The Philippine government has been urged to build a statue to honor the 2.5 million overseas Filipino workers, particularly domestic workers, as they remitted about US$3 billion back to the country last year while some of them were facing abuse or exploitation.
In a commentary titled “A huge statue for our women” published in the Manila Bulletin on Sunday, columnist Floro Mercene wrote that poverty in the Philippines was what drove Filipino women to work abroad in order to provide a better life for their families. He also said their sacrifices were what kept the economy growing.
However, many domestic workers are faced with abuse in their host countries, especially in the Middle East. Some maids are physically and sexually abused, but most of their cases are ignored. As well, Mercene noted, some domestic workers were victims of human-trafficking cases.
From 2008 to 2017, about 150,000 domestic workers were trafficked to Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates by illegal recruitment syndicates, he wrote.
The sacrifices of Filipino women have helped in the growth of the Philippine economy. Mercene called on the government to repay their priceless labor by building a statue in a highly visible public square.
“No amount of gratuitous award by the government is enough to make up for their sacrifices,” he said.
We don’t need that statue, for display ?let’s be realistic it’s not what OFW’s need!
About Singapore!? Many slaves out there because theirs bosses not following the agreement on contract!!! Many many they are abuse and quite because they needs the money lot’s of hidden under does roofs in Singapore. Please don’t be afraid fight for your rights, deportation the bosses, whose not following the agreement, also the corruption on the agency’s it is crazyyyy how they charge to this poor honest people God bless you Filipina. What about working for 23 years for same boss then send her back home with not retirement helloooo this is ridiculously SINGAPORE what going on out there and more.
You said Europe!? Be carefully when you talking about Europe for domestic workers !! Europe has the highest protection on domestic violence and workers end everyone if is so please don’t be afraid to deportation Who’s doing it?
What the statue is used for…once we see it every time, it will remind us ,how long we separated from our family, how hard our life and situation …and how hurt those words from our employer…
Its not helpfull i think….
Thank you
Oh please we OFW don’t need a Statue…build us hospitals so that when we are ill we have hospitals for OFW…that would be great than a Statue.
No need for statue we need mandatory pension to all OFW who reaches 10 years who work abroad or the government should return our OWWA contributions
What we need is a retirement benefits that we have contributed in OWWA for our long years that we are working abroad. Build us hospitals or elderly homes. Marami sa amin pag uwi ng Pilipinas marami nang nararamdaman dahil sa sobrang trabaho abroad. Or pag uwi na matanda na at walang pera walang kumukupkop na ka pamilya.