Migrants group joins 2010 party-list race

INQUIRER.net
September 18, 2009

MANILA, Philippines—Migrante, the organization upholding the rights of overseas Filipino workers worldwide, on Friday said it is joining the 2010 party-list race.
“For a long time, others have been speaking in our behalf. It is now time to speak for ourselves,” said Garry Martinez, chairman of Migrante International.

“Patutunayan namin na ang mga OFWs ay hindi lang bayani sa ekonomya, kami rin ay bayani sa pulitika (We will prove that we are not only heroes in economy, we are also heroes in politics),” he added.

Martinez explained OFWs need to be represented by their own party list as existing policies and laws are detrimental to the interest of migrant Filipinos.

“Under the term of President Arroyo, policies were geared towards intensifying labor exportation instead of focusing on welfare protection. It is high time that the sector that has been saving this economy towards total bankruptcy be represented by its own leaders,” he added.

Since the party-list system began in the 1998 elections, various OFW groups have tried and failed to win a seat in Congress. Overseas Filipino workers are among the marginalized sector cited in Republic Act 7941 or the Party-list System Law that was enacted in 1995.

About its chances, Martinez said his party list “will not solely depend on the overseas absentee voters since the recent figure might not suffice to garner the needed number of votes to win a seat in Congress.”

“We will ask our chapters in 23 countries across the globe to campaign among their relatives and friends who are here inside the country. And since OFWs are mostly the breadwinners in the family, we believe that their loved ones will not only support us but would likewise campaign for us in their respective barrios in different provinces,” he said.

The group is also banking on the support of OFW victims that they have assisted since their formation in 1996. Thousands of distressed OFWs seek Migrante’s helps annually, Martinez said.