DOLE plan won’t solve lack of construction workers – TUCP

“Our main problem is we have a shortage of trained and certified construction workers because wages are low, benefits are meager, and working conditions are highly substandard,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Limiting the number of construction workers for deployment abroad, as planned by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), will only force workers to use backdoor means to leave the Philippines since they could get better salaries and benefits abroad.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said this DOLE plan would not answer the supposed labor shortage in the construction industry.

“Our main problem is we have a shortage of trained and certified construction workers because wages are low, benefits are meager, and working conditions are highly substandard,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said.

In Metro Manila, for instance, construction workers often just receive the minimum wage of P532.

According to TUCP, some workers are even forced to buy their own safety equipment.

Earlier, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the DOLE was planning to reduce by up to 90 percent the number of construction workers they would deploy abroad to ensure that there would enough manpower left in the Philippines to do various projects under the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

Mendoza pointed out that because of the cap, workers might be compelled to leave the country illegally given that better offers await them abroad.

“Once they go underground, they will become undocumented, illegal workers abroad hiding from the law,” he said. “This is highly problematic. We need to raise the salary, benefits and working conditions standards of our construction workers so that they will no longer aspire to work abroad.”

Instead of the cap, Mendoza suggested that the government’s assessment, training, and certification of skills be made more accessible and affordable for workers.

“The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority must conduct more assessment, training and skills certification even on Saturdays and Sundays and even on holidays, conduct these even in worksites to increase the pool of skill-certified construction workers. It must also accredit private institutions to facilitate certification,” he said. /atm - By: Jovic Yee - Reporter / @jovicyeeINQ

TUCP asks Tulfo to apologize for insulting Filipino workers

Manila Times file photo

Labor groups on Friday demanded that special envoy to China Ramon Tulfo apologize to Filipino workers after he insulted their contributions to the country’s economy when he claimed that the influx of Chinese workers was because they were better employees.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Tulfo’s characterization of Filipino workers was “uncalled for,” especially since they have been known worldwide for the “high quality of their work, ingenuity, diligence, creativity and hard work.”

“They are the most sought after type of workers compared to other nationalities. The Filipino workers’ dedication, diligence and creativity are known to have built the entire Middle East economies, most parts of Asia, and key parts of America and Europe,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said.

In a TV interview on Thursday, Tulfo said one of the reasons there was an influx of Chinese workers in the country was because companies preferred them over Filipino workers.

‘Insensitive, unpatriotic’

He said Chinese workers were more diligent, more focused at work and finish the job quicker.

For Mendoza, such a characterization was “offensive, insensitive and unpatriotic.”

“We urge Mr. Tulfo to immediately apologize to the Filipino workers and retract these statements before many would come to believe so,” he said.

In an interview with the Inquirer on Friday, Tulfo, however, refused to apologize for his statement, pointing out that he was merely “expressing an opinion” based on the feedback given to him by the private sector, especially those belonging to the construction industry.

Rather than criticize him, Tulfo said this should serve as a “wake-up call” to Filipino workers for them to improve their work ethic.

“Why is it that when a Filipino works abroad, he works harder than his countrymen in the Philippines. Why are OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) preferred in other countries but in our hometown [some] are not as efficient as their rivals, like the Chinese?” Tulfo said.

“That’s the Filipino enigma. Whenever we go to another country, we follow their laws to the letter but when we are in our country, we violate our laws,” he added. - By: Jovic Yee - Reporter / @jovicyeeINQ

Unions urge gov’t to follow rules on foreign workers

Philstar photo

LABOR GROUPS called President Rodrigo R. Duterte “irresponsible” for ignoring rules governing the employment of foreigners in the Philippines, particularly Chinese workers.

In a statement on Monday, Federation of Free Workers (FFW) Vice President Julius C. Cainglet said that Mr. Duterte’s statements are “irresponsible” with the president does not comprehend the impact on the Filipino work force.

“We have laws that govern employment of foreigners and yet there he goes giving a blanket authority to just allow them to work in the country without regard for our laws and without regard to Filipino workers,” Mr. Cainglet said.

On Sunday, Mr. Duterte said in a campaign speech that he cannot “kick out” Chinese workers who are in the country without the required permits, noting that beijing could expel the 300,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in China.

“(I) cannot just say, ‘Leave. I will deport you.’ What if the 300,000 are suddenly kicked out?,” he said in a speech on Sunday.

The influx of Chinese workers was discussed in a Senate hearing last week. Last year, Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III said in a Senate hearing that Chinese workers often enter the Philippines using tourist visas.

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition Spokesperson Renato B. Magtubo said in a statement on Monday that the President’s reasoning cannot be justified.

“Making an unfounded fear the basis of his argument not to implement our laws on employing foreign nationals… is a dereliction of duty on the part of the President and his labor secretary,” Mr. Magtubo said.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said that Chinese nationals should abide by the law if they are looking to work in the Philippines.

“(I)f there are specializations and skills unavailable in the labor market, these should be given to foreign workers who must apply for Alien Employment Permits (AEP) from DoLE and work permits from the Bureau of Immigration (BI). We clearly reiterate that TUCP is not against the entry of foreign workers, but of the adverse impact on our very own workers who are being deprived of potential employment and livelihood opportunities,” TUCP President and Congressman Raymond C. Mendoza said in a statement on Monday.

Mr. Mendoza added that DoLE and BI need to patch up flaws in the system for issuing work permits for foreign workers.

“There is no coordination between the DoLE and BI. And this is where the problem thrives. Each agency issues permits allowing foreigners to stay and work here using different criteria,” he said.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) “will take their cue” from the President but added that the entry of foreign workers will be monitored.

“The DoJ/BI will take the cue from the chief executive. I understand the President’s statement to mean that illegal aliens already in our country should be given an opportunity to comply with our immigration laws and thus legitimize their stay,” Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra told BusinessWorld.

“Based on news reports, the President has apparently given a signal to exercise some liberality. So I’ll discuss the government’s next moves with the BI,” he added.

Mr. Guevarra, on the other hand, said that the DoJ and the BI will continue to control the entry of foreign workers if they cannot prove that they have skills that cannot be filled by Filipinos.

“We shall ensure that measures to control the unmitigated entry into our country of unskilled and non-technical alien workers in the future shall continue to be strictly enforced,” he said, adding that these measures include devoting more resources for screening, monitoring, and intelligence operations.

The BI’s new and stricter rules, which will require foreign applicants to submit additional documents, in issuing special working permit (SWPs) and provisional working permits (PWPs) to foreigners intending to work in the country would also be another measure but “have yet to be adopted after due consultations with the DoLE (Department of Labor and Employment),” the justice secretary also said.

The BI issues special working permits to foreigners who plan to work in the country for six months while provisional working permits are issued to foreigners with pending applications for pre-arranged employment visas.

During an inquiry by the Senate committee on labor and employment development on Nov. 26, DoLE said that the BI issued SWPs to 119,840 foreigners from 2015 to 2017, most of which were given to Chinese who work for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a Senate hearing on Feb. 21 that DoLE issued a more than 169,000 alien working permits, permits issued to foreigners working for more than six months, 85,486 of which were given to Chinese nationals.

Senator Joel J. Villanueva, who chairs the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development, said the rules are there to protect jobs for Filipinos and the rights of the workers regardless of nationality.

“The bottom line is enforcement of laws to protect workers’ rights and our Filipino first policy. There are illegal Filipino workers abroad and we should aim to help them become legal workers. And it is the same as what we are doing here. We want legal workers,” he said in a text message.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said foreigners must be subject to deportation as a consequence for violating Philippine laws.

“Deportation is a consequence if laws are violated by foreigners,” Mr. Sotto told reporters in a text message.

Sen. Francis N. Pangilinan said the government “should not be afraid of China” and should fear instead the anger of unemployed Filipinos while special treatment is given to Chinese workers.

“Uphold the rule of law and without fanfare deport these illegals. The administration should not be afraid of China in the face of hundreds of thousands of their citizens working here illegally. What it should fear is the anger of millions of our people who remain jobless while we give special treatment to these Chinese illegals,” he said in a statement on Monday.

The Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development has been conducting hearings into the influx of foreign workers. Senators have raised concerns that the jobs the Chinese nationals were filling deprived Filipinos of employment opportunities. — Gillian M. Cortez, Vann Marlo M. Villegas, and Camille A. Aguinaldo

Labor group says Chinese allowed in PHL but jobs must be kept for Pinoys

Manila Times photo

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Monday clarified that it is not against the entry of foreign workers in the Philippines. However, the group insisted that jobs must be kept for Filipinos.

“Our laws and regulations policies are clear: All jobs including skills and professions must be given to Filipino workers and professionals," TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said in a press release.

"However, if there are specialization and skills unavailable in the labor market, these should be given to foreign workers who must apply for Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and work permits from the Bureau of Immigration (BI)," Mendoza added.

On Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte remarked that he cannot simply drive away the Chinese nationals working in the Philippines because he is thinking of the welfare of the Filipinos working in China who may be massively laid off as a consequence.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, for his part, said Chinese nationals who hold working permits in the country are just filling vacancies for jobs that Filipinos cannot or would not do.

The TUCP, meanwhile, lamented that there is no coordination between the DOLE and BI as regards issuing work permits to foreigners, noting that allowing foreign workers to work here should be done with routine coordination and monitoring and must be free from corruption.

Mendoza claimed that the labor market test method, which DOLE uses before it issues work permit, was "flawed."

“Nobody is contesting the labor market test because nobody is aware that there is such a publication. No one is filing a complaint against the applicant because no one is even aware of such notice,” Mendoza said.

"There has to be an immediate serious reforms and improved implementation of work permit policy applied to foreigners," he added.

Mendoza also urged foreigners who wish to work in the Philippines "to legalize their stay, abide with laws and regulations and respect our culture and traditions."

"They should legalize their stay so that they will be protected by our laws from abusive and exploitative working conditions,” Mendoza said. "Foreign nationals must go through the due process legally mandated by the laws."

Meanwhile, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Monday urged the sacking and the filing of charges against DOLE and BI officials for allegedly allowing the illegal entry of around 400,000 Chinese workers.

"Fire DOLE and BI appointees and officials who allowed the entry of 400,000 Chinese illegals. File criminal cases against them," Pangilinan said in a press statement. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KG, GMA News