PRESS STATEMENT

August 3, 2000

Reference:

Leo Legaspi
MIGRANTE International
Chairperson

10-year commemoration of the Gulf War:

Gulf War victims present 10 reasons to oust top DFA officials and US-ERAP regime

Time and again, the Philippine government remains deaf and blind to the just and democratic demands of migrants:  they remain deaf to the call that the financial claims of all Gulf War victims be immediately distributed!

However, after 10 long years, the majority of victims have not completely received their claims. Worse, the Gulf War claimants fund is being wasted by the Estrada government and more particularly by Undersecretary Benjamin Domingo who has deposited the fund’s interests, amounting to US$863,000 into his personal bank account.

The Estrada administration is corrupt to the core. The victims of the Gulf War have suffered twice. First, by being displaced from their jobs during the Gulf War. And second, by continuing to be deprived of their financial claims by the US-Estrada regime.  The effect of this double whammy is

poverty and hardship burdens which could have been temporarily alleviated if the victims received their claims since the funds may be used to weather the storm of poverty wrought by the Estrada administration’s anti-poor policies.

Instead, after a decade of waiting for their compensation, the only thing the US-Erap regime offers to the Gulf War victims, and other migrant workers, are reasons for why its top DFA officials and Erap should be ousted:

TEN REASONS TO OUST USEC. DOMINGO, SECRETARY SIAZON AND ERAP:

1. Deception DFA officials claimed they could not give the Gulf War victims their compensation because the money had not yet arrived from the UN, when in actuality, it has been here all along.
2. Corruption With approximately 46,000 claimants entitled to a minimum US$4,000 each, it would be unreal to imagine corruption does not exist. Especially considering that Erap is at the helm of the ship.
3. Commodification Like a cheap pair of flimsy tsinelas, migrant workers are eagerly sold in the thousands by the US-Erap regime in the open palengke (market) in exchange for their dollar remittances.  In 1999, migrant workers remitted $12 billion US into the economy.
4. Fraudulence Some DFA officers posing as Good Samaritans will speed up a victim’s claim for a "hefty fee".  Also, others will stamp the notices of Gulf War victims with "Full Payment" when in reality, the victims are only given a "Partial Payment" of US$2,500.  Things which by virtue of their happening, are condoned by top DFA officials and Erap.
5. Exploitation Migrant workers, like the Gulf War victims, continue to be forced abroad to work for low wages in what are deemed dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs.
6. Oppression Often times, migrant workers face inhumane working conditions and are subject to cruel treatment from employers and perhaps nationals of their host countries.
7. Ruthless force Recently during the State of the Nation Address, the US-Erap regime used violent brutality and ruthless force to muzzle the Filipino people’s constitutional right to freedom of speech and assembly.

Similarly, the DFA sends out armed personell to harrass and intimidate Gulf War claimants who dare to assert their rights in front of the DFA.

8. Negligence and disregard For example, instead of genuinely forwarding the interests of its migrant workers, the DFA ignores the legitimate claims of some Gulf War victims who for various reasons, are branded as having "No Record".  This group of victims refer to those who for various reasons were not able to file their claim before the UN deadline or whose records have been lost.
9. Used as milking cows A source of funds.  Basically, this is the role of migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos in the scheme of things for the US-Erap regime.  Thus, there is a very long and burdensome list of fees (i.e. state exactions) that the Philippine government squeezes from them.
10. Sobra na silang pahirap! Kaya patalsikin na sila!  Given the blatant and continued existance of the above hardships, it is clear that top DFA officials and the US-Erap regime is incapable of forwarding the genuine interests of migrant Filipinos and our other overseas compatriots. And since they are not addressing the people’s needs they must be OUSTED!

Migrants and families cannot expect the Estrada administration to alleviate their plight, as a sector and as Filipinos. Two years after the Estrada administration came to power with its supposedly pro-poor stance, Migrante-International is convinced that the Estrada government is out and out anti-poor and anti-migrant.

We demand the full payment of our Gulf War claims!  We demand the ouster of Domingo, Siazon, and Erap Estrada!

MIGRANTE International

56-C Masikap Street

Bgy. Pinyahan, Teachers' Village

Quezon City, PHILIPPINES

Phone: 435-9152

Tele/Fax: 435-6929

E-mail: migranteintl@pacific.net.ph