Friday, February 29, 2008 OFWs vow not to remit money to RP
SHOWING their disgust over the Arroyo administration, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will not send any remittances to their family next month as part of civil disobedience.
The Filipino workers in Hong Kong will start the "Zero Remittance Day" on March 2 and other countries are expected to follow.
"On certain days each month, overseas Filipinos and their families will mount 'Zero Remittance Days' to amplify our utter disgust with the Arroyo administration's continuing plunder of our nation," said Migrante International secretary general Maita Santiago.
"Our refusal to remit is our complete withdrawal of trust and confidence in this government. There is no relief for us in a regime that has only brought calamity to OFWs and our families," said Dolores Balladares, chairperson of Unifil-Migrante-Hong Kong.
Last year, OFWs remitted US$14.3 billion with monthly remittances often breaching the US$1 billion mark.
According to OFWs, this would lose the government more than US$30 million daily.
The families of OFWs in the Philippines also support this campaign because they too realize that for as long as Arroyo remains in power: they will continue to be hit by rising prices amidst the falling dollar; the criminal neglect of their rights and welfare; and increased commodification and export among other things.
"Our next Zero Remittance Day is March 8 to mark International Women's Day and the fact that approximately seven out of 10 OFWs are women," added Santiago.
The International Women's Day is celebrated yearly to commemorate how women in New York, many of them migrant women from other countries, stood up for their rights more than a hundred years ago.
Aside from the Zero Remittance Day, OFWs will also participate in the February 29 interfaith rally.
"Along with the large interfaith gathering in Makati and nationwide protests tomorrow (Friday), Filipinos abroad and their families will hold pickets in front of RP (Philippine) embassies and consulates around the world," said Santiago.
Among the countries where various forms of protests are set to take place include: Canada, the US, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and Macau.
"The different types of action overseas Filipinos are undertaking include pickets, text brigades to call on relatives and friends to join actions in Manila, petition signings, forums, leaflet distributions and the withholding of remittances on particular days. We are confident that through the Filipino people's concerted action for Arroyo to step down, the end is indeed near for the country's most corrupt and anti-migrant President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo)," Santiago said. (MSN/Sunnex)
