BW Research: Economic Indicator

BW Research: Economic Indicator: "Results from the 2006 Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) show that the OFWs who worked in a foreign land during the period April to September 2006 reached 1.52 million, 14.3% more than the 1.33 OFWs reported during the same period a year ago....

East Asia remained the second biggest home to OFWs; two out of 10 (22.6%) OFWs worked either in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore, while almost one out of 10 (9.9%) worked in our neighboring Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore."

OFWs in Taiwan: ‘Pay hike not 75% but only 7.5 to 9.5%’ - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

OFWs in Taiwan: ‘Pay hike not 75% but only 7.5 to 9.5%’ - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos: "Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan on Thursday said the increase in their salaries comes to only between 7.5 to 9.5 percent and not 75 percent as earlier announced by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief Rosalinda Baldoz.

At the same time, in an e-mail to INQUIRER.net, Gi Estrada, Taiwan coordinator of the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants, said the wage hike does not cover migrant household service workers, who get between only 38 to 76 percent of the current minimum wage.

“The proposed increase in the minimum wage that would be implemented on July 1 would be only between 7.5 to 9.5 percent,” Estrada said.

Baldoz late last month announced the increase to the average US$400 to US$700 (around P18,850 to P33,000) monthly salary of migrant workers in Taiwan.

“Household workers contribute a lot in rendering services to the Taiwan community and society. [They] relieve…the government and even the families of those who need to be taken care of, [of] their responsibility to do this task. Household workers also liberate other members of Taiwanese families from this heavy work to join the working force or in pursuit of other activities. These workers also contribute in consumer spending that is go"

Taiwan: Yrren - Caregiver | OFW-Connect Information Hub

Taiwan: Yrren - Caregiver | OFW-Connect Information Hub:

OFW Survey Guestbook - An Interview with Overseas Filipino Workers

"What could be the undesirable effects when working abroad to you and to your family left back home: first is that you always have to face the discrimation when you are working abroad,'coz no matter how good your education is mababa pa din ang tingin nila sa mga foreign workers like us ofw's.second is that i can't be able to raise my kid on my own,i can't be able to see all the changes that's happening to him everyday."

Migrant Group Assessed POEA Policy Reforms as a Failure | Bulatlat

Migrant Group Assessed POEA Policy Reforms as a Failure | Bulatlat: "Seven months since the implementation of Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Guidelines, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) assessed that it was nothing but “a show-off.”


The POEA policy reforms were instituted to supposedly provide Filipino household service workers (HSWs) a cover of protection from potential abuse and exploitation abroad.

Under the new guidelines, those applying as domestic helpers abroad had to undergo additional training under POEA’s Pre-Qualification for Household Service Workers scheme. The training would cost them P10, 000-P15, 000 ($218 - $327 at an exchange rate of $1=P45.75). Aside from this, the guideline sets the minimum wage of overseas domestic workers to $200 to $400. It also stipulates that no placement fee should be charged to applicants, but limits the minimum age to 23 years old."

OECD - EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES: PAST AND FUTURE ROLE IN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

"This paper studies export processing zones (EPZs) which have become increasingly popular as a policy tool for development and export-oriented growth, and can be found in 130 countries around the world.... EPZs are a sub-optimal policy from an economic point of view since it benefits the few and distorts resource allocation, but may be useful as a stepping stone to trade liberalisation on a national basis. Governments should consider all available policy options, and conduct a thorough cost/benefit analysis before implementation."

EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES: PAST AND FUTURE ROLE IN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

OFWs from Taiwan Slap Agency with Illegal Recruitment, Overcharging Raps | Bulatlat

OFWs from Taiwan Slap Agency with Illegal Recruitment, Overcharging Raps | Bulatlat: "In late 2005 and early 2006, applicants of Mission Way were promised rewarding jobs at Quanta Display, Inc. in Taiwan. But they had to pay every step of the way. Just for filling up the application form, they had to pay the cashier P20 ($0.43). The PF is P140, 000 plus a surety bond of P2,800 ($60.44). “Take it or leave it,” Magsino told them during their first briefing. That made them rush to search for ways of raising the money by all means."

UCAN: Bishops call on gov’t, Catholics to heed migrants' rights - Catholic Online

UCAN: Bishops call on gov’t, Catholics to heed migrants' rights - Catholic Online: "TAIPEI, Taiwan (UCAN) – Taiwan's bishops have urged the government to protect migrant workers' rights by amending labor laws in accordance with international conventions.

In their recently released pastoral letter, the church leaders also asked local Catholics to treat migrant workers fairly.

Migration is a way people can improve their standard of living, the bishops note in the document, 'Concern for Migrant Workers and Immigrants,' released May 16. In Asia, however, migrant workers usually are not allowed to become permanent residents in their host country, they observe, saying this infringes on human rights.

Father John Chen Kun-chen, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Taiwan, told UCA News May 22 that the pastoral letter encourages parishioners in Taiwan's seven dioceses to regard migrants as their neighbors."