The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) called labor secretary Silvestre Bello III ‘misinformed’ for slamming the commission for focusing more on cases of war against drugs than the rights of abused overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
CHR commissioner for migrant workers rights Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana said the commission are in constant coordination with other government agencies in ensuring rights of OFWs are protected and extending help to victims of migrant abuses.
“It appears to me that our labor secretary had been misinformed. The CHR along with other government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was an active participant in the global discussions regarding the UN’s Global Compact on Migration,” Gana said in a statement.
Gana added the commission’s plan to establish an OFW observatory that will collect data to provide better protection for the rights of OFWs. The data will provide information on labor gaps and provide recommendations on how the government can respond to the call of the OFWs.
The statement was in response to Bello’s answer to ABS party-list Rep. Eugene de Vera’s question if CHR has coordinated with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regarding the death of Joanna Demafelis.
“Actually you are correct, your honor, that the mandate of CHR includes the advocacy for the protection of the rights of our workers abroad. Unfortunately, I don’t think they have time to consult with us, they are more concerned with political crimes, I think so, your honor,” Bello said.
Gana stressed that the commission has released a statement in support of the government’s actions in the case particularly the imposition of deployment ban to Kuwait.
“We are all public servants here. Protecting the rights of our migrant workers requires a whole-of-government approach, and we consider DOLE as well as the DFA as our allies in this shared advocacy,” Gana said.
Gana noted that CHR is currently looking at reports of OFWs in Saudi Arabia who are selling their own blood just to be able to send money to the Philippines.
“I hope that the good secretary would welcome a constructive partnership between DOLE and the CHR for the sake of our modern-day heroes,” Gana said.
“We look forward to working closely with DOLE in advancing the cause of migrant workers’ rights worldwide.”
