Go welcomes creation of Committee on OFWs
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go welcomed the creation of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, saying that the legislative branch is moving toward the right direction to protect migrant workers.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to support initiatives that would aid in this effort.
“This Congress, we are indeed moving toward the right direction with the creation of the Senate Committee on OFWs that will be led by a capable chairman,” Go said in response to a privileged speech delivered by Senator Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo, chairman of the Committee on Migrant Workers.
“I commend my fellow Senator, and I am with you in trying to give a happy ending to the stories of our modern-day heroes,” he added.
The senator denounced the violence against Filipino overseas workers, recalling the several occasions he assisted OFWs who had experienced such abuse and mistreatment.
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go welcomed the creation of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, saying that the legislative branch is moving toward the right direction to protect migrant workers.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to support initiatives that would aid in this effort.
“This Congress, we are indeed moving toward the right direction with the creation of the Senate Committee on OFWs that will be led by a capable chairman,” Go said in response to a privileged speech delivered by Senator Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo, chairman of the Committee on Migrant Workers.
“I commend my fellow Senator, and I am with you in trying to give a happy ending to the stories of our modern-day heroes,” he added.
The senator denounced the violence against Filipino overseas workers, recalling the several occasions he assisted OFWs who had experienced such abuse and mistreatment.
However, the senator emphasized that more still needs to be done to safeguard the rights of migrant workers.
“That’s only the beginning, a step in the right direction. Now that we have a committee dedicated to this specific concern — and please note that 10 percent of our population are overseas Filipinos — we hope that we can revisit our laws and pursue necessary legislation to avoid the abuses committed on our countrymen who are in faraway places,” Go said.
In the past, Go also played a role in the subsequent granting of pardon to Roderick Aguinaldo, an OFW detained in Bahrain for four years after he was convicted for the death of a foreign national in the country. Aguinaldo was sentenced to death, but he was granted pardon and released from prison as a result of the efforts of the Philippine government.
“We have given Mr. Roderick Aguinaldo a job at the Philippine Ports Authority. This means that after he is back in the country, the government has to continue helping him by giving him a job,” he added.
Go also aided in the subsequent acquittal of Rose Policarpio, an OFW in Saudi Arabia who was accused of murder. Policarpio was jailed for six years and was released in January 2019, after she was found innocent.
Go also helped repatriate OFW Malik S. Darimbang who had been stuck in Saudi Arabia for six years after he got involved in a road accident that killed a Pakistani national.
In his speech, Tulfo highlighted the need to provide better safeguards for Filipinos overseas and called for stronger mechanisms against erring employers and recruiters of OFWs to stop abuses.
He also sought the empowerment of embassies and the setting up of “offices dedicated solely to the vetting of prospective employers and enforcement of the laws meant to protect OFWs.”
Source: Go welcomes creation of Committee on OFWs | The Manila Times