SONA - Feel A Good Speech

When Pres. Abnoy was declared the victor in the 2010 presidential elections, he becomes the president of the Filipino nation. Whether we like it or not, he’ll stay in power for 6 years. Pres. Abnoy however, chooses to be the president of the yellows, by the yellows and for the yellows (KKK). Proof, he’s still wearing the yellow ribbon which is a divisive symbol to the Filipino people. Instead of calling for reconciliation in this very divided nation, he waged war against his perceived enemies. I think you’ll guess who his number one enemy is, former President GMA.

When Pres. Abnoy minions and presidential mouthpieces say that the SONA was a feel good speech and that they want to change the attitude of the Filipinos, I just can’t believe it. If the president wants to change the attitude of the Filipinos, he as their leader should be the first to change his ways. In fact, the president is the source of negativisim that he’s accusing his countrymen of. Abnoy could not live the day without maligning former PGMA. He made sure that his minions, KKK, yellow zombies and yellow media attacks PGMA. The latest are the PCSO where they obviously want to implicate PGMA and the electoral fraud in 2004.

Because Abnoy is so consumed with his vindictiveness and fixation with PGMA, he forgot why the people elected him in that office. As president he’s responsible directly or indirectly in the welfare of his people. I can’t believe how a president could be so clueless. Until now, it’s not clear where the country is heading. He did issue motherhood statements but he forgot that he’s not in the campaign anymore. SONA should give details on his plans, how to accomplish them and those that he failed to accomplish. His speech writers only dwell on the wang wang because it’s the only major accomplishment he had in his first year in office.

I didn’t expect much from Abnoy. Abnoy was underachiever when he was a house representative and a senator. We can’t expect him to just change his work ethics overnight because he became the president. He’s been in the office for a year already and yet he’s still making up excuses. The presidency of Abnoy was only decided by 15 Million people yet it affected the 90 million Filipino people. Emil Jurado was right, we sink and swim with Abnoy whether we like it or not!

No case vs PGMA

Abnoy’s minions in Malacañang admitted that until now, they don’t have case that could pin down PGMA. The funny thing is, they still continue their war through trial by publicity, courtesy of course with their partners, the yellow media. PGMA has been maligned, accused, demonized and vilified by these people who couldn’t even give a proof of wrongdoing. With Abnoy’s instructions, they continue to wage the media war and trial by publicity over their perceived enemies.

For goodness sake, PGMA has stepped down from power and she doesn’t have the presidential immunity. She can be sued anytime. The problem here is that they don’t have anything on their plate. So they decided that it’s better to accuse PGMA of anything that they can imagine. It’s ridiculous that even the tabloids who pretended to be broadsheets would entertain it.

As far as I can remember in my Political Science course, you can’t just accuse anyone of anything without proof. They found a way of expressing their accusations through the yellow media who would gladly headline the accusations. The yellow media would then claim that they’re just doing this in the spirit of balanced news. If their attention is called, they’ll claim of harassment. This is how things work in the Philippines.

Trial by publicity is the only way they can do with the help of the yellow media because their lawyers are of LESSER LEGAL MINDS. They know that they’re not capable and could not really win their case in the court. They may win some now with the installation of Carpio Morales as the Ombudsman. She’ll definitely thread Abnoy’s path. She was known for her bias before and that’s precisely the reason why she was appointed. Maybe, with Aquino friendly Ombudsman, the lawyers of Abnoy, the lawyers of LESSER LEGAL MINDS might win a conviction of PGMA.

Answers to Rigoberto Tiglao's Queries on Saudization

From: braggito

Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2011 10:23 AM

To: Inquirer email [mailto:tiglao.inquirer@gmail.com] 

Subject: RE: Query on Saudization

Dear Mr. Tiglao,

Thank you for your email. I used to see you only on TV, briefing the media on the programs of the then PGMA, the best president our country has ever produced.

Saudi Arabian government banned the entry and visa processing of the household workers because they could not agree on the minimum wage. The Philippine government is asking the Saudi Government to impose a USD. 400 while the Saudi Government could only give USD. 200. I think it was around Ramadan last year that the ban on deployment started. The Saudi government only formalized it on 2 July 2011. The ban on deployment of household help has nothing to do with the Saudization program of the Saudi Arabian Government. I work in the Human Resources so more or less I know that household workers are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labor. Arbitration or other arrangements are handled by the Price (Governor) or every Saudi Provinces.

Saudization on the other hand is the program of the Saudi Arabian Government, through the Ministry of Labor to impose quotas on Saudi Nationals to be hired in the Private Sectors. Quotas are imposed depending on which sector the business is operating. Saudization has been going on from around 2005 or 2006 but private sectors could not meet the quotas imposed by the Ministry. Again, the ban on the deployment of Household workers has nothing to do with Saudization. I think, the Saudi government only wants to put pressure on the Philippine government so that they will agree to the USD 200 minimum wage. For your information, they also impose ban on the Indonesian household workers because of the similar issue, the minimum wage.

To give credit to the Philippine government, the POLO has been validating contracts between the Saudi employer and the Filipino maids. Sadly, the contract is only a piece of paper since it’s the Philippine agency (Agent) who would tell the Saudi employer to put USD. 400 in the contract but in actuality they’d only pay the maid USD 200. I have a contact with an agent for a household worker in Manila and I can honestly say that they’re partly to blame why our household workers are paid less.

The ban on the deployment of the household workers for Saudi Arabia was a welcome development for us, skilled and professional workers. We are happy because maids are the most vulnerable to abuse. They are helpless because they’re working in the house of their Saudi masters. I don’t want to generalize but I know one Vice President in our company who never feeds his Filipino maid. There are a lot of horror stories too. In Saudi Arabia, a young man could be kidnapped and raped how much more for a female domestic worker who has nowhere to go. If we, the skilled and professional workers are not paid our salaries we can go to the Saudi Ministry of Labor. The household workers have nowhere and no one to turn to. That’s the reason why there are so many runaway maids.

This deployment ban should be an eye opener for the Philippine government. They should just send skilled workers because they’re much more protected than the household workers are. And if they still want to send household workers, it’s better if it’s not in the Middle Eastern countries.

Do you think it's not right for Ph to require such level of wages?

I think that it’s just right for our country to demand a minimum wage for household workers because the Saudi Arabia does not have a minimum wage law. They can pay you whatever amount they like as long as you agree to it. The host country should also be sensitive to the maid’s reason why she decided to work outside her home country. She leaves everything behind, her family and friends. Minimum wage could be abused and it’s been abused over and over again but at least there’s minimum.

What will be the impact on deployments of Filipinos in Saudi?

There will be no new arriving household workers but the private sectors are still hiring skilled workers. Manufacturing industries and skilled workers such as welders, AC technicians and machine operators are still in demand. In fact, we just received our visa block to hire additional Filipino, Indian and Nepalese workers. I don’t think that the ban on deployment of household workers will affect the inflow of remittance in our country.

Filipino maids are known to be industrious, hardworking and neat. I also hired Filipino maids for executives in our company and they’re the most preferred over other nationalities. They’ve raised babies, cook meals and clean the houses of the Saudi families. For sure they’ll be missed. However, it’s an opportunity for our country to first look into the safety of our domestic workers.

As for the question on the status of skilled and professional workers, I say that it’s not a cause for concern. Like our household workers, we’re the most preferred nationality because of the quality of work that we can produce. Our government should capitalize on this edge and improve our curriculums and technical trainings.

The reason why Saudization failed to reach the target is not because the program is flawed. It’s because Saudi Nationals refused to do the work. Companies have no choice but to hire foreign workers or else their production will suffer. Private companies invest more when they’re hiring Saudi Nationals because they are paid three times more than their foreign counterpart yet the quality of their work is NIL. Young Saudi professionals on the other hand want to be promoted to a managerial level right away. If they’re not promoted, they leave the company as they please. It’s different for foreign workers because the company holds into our documents and we can’t move to another company as we please because of the sponsorship issues.

Is a way out of this stand-off in the offing or impossible at this point.

As far as I know, the Saudi Government is sticking to the USD. 200. I know that they’re just putting pressure to the PHL government. In fact, they’ve also announced that they’ll be hiring Bangladeshi household help instead of the Filipinos and Indonesians.

Our government should be firm on the minimum wage issue. The ban is a blessing in disguise for the Filipino household workers. This way, they’ll not be abused.

Is there a way out? I think so. PHL should not beg and just let the Saudi Government go on with the ban. In the end, they’re losing a priced Filipino household worker and we get to ensure their safety too.

Again, thank you very much for the opportunity.

Regards,

braggito

Queries on Saudization by Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao

Today 23 July 2011, Former PGMA spokesperson and now PDI columnist sent me an inquiry on Saudization.  Here's his letter.  My answer was on the next blog posting:

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From: Inquirer email [mailto:tiglao.inquirer@gmail.com]

Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2011 11:23 AM

To: braggito

Subject: Query

Dear Mr. Braggito,

I'm a columnist at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and I chanced upon your letter to the Manila Times online clarifying why Saudi Arabia has started restricting the entry of Filipino workers (i.e.., that this had nothing to do with the Saudization program, nor Nitaqat).

I'd appreciate your views:

1. How did this stand-off (Phil requiring $400 wage, while Saudi $200) come about? Did Phil authorities decide to implement suddenly some regulation? I suppose this wage level was not only required of the Philippines. Have Phil authorities start to inform other countries to tell them this is the policy?
2. Do you think it's not right for Ph to require such level of wages?
3. What will be the impact on deployments of Filipinos in Saudi?

4. Is a way out of this stand-off in the offing or impossible at this point.

I'd appreciate your comments.

Thanks


Rigoberto Tiglao

On Ronquillo’s “Saudization? It might be a blessing” piece

My letter to the editor of the Manila times was published today 23 July 2011.  Here's my letter:

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On Ronquillo’s “Sau-dization? It might be a blessing” piece

Published : Tuesday, July 19, 2011 14:20

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/2225-on-ronquillos-sau-dization-it-might-be-a-blessing-piece

Article Views : 93

Dear Marlen V. Ronquillo:

I think you are ill informed of the Saudization program of the Saudi Arabian government and the reason why they stopped hiring domestic workers from our country. You should have at least called the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and asked information from the POLO before you wrote your column. Saudization is the Kingdom’s policy that compels companies in the private sector to hire Saudi nationals. Quotas are given by the Labor Ministry depending on the which sector the business is operating in. Saudization does not include the household workers.

The Saudi government banned deployment of the household workers from the Philippines after they and the Philippines could not agree on the salary scale for household workers. The PHL government is asking for USD 400 minimum wage for a Filipino domestic worker while the Saudi Government only wants USD 200. This has nothing to do with the Nitaqat program.

I’m disappointed considering that you call yourself an opinion writer. The least you could do is research before you write something. I’m also appalled why your editor even published your column,

Regards,

braggito

[Editor’s note: Once the editors have chosen a writer to be a Times columnist, we allow him to stand or fall on what he writes. We do not censor our columnists. And we rely on alert readers like yourself to make the correction or amplification. If we do not get a reader’s reaction to a columnist’s error after a couple of days, a Times staffmember would then write a correcting piece and an amplification.]

Wannabe columnist wrote a piece on Saudization

My blood pressure went up early this morning when I read the article of a wannabe columnist from Manila Times named Marlen V. Ronquillo. It’s not enough that you know your grammar to be a columnist. The least that you could do is to check on the facts before you write something. I haven’t been to journalism school but I think that’s the least that you could do before writing an opinion piece. However, this wannabe columnist wrote something that Saudization was the reason why domestic workers are barred from entering the Kingdom of the Sands.

That’s what you call ignorant and ill informed. That actually made her ridiculous, really. Saudization and the stop on deployment of domestic workers are two different stories. She should have at least called the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the POLO to check on the facts before she write something. Saudization is the Kingdom’s policy that compels companies in the private sector to hire Saudi Nationals. Quotas are given by the Labor Ministry depending on which sector the business is operating. Saudization does not include household workers.

The Saudi government banned deployment of the household workers from our country after they could not agree on the minimum wage for the domestic workers. The Philippine government asked for USD 400 while the Kingdom wants it to be only USD 200. The ban has nothing to do with the Nitaqat program.

It was just disappointing when wannabe opinion writers in our country write a crappy column without checking the facts. They owe it to their readers to at least do the research before writing their column. It’s also appalling when the editor publish those crap.

Sa highblood ko, I wasted 2 hours today just write a nasty email to the writer and her editor.

Panic Mode and Haka Haka on the Nitaqat (Saudization)

Receiving forwarded emails from different people is the first order of the day in the office. I resented it but can’t do anything about it. Finally I just ignored it. That’s the best thing that you could do to unsolicited emails. Lately, emails regarding the horror stories of vacationing OFWs whose passports were stamped exit only visas at the immigration circulated like wild fire. I read it but deleted the email right away. However, my inbox were full within hours of the same emails forwarded over and over.

The email spread like wild fires and some of my friends even called me that they’re postponing their vacation for fears that their passports will be stamped exit only at the immigration. I told them that the story was already denied by the Passport Office. The Minister of Passport Office said that the immigration officer could not issue an exit re-entry or exit only visa. Their duty is only to stamp entry on arrival and exit on departure. That’s it and the circulating emails are just rumors.

I thought that the horror story would just die a natural death. Unfortunately, print and even visual media from the Philippines published the same story and even quoted the leader of a militant group Migrante in the story. According to the Migrante leader, 4 engineers called him and they told him that their passports were stamped exit only visas at the immigration. Names and companies of those so called engineers were not given. It caused another series of forwarded emails from Pinoy friends. Fortunately, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh issued a press release denying the rumor. The good thing is that the Embassy has a direct access with the Ministry of Labor and the issue was clarified.

I think it was irresponsible for the Philippine media back home to just run the story of the militant group Migrante without checking with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh. If I am not mistaken, the horror story was a press release from the militant group just to gain media mileage again. It works because most of the print media and broadcast media covered it.

The punching Mayor

I understand why Sara Duterte punched Abe Andres, the Davao City Sheriff. It all boils down to politics. We all know that Mayors are the number one reason why we have squatters. Yes, they’re squatters and to hell with the euphemisms calling them informal settlers instead. They cuddle those squatters because they can count on their votes during the election season. They’re also the reason why LGUs could not address the issue of professional squatting.

I’m not an expert on laws but what I know is that squatting is illegal and against the law. In fact, it was only during the Ramos Administration that it was decriminalized. The good Sheriff, an officer in the court, is just performing his duties and the court order. It is not his personal wish to get rid of the squatters. He’s just following the court order. If the Sheriff will not implement the court order, he’ll be in trouble and could be charged administratively.

Sara Duterte’s attitude towards people in the judiciary is a microcosm of what is happening in the national scene. President Abnoy has been bullying and tarnishing the image of the higher magistrate whom he even called the Arroyo court. He’s against the SC primarily because they’re all appointed by President GMA. The composition is actually 14/1 and 14 of those are Arroyo appointees. It is not PGMAs fault that she gets to appoint the majority of the SC Members. It is not her fault that she ended up holding the presidency for 9 years. If President Abnoy will look closely, it’s his Mother’s (Tita Cory) constitution that’s at fault. The constitution fails to look into the possibility that a Vice President may rise to presidency and then wins a new term as president.

So going back to the fist fighting incident, Duterte may have won the admiration of the leftist, people who claims to be protector of Human Rights but she may end up regretting what she did. She could be disbarred and stripped of the rights to practice law. She could also face administrative cases and the list could go on. The worst thing that could possibly happen to her is losing the mayoralty seat.

As a local leader, a mayor should set an example. She should not only be the protector of her people but the law as well. That’s why we have laws in the first place, so that there will be order and not chaos in our society. As a lawyer, she should know better. It’s alright to protect your people but she should have weighed the consequences of her actions.

If President Abnoy is true to his daang matuwid ek-ek, he should punish Sara Duterte, a known ally of the Aquinos. However, considering how President Abnoy protects his KKK, punishing Duterte remains to be seen!

Kingdom of the Sands stops Filipino DH deployment

Good news! The Kingdom of the Sands stops issuing visas for Filipino Domestic Helpers. Effective 2 July 2011, the Kingdom will stop issuing visas for household helpers. The Kingdom imposed the deployment ban to protest the monthly wage increase from USD. 200 to USD. 400 being sought by the Philippine government for Filipino maids.

I think that this ban is a blessing in disguise. Our maids are the most susceptible to abuse and rape. They’re hardly treated as human beings by their employers too. I’ve been advocating for this ban and finally, it happened. The ban did not come from us but from the Saudi government directly. I hope that our government will also stop deployment of Domestic Helpers to other GCC States. I’ve also heard a lot of horror stories from these countries and I think that it’s about time to put a stop on this.

Our government should send out skills workers instead. Skilled workers whose employers are companies (not individuals) are in better situation than the domestic workers. The companies are also under the Labor Office so abuse skilled workers can anytime file a complaint. In the case of the Domestics, they’re under the jurisdiction of the Prince. The Prince is either the Governor or Mayor of the Province or City.

We may lose remittance of the domestics but I think it’s all worth it. The government has the duty to protect its citizens. The increase in number of runaway maids in the Kingdom is already alarming. I think it’s that the ban is in the right timing. If we’re smart enough, we can make this ban work for our advantage.