a business from scratch is showing promise as a magnet for overseas workers' money. 'Here, you are working with a professional manager to help run the business,'' said manager Alegria Limjoco, who heads Global Franchise Marketing, which represents several fast-food chains.

Down at Manila's Santa Ana district, Ms Jevilyn Santa Barbara runs one of the capital's 140 Julie's Bakeshops. 'My brother has worked in Japan for 17 years and we bought into the franchise so he would have a business to come back to,' she said.

amcindoe@yahoo.com

Social #1 - Happy Foreign Domestic Workers Poll

Maids in Singapore are happy: survey

Two reports eight months apart on foreign domestic workers (FDWs) could not have provided more divergent pictures of maid welfare in Singapore.

After the grim scenario sketched out by US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch, the latest survey has found that 90 per cent of FDWs are happy working in Singapore.

But the findings by the Feedback Unit, a part of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), confirmed that 55 per cent of FDWs are not given even one day off in a month.

MCYS said its survey results provide a "useful reality check on the working conditions of FDWs in Singapore". Those working conditions are good, based on the factors the survey considered.

One of these factors is whether FDWs think their employers would allow them to see a doctor if they fell sick. Almost all the 526 respondents said "yes".

And while less than half were given at least a day off each month, the respondents from the Philippines, Indonesia and India rated their employers highly. Nine in 10 maids said they were treated well.

One objective of the survey is to offer insights into the working relationship between FDWs and their employers. Another is to highlight both parties' perceptions of common issues affecting them.

The findings elicited a slightly different response, though, from one civil society group helping migrant workers. Mr John Gee, vice-president of Transient Workers Count Too, told Today that there is still a demand for more days off, based on the feedback his organisation receives.

"FDWs who get days off do speak over the wall or the fence to those who don't and one of the things they tell us is that they feel sorry for their sisters," he said.

"Just because the overall position is that they're happy doesn't mean things can't be done to improve the situation further."

Last year, civil rights group Human Rights Watch called for better laws to protect "unjustified discrimination" against FDWs. That immediately drew a sharp rebuke from the Ministry of Manpower, which pointed to a fall in the number of "substantiated abuse cases" over the years.

Now, the latest survey says that 98 per cent of FDWs understand their rights under the work permit conditions, while more then 90 per cent of the 268 employers surveyed are clear about their contractual obligations and responsibilities to their foreign charges.

The findings also suggest that 90 per cent of FDWs who intend to continue working in Singapore had "expressed interest" in continuing with their current employers.

The interviews were selected randomly, according to the summary of the survey findings forwarded yesterday by the Feedback Unit.

Until the next report or survey, it would seem the bottom line is that 70 per cent of FDWs consider Singapore "a good place to work".

===================================

This is one perspective and there is probably a lot of truths in this survey. But there is yet another perspective furnished by the HumanRights Watch organisation.

cl

Social #2 - The Much Less Sunny Side....

Here are the original reports by the Human Rights Watch. If you follow the links, you can go to the written report:

http://hrw.org/reports/2005/singapore1205/

or watch the video documentaries:

http://hrw.org/campaigns/women/2006/domestic_workers/video.htm

What are your thoughts? Welcome to the world of multiple perspectives!
cl

Our Contact Information in the Philippines

Hi everyone,

Please inform your folks that if they need to contact you, here are the hotels where they can reach us. Just get them to look for us under Chong Ching Liang or Shawna Tang because your rooms are likely to be registered under our names.

In Manila (11th to night of the 13th (0530hrs), September):
CSB HOTEL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER
Arellano Ave. corner Estrada St. Malate Manila 1004, Philippines
Tel No.: (632) 400-3333 Local 502, 503

In Laoag City, (13th-15th (0700hrs), September)
NORTHVIEW HOTEL
46 Nalbo Airport Rd, Laoag City
Tel: (6377) 773-1689

In Labrador, Pangansinan (15th-17th (0700hrs), September)
VILLA JIREH,
Uyong, Labrador, Pangasinan
Tel: 63-75 549-5261 to 64

In Alaminos City (17th-18th (0700), September)
MAXINE'S BY THE SEA
Lucap, Alaminos City
(+6375) 551-2537

In Labrador, Pangansinan (18th -19th (0700hrs), September)
VILLA JIREH,
Uyong, Labrador, Pangasinan
Tel: 63-75 549-5261 to 64

In Manila (19th to night of the 20th (1200hrs), September):
CSB HOTEL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER
Arellano Ave. corner Estrada St. Malate Manila 1004, Philippines
Tel No.: (632) 400-3333 Local 502, 503

Return to Singapore on the 20th SEPTEMBER 2006 VIA PR501 eta Singapore at around 1825 hrs (6:25pm).

Labour Rights #2 - Straits Times Article #1 - Compulsory day off in new maid contracts

Published Date: 21 July 2006

By Radha Basu

EMPLOYMENT contracts for maids will soon spell out that they be given a compulsory day off every month - or cash in lieu.

This will apply to contracts between maids and employers that are signed or renewed from Sept 15.

The contract, aimed at protecting maids from abuse, was unveiled yesterday by CaseTrust and the Association of Employment Agencies Singapore, which accredit 500-odd maid agencies.

The two bodies have also drawn up a second document - a standard service agreement binding employers and maid agencies, which requires transparency in fees payable and refund policies.

All accredited agencies have agreed to use both contracts from Sept 15.

Till now, contracts between employers and Singapore's 150,000 maids have been inconsistent. Reports of maids being denied days off or sufficient rest and food have surfaced, drawing ire from maid welfare advocates and human rights groups.

Calls for a day off to be enshrined in law have been made, but the Government has said Singapore laws provide enough protection, and urged maid agencies and accreditation bodies to design a standard contract to make rest days and other terms an industry standard.

Consumer Association of Singapore president Yeo Guat Kwang called the two documents 'a big step forward' in wiping out ambiguities about hiring maids.

The contract entitles maids to between one and four days off a month; if the maid gives up her day off, she must be paid.

Maid welfare advocates say the contract is a right move, but see more room to tighten some of the rules.

The president of civil society group Transient Workers Count Too, Braema Mathi, said the contract offered too many options - and thus, too much manoeuvring room - 'which may turn into loopholes for recalcitrant employers'. For example, she said, the clause on accommodation offers three options on where a maid will sleep - in the children's room, in a separate room and 'others', so 'an employer could make his maid sleep in the living room and still not breach the contract', she said.

Ms Bridget Lew, who heads the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, pointed out the contract still offers less protection than the law can, and that domestic maids are not guaranteed rest days under the Employment Act, unlike most other workers.

'Enforcing a contract will be far more difficult than enforcing a law,' she said.

Member of Parliament Madam Halimah Yaacob, another maid welfare advocate, said that even with the contract, a maid would find it tough to go up against her boss 'because the power relations are uneven'.

Mr Yeo, however, said rogue employers were more the exception than the rule, and that the Manpower Ministry would come down hard on that minority.

Labour Rights #3 - Straits Times Article #2 - New contract for maids spells it all out

STRAITS TIMES, Singapore
July 21, 2006

It ensures agents meet bare needs and employers know all costs involved in hiring a maid

By Arlina Arshad

WHEN a new standard service contract between maid employers and agencies comes into effect in September, employers will know exactly what they are in for and how much they must pay when they take on - or give up - a maid.

All fees will be laid out in black and white - in both this service contract and the maid agency's advertisements.

The contract must state a detailed price schedule, comprising the fees employers have to pay, what services these fees cover and the agency's policy on refunds if the maid does not work out.
The agency's advertisements must also spell out these fees and refund policies.
Rolled out yesterday by the Association of Employment Agencies (AEAS) and CaseTrust, the contract will ensure agents meet minimum requirements and employers know all the costs involved in hiring a maid.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said of the current lack of consistency among the different agencies: 'Some agents give refunds, others don't. Some agents charge only a $1 service fee, but later make employers pay 'termination fees' when they want to return the maids.

'The new contract will ensure the agents are transparent. No costs are hidden, and all agreement is in written form.'

All 500-plus accredited agencies must use the new contract by Sept 15. Employers with maids hired before this date will be bound in this new agreement with the maid agent when they next renew their maid's contract or take on a new maid.
Agents are not to change the terms of this standard contract - or they will risk losing their accreditation, in which case they cannot deploy maids anymore, warned AEAS president Gordon La Faber.

He hopes the new contract will help cut down the number of refund-policy disputes
AEAS handles - about 30 to 40 a month now.
Requiring all fees payable to be spelt out gets rid of rogue agents who charge employers a service fee of $1 or even nothing - a bargain basement tactic that is made up later by charging maids high placement fees and their employers big penalties when they want to terminate their maid's contract.

A service fee of at least $900 is more usual in the industry. It covers the agent's work in getting the maid's work permit processed and arranging for her medical check-up, among other services.

Mr La Faber said: 'Some employers sign up with the 'zero-dollar' agents without realising how lopsided the contracts are.

'Only when they get in trouble do they realise all the fees they have to incur and it's hard to get themselves out of the agreement.'

Under the new contract, employers who want to fire their maids are guaranteed refunds on the placement fee they paid in advance for the maid.

Mr La Faber pointed out that the service contract may lead to a shake-up in the industry because 'like it or not, maid agencies must now provide refunds' when maids are returned ahead of the end of their term.

Agencies offering cheap maids may face 'cashflow problems' and may not be able to sustain the offer in the long run, he said.

But one such agency had a defence for its relatively low $288 service fee offer. Mr Richard Goh, who manages the two-month-old Best Helper Employment Agency, said: 'We are new so we charge this price to be attractive. So far, no employer has returned our maids. We have done our ground work, and match our maids to employers well, so we don't expect cancellations.'
A Manpower Ministry (MOM) spokesman said many disputes have arisen over the years between maid agents and employers because of a lack of clarity in the fees payable.

'It is good market practice to provide complete and transparent price information,' said the MOM spokesman.

While maid agents The Straits Times interviewed praised the new contract for its transparency, they said still more can be done to rid the industry of its bad eggs.

Mr Patrick Tan, who has managed HRS Employment Agency for 16 years, said MOM should scrap the one-year grace period for new maid agencies before they are accredited.

'MOM is being kind by giving new agents a year to get everything in order. Within a year, some agents break all the rules. They exploit loopholes, and break the system.

'Then, they use someone else's name to set up a new agency.'

NEW CONTRACT TRANSPARENT
'Some agents give refunds, others don't. Some agents charge only a $1 service fee, but later make employers pay 'termination fees' when they want to return the maids. The new contract will ensure the agents are transparent. No costs are hidden, and all agreement is in written form.'
CASE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEAH SENG CHOON