Unity and struggle of migrant workers
The Ramos regime hastily passed the Migrant Act of 1995 or RA 8042 in reaction to widespread protests against the reactionary Philippine government's gross negligence over Flor Contemplacion's execution in 1995.
But the vacuous RA 8042 has only succeeded in firing up the people's anger, particularly that of migrant Filipinos, as it reinforces the commodification of migrant labor.
It has pushed migrant Filipinos to forge stronger unity and join the struggle of the broad masses of the people against the system that oppresses them.
Their experience continues to make migrant workers realize that the reactionary government is not their ally in their struggle to advance their welfare and assert their rights.
Towards the end of 1998, organized migrant Filipinos in Hong Kong fought for a reduction in the authentication fee, which the Philippine government collects from them. Because of the Estrada regime's failure to act on their petition, thousands of migrant Filipino workers decided to rely on their own strength. Through the concerted efforts of an alliance composed of more than 80 organizations, the migrants were able to pressure the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong to lower the fee from HK$425 (P2,125) to HK$200 (P1,000). | MIGRANT WORKERS HAVE BEEN PERSISTENTLY AND VIGOROUSLY RESISTING NOT ONLY OTHER ANTIMIGRANT POLICIES AND PRACTICES, BUT ALSO THE RULING SYSTEM THAT RELENTLESSLY ABUSES THEM, THEIR FAMILIES AND THE ENTIRE FILIPINO PEOPLE. |
The migrant workers reaped this small victory while waging a struggle against wage cuts. The Hong Kong government originally planned to reduce migrants' wages by 20%. But because the migrant workers lobbied as one, they were able to push for a 75% reduction in the wage cut.
The migrant workers are also currently opposing Estrada's Memorandum of Instruction No. 8 that imposes a US$25-fee allegedly for the processing of contracts. Hong Kong migrants have so far successfully prevented the implementation of this order.
However, even if migrant workers succeed in countering other ploys of government both here and abroad, they will surely be cheated and subjected to extortion again and again by the reactionary regime as well as by its greedy foreign co-conspirators.
But such exploitation could not go on forever. Migrant workers have been persistently and vigorously resisting not only other antimigrant policies and practices, but also the ruling system that relentlessly abuses them, their families and the entire Filipino people.
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