Filipinos slam draft remittance law

[lhorenzoo]

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Proposed legislation will compel them to send money home or face non-renewal of passports

Dubai: Filipino expatriates in the UAE slammed a draft law filed in Manila that would compel them to regularly send money to their family back home or risk not getting their passports renewed.

A draft law filed in the Philippine Congress aims to make remittances mandatory and regular for all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with legal dependants in the Philippines. Called House Bill 3576, the draft law, if approved, will authorise heads of Philippine missions to not renew passports of “erring OFWs” unless they show proof that they regularly send money home.

Rights group Migrante-UAE called the bill another form of state exaction and harassment.

“This proposed measure is a clear form of harassment to OFWs because they are threatening us to remit money or else face a penalty. It is apparent that the bill only wants to make sure that there is a steady stream of dollar remittances to the Philippines,” Nhel *****a, country representative of Migrante-UAE, told Gulf News.


The Philippines was the world’s third top recipient of officially recorded remittances in 2013, following India and China, according to the World Bank. Some 11 million OFWs worldwide remitted around $26 billion (Dh95.42 billion) in 2013.

The UAE is among the major sources of dollar remittances to the Philippines. In 2013, remittances by Filipinos in the UAE grew by 31.45 per cent from $960 million in 2012 to $1.26 billion, according to the Central Bank of the Philippines.

The draft law did not specify the amount an OFW has to regularly send to his legal dependants in the Philippines. It was drafted to “address the unfortunate experiences of families or dependants of OFWs who do not receive financial support that they are entitled to under existing laws”.

Martin Bobis, one of the administrators of the online group Global OFW Voices composed of 25,000 Filipinos world-wide, said the draft law is unfair to OFWs.

“This draft law is unjust and does not have any sense at all. I appeal to the Philippine Congress to junk this bill because Filipinos abroad remit money to their families anyway; there is no need for a law for this,” Bobis said.

Ernesto Refugio, Chairman of Bayanihan Council, an umbrella organisation of Filipino groups in Abu Dhabi, said: “The main reason why Filipinos go abroad is to support their families in the Philippines. It is the individual right of a Filipino to do this, the state does not have to make this mandatory.”

Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Grace Princesa said she could not issue a comment as she has yet to study the proposed bill.

The draft law is still pending with the Committee on OFW Affairs for necessary action. The Philippine Congress has yet to vote on the draft law, and it gets approved, will be sent to the Philippine president for his final approval.

Filipinos slam draft remittance law | GulfNews.com
ka walay pulos jud aning mga gipanghunahuna sa mga lawmakers nato nga mga buaya . kana mga ofw's nga sama nako wa magkinahanglan ana kay automatic na basta naa lang sweldo dayon kada katapusan o pesta uno or dos , dretso na dayon pada sa pamilya . kini jud tawon atong mga magbabalaod sus . ambot lang jud tawn

[borrise]

loslos nga balaod.. mga way utok!! tinuod ba kaha ni..

[The_Watcher]

kung tinuod ni, pagka bogo na lang jud tawon sa mga lawmakers nato oi! kita na gani nag buhi nila unya kita pa jud nuon lisod-lisoron. mga hinampak!

[cyberchrono]

kung matuman ni nga balaud ang alkanse ani ang mga naa nay ikaduhang pamilya sa abroad

[digitalsuperman]

kung matuman ni nga balaud ang alkanse ani ang mga naa nay ikaduhang pamilya sa abroad

safe raka boss @cyberchrono kay imong ikaduhang pamilya naa man sa pinas..

[cyberchrono]

safe raka boss @cyberchrono kay imong ikaduhang pamilya naa man sa pinas..

ssshhhh...ayaw saba kay masakpan ko

[pak88]

Naa man tingali ni purpose kay basin ang mga pamilya diri kay wala gipadalan labi na ang mga bata

[reptoid]

Shameful exploitation.

[markie101]

naa ni point oi... I was once and OFW.. and more than half of my pay is always remitted para pamilya... so as an OFW i have no reason to fear this law kay mao man gyud ni reason ngano nangabroad ko... But But But... di lang cguro mandatory every month.. pwede cguro at least once in 2-3 months daghan man OFW magpada og bulto.. and ang uban companya sa gawas di bya pariha diri nga atm ang sweldo ang uban didto madelatar pa gani 10 ka adlaw. mao uban ofw mubulto og padala once in 2 months usahay..

Ok ra sad ni cya kay ako naka kita gyud ko og ofw nga wa nakapadala sa iya pamilya kay iyang uyab sa (same country og asa cya) mabdos - mao na... and i dont think this is not a rare case... ang uban taga mindanao ang ofw pero sa luzon naay lain pamilya..

busa kitang mga OFW di gyud ta padala sa temtasyon kay sos di lang kita daghan maangin og kita magkaproblema..

[ngitscarlo09]

sakto rman pud siguro ni kay anaa man gud uban nga OFW nga dli magpadala sa ila pamilya...kuridas ni...in my case sige man padala ako papa gkan U.A.E galing lng para ra sq uban igsuon..pero ok ra..mkabuhi mn sad kos akong side