The Origin of Barong Tagalog

BARONG TAGALOG



June 12 – the Philippine Independence Day is once more commemorated.


Philippine Embassies around the globe mark this day. OFWS once more dig into their luggage and search for their ‘barongs.’
The barong with all the intricate embroideries is a sight to behold.

The present-day Barong Tagalog

The barong Tagalog (or simply barong) is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked (similar to a coat/dress shirt), over an undershirt. In Filipino culture it is a common wedding and formal attire, mostly for men but also for women. The term "barong Tagalog" literally means "a Tagalog dress" in the Tagalog language, however, the "Tagalog" in the garment's name refers to the Tagalog region, not the region's language of the same name.


The barong was popularized as formal wear by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, who wore it to most official and personal affairs, including his inauguration as president.


Filipinos don their finest formal barongs in a variety of fabrics.


Piña fabric - is hand-loomed from pineapple leaf fibers. And because Piña weavers in the Philippines are dwindling, its scarcity makes the delicate Piña cloth expensive and is thus used for very formal events.


Jusi fabric - is mechanically woven and was once made from abacca or banana silk.


Banana fabric - is another sheer fabric used in formal occasions. Made and hand woven from banana fiber, it usually comes with geometric design details. This fabric hails from the Visayas island of Negros


The term "Barong Tagalog" is used almost exclusively to refer to the formal version of the barong; however, less formal variations of this national costume also exist.


• Polo barong refers to a short-sleeved version of the barong, often made with linen, ramie or cotton. This is the least formal version of the barong, often used as office wear (akin to the suit and tie).


• "Gusot-Mayaman" ("gusot" means "wrinkled" and "mayaman" means "wealthy") and Linen barongs are barongs that are not constructed with piña, jusi, or similarly delicate fabrics are generally considered less formal than the barong Tagalog. Both "gusot-mayaman" and linen barongs are used for everyday office wear.


• Shirt-jack barong are cut in shirt-jack style usually in poly-cotton, linen-cotton and gusot-mayaman fabrics. Popularized by politicians and government officials and worn during campaigns or out-in-the-field assignments. This barong style gives the wearer a more casual look yet lends a more dressed-up appearance from the usual street worn casual wear.

ORIGIN OF BARONG TAGALOG
As a Filipino, it would be nice to know the evolution of our national dress – from being a ‘peasant’s dress’ to its present position as the National Dress.

A long time before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, the Tagalog people on Luzon island already wore a dress that can be seen as the origin of the Barong Tagalog. The dress reached slightly below the waist, was colourless and had an opening in front.




The Barong - as a peasant's attire

During the Spanish occupation of the Philippines (over 300 years from 1561-1889) the barong tagalog was required by the Spanish government for Filipinos who they called Indios to be worn at most times to show the difference between the rich and the poor. The poor who serve the rich must always be in uniform.



Take their chauffeurs, maids, and employees as examples. They are in uniform to immediately distinguish them from the employers. When the Spaniards colonized the Filipinos, they had to make it abundantly clear who the boss was through the imposition of a dress code.
Men were not allowed to tuck in their shirt tails. That was the mark of his inferior status. Supposedly, the indio was prohibited from tucking in his shirt, to designate his low rank and to tell him apart from the 'mestizaje and insulares'.
Second, the rulers required that the baro of the indio be made of flimsy material so that he could not conceal weapons on his person that could be used against the masters.
Third, as a precaution on thievery, pockets are not allowed on the shirt.

By the turn of the century a new middle class began to emerge among the Filipinos. These were known as the ‘principalia. ‘ They have mastered Spanish laws and were able to obtain title to lands. They became successful in business and agriculture and sent their sons to be educated abroad. They were privileged to build their houses in the ‘poblacion’ around the plaza near the seats of power.
Only a member of the ‘principalia’ could be addressed by the title ‘DON’, and only they, were allowed to vote. They had all the trappings of power and status, but for one undeniable fact: they still had to wear their shirt-tails out, if only to remind them that they were still ‘Indios.’


What the Spanish authorities did not smother out was the Filipino's will power and determination to psychologically conquer their colonial masters, through improvisation and reinterpretation.


The Filipino's stylistic ‘bongga’ (flashy dresser) was a reaction against the overt discrimination and insensitive oppression of the Spaniards.
For example, Filipinos were forbidden to use imported silk and fabrics for their Barong, so they ingeniously used pineapple leaves to weave the "piña jusi" cloth of the barong, turning the outfit into such a delicate material, of luminous silky rich mixture much finer than silk. And to add insult to injury, they hand- embroidered the front with such exquisite abandon: Calado and hand-work all over.
Palgrave, the ethnographer noted, "The capitan's shirt was the native barong, of fine and delicate fiber, embroidered and frilled; it was light and cool and not tucked in the trousers". (Corpuz, 74)
The Barong Tagalog gained its power, prestige, and status when President Quezon, the first Filipino president, declared it the National dress. The status of the lowly inferior Barong thus became another symbol of Filipinos' resistance to colonization.


After World War II, Philippine presidents began wearing the Barong Tagalog at their installation into office and on every formal state occasion. The barong was popularized as formal wear by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, who wore it to most official and personal affairs, including his inauguration as president.


In contemporary times the Barong Tagalog is the power dress. As an "abogado de campanilla", you cannot afford not to wear the Barong Tagalog when arguing a case in the Philippine courts.

Today, every visitor and foreign dignitary invited to a Malacañang Palace state function must, by necessity, and dictated by protocol, be dressed to the nines in a Barong Tagalog. The invitations specifically say come in "Barong" instead of the traditional "Coat and Tie".

Thus, every one invited to dinner at the Presidential Palace and in many Filipino homes will unknowingly and unwittingly have to experience directly, what it feels like to have to wear his shirt tails out, to suffer the indignity of having the material of his barong transparent so that he can not conceal any weapon; and horrors, to be accused directly of incipient thievery by having no pockets in his barong to put in the silver.

So, when El Señor Embajador Español is invited to a state dinner, you can savor the thought, "Ah, what sweet revenge!"

Postcript: Although historians disagree to this 'legend' the above version  persists.
Sociologists have argued against this theory, however, pointing out that untucked wear was very common in pre-colonial south-east- and south-Asian countries, and that the use of thin, translucent fabric developed naturally given the heat and humidity of the Philippines. Historians, likewise, have noted the absence of a citation to the specific law where the Spaniards supposedly prohibited the natives from tucking in their shirts. They also note that natives during the Spanish era wore their shirts tucked at times.
Some parts courtesy of WIKIPEDIA.

RP dependence on OFW earnings leads to jobless growth -- recruiter

The government's reliance on the OFWs remittances should be seriously addressed - but HOW?
Maybe, this coming election, voters will become more mature and intelligent.
It is a prayer everybody should have.
...'The recruiter said that one of the “most obvious” symptoms of the Dutch disease has been the continued strengthening of the local peso even when the economy has been “barely” growing...'
RP dependence on OFW earnings leads to jobless growth -- recruiter
By Jerome AningPhilippine Daily Inquirer 22:27:00 03/14/2010
MANILA, Philippines --Awash with dollars from US$18 billion (more than P821 billion) a year in remittances from overseas Filipino workers a year, the Philippine economy could be now afflicted with the “Dutch disease,” an economic malady that sees the decline of local industries, fuels an overvalued peso, makes exports costly and imports cheap, and results in jobless growth, according to recruiters.
Lito Soriano, executive director of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, issued the warning in a recent forum on the strong peso and what must be done on the peso-dollar exchange rate concerns of overseas Filipino workers.
“Ironically for the OFWs who are the ones sending the dollar windfall to their families each month, they and their families are the first victims of the economic malady that was first experienced by the Netherlands,” Soriano said in a statement.
Soriano was referring to the term coined by The Economist in 1977 to describe the decline of the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands following the discovery of a large natural gas field in 1959. This culminated in the world's biggest public-private oil industry partnership in 1963.
The Dutch disease is a concept that purportedly explains the apparent relationship between the increase in exploitation of natural resources and a decline in the manufacturing sector. The theory is that an increase in revenues from natural resources will “de-industrialize” a nation’s economy by raising the exchange rate, which makes the manufacturing sector less competitive and public services entangled with business interests.
The concept has since been applied to other types of economic models. In the case of the Philippines, the increase in revenues comes from the OFWs’ remittances.
Soriano, chair of the LBS Recruitment Solutions, said the bloated dollar supply, not earned with private and government investments, would ten to lure decision makers to squander public funds and go into foreign borrowing sprees, confident the country has enough reserves to pay for the foreign loans.
The recruiter said that one of the “most obvious” symptoms of the Dutch disease has been the continued strengthening of the local peso even when the economy has been “barely” growing.
“When an OFW sends $1, 000 to his family today, it’s equivalent to only P45, 000 at P45 to the dollar exchange rate or P5, 000 less than what they got when the dollar was worth P50 in 1997,” he said.
As a “rule of thumb,” the recruiter added, an OFW would not get a raise while on contract for two to three years
The strong peso fueled by OFW money have further punished both the local industries selling to the domestic market and abroad because their costs were much higher than those from countries not suffering from the Dutch disease, Soriano added.
“The decimation of both the domestic industries and export industries has depleted the manpower pool for highly skilled and professional workers that are in the high-end of the deployment industry,” he explained.Soriano added that the OFW deployment industry has suffered from a “shallow pool” of highly trained people that resulted in fewer takers and the increasing deployment of factory workers, maids and entertainers.Citing data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Soriano said that of the 7.8 million sent to different parts of the world from the year 2001 to 2008, average yearly deployment was 893, 475 people, but close to half of them (47 percent) were rehired land-based workers plus 24 percent returning seafarers.
Newly hired averaged only 29 percent or less than a third, he said.
In 2007, Soriano said POEA figures revealed that among the first-time OFWs, 121, 715 were factory workers, 107,135 were classified as service workers mostly domestics while only 43,225 were professional and technical workers. Another 20, 000 were sent out as sales workers and clerks.
“In 2007, 74 percent of deployed workers were domestics, service and factory workers. Of all the deployed, only 14 percent were new hires,” he pointed out.
Among nurses, Soriano said, only an average of 10, 000 have been getting nursing jobs abroad each year, a “far cry” from the alleged tens of thousands some public officials claim. Most nurses end up without jobs here.He said the “most alarming trend” has been the increasing rate of female workers getting jobs overseas. In the past seven years, he said, 64 percent were female against 36 male and most of them were sent as domestic helpers, entertainers and factory hands.
Soriano said the cure for the Dutch disease would be multi-faceted.
“Taipans should invest in permanent jobs like manufacturing and light industries. There should be a more competitive exchange rate as the peso is overvalued by 20 percent resulting in a lower exchange rate for OFWs,” he said.
Soriano said that government should also admit the existence of the economic phenomenon, adding, “The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is projecting more remittances from OFWs, but how about earnings from other sectors such as the export industry?”

And the future of the Manufacturing Industry in the Philippines is best summed up (and echoed by most thinkers) by a comment below (culled from The Inquirer)
benleano Today at 8:33 am
Manufacturing industry in the Philippines is dead and it is only the service sector which keeps the Philippines alive. Our biggest export are Filipinos and that's where we are good in manufacturing babies for eventual exportation.

Arroyo asked to veto bill amending law on OFWs

Arroyo asked to veto bill amending law on OFWs
03/11/2010 07:39 AM
A number of overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) groups urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last week to veto amendments to the migrant workers’ law, which they said are anti-OFW particularly the provision on mandatory insurance. In a letter dated March 4, the groups said while the intent of some of the amendments are laudable, the bill amending the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 or Republic Act 8042 should be vetoed as a whole for several reasons.The groups include members of the Consultative Council on OFWs (CCOFW), or representatives of migrant workers organizations, labor groups, trade unions, seafarers’ organizations, policy and research institutes and individual advocates.The bill’s provision on compulsory insurance, the groups said, applies only to OFWs deployed through recruitment agencies and excludes the majority of Filipino workers whose services were not contracted through agencies.The group said data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) covering 1990- 2008 show that only an average of 26.6 percent of the total number of OFWs are deployed through recruitment agencies, while the bulk of workers renew their contracts on their own or are hired through government placement or are direct hires. Mandatory insurance should also not be legislated, they argued, saying recruitment or manning agencies must voluntarily insure their workers.“In the case of the seafarers, prior to sailing, they are already enrolled by their employers in a comprehensive insurance policy, together with the vessels they work in. In the final version of the amendatory law, the proposed insurance is extended to seafarers. However, the benefits are far inferior to those enjoyed by seafarers under the current insurance scheme," the groups stated in the letter.The group also questioned the ability of pertinent government agencies to implement the amendments to the law, as they scored the POEA for allegedly failing to curb illegal recruitment as it is tasked to do so under the law. Instead, the groups urge the government to work on forging rights-based labor agreements with receiving countries, which they said will do more in protecting the rights of OFWs. The groups also expressed opposition to the retention of RA 8042’s section 10, which limits money claims of OFWs terminated without due cause to just the equivalent of three months’ salary for every year of the unexpired contract. “[O]n the strength of our conviction that the amendatory law on RA8042, particularly the provision on the compulsory insurance provision and the non-repeal of the particular provision on Section 10 on money claims, will harm, not benefit, our migrant workers, we believe that you (Arroyo) should veto this bill," the groups maintained.The letter has over 40 signatories, including Center for Migrant Advocacy, Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party, Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, Alliance of Progressive Labor, and Focus on the Global South.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV

DOLE to set up Internet-based monitoring of OFWs, employers

DOLE to set up Internet-based monitoring of OFWs, employers
02/13/2010 04:30 AM

Amid reports of rising cases of maltreatment of Filipino household service workers (HSW), the government’s top labor agency revealed plans of implementing an Internet-based monitoring system of assisting overseas Filipino workers in distress. In a statement posted on the Department of Labor and Employment website, Secretary Marianito Roque said efforts have been set in place to improve the delivery of services to beleaguered OFWs onsite. A Foreign Labor Operations Information System (FLOIS) is set to be implemented to improve the management and operations of 38 Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) in various posts overseas, particularly in extending assistance to needy OFWs on-site, he said.Roque said the system will be integrated with the DOLE’s Information Systems Plan.He explained that FLOIS will provide Internet-based information on profiles of OFWs and their foreign employers, and a listing of local and foreign recruitment agencies. Roque bared this as he cited a report alleging that some Filipino household service workers (HSWs) have been maltreated by their employers in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.There was no mention of the real names of the HSWs, or of the report being cited. He said, however, that he has instructed Riyadh-based Labor Attache Rustico dela Fuente to determine which particular cases the report was referring to.Roque also called on OFWs and their families to contact the nearest POLO, or the DOLE and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in the Philippines, for assistance in all cases of abuse and exploitation they may encounter in the hands of their employers.

BENJAMIN P NADADO
LUXURY PROPERTIES DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD.
No. 3 Tom Close (Off Nile Street)
Maitama, Abuja FCT, Nigeria

MANDATORY INSURANCE FOR OFWS

MANDATORY INSURANCE FOR OFWs

To ALL OFWs
Please read and digest what BICAM has finally adopted.
_______________________________________
From: ellene sana ellenesana@yahoo.com
To: pinoy-abroad forum ; cma philippines cmaphils@pldtdsl.net

Sent: Mon, November 23, 2009 9:18:23 AM
Subject: bicam adopted final amendments to ra8042 including mandatory insurance ...

hi all.
sorry if this comes a bit late. as expected the bicam on ra8042 met in the evening of november 18 and approved the proposed amendments to ra8042. included was the approval of the proposal for mandatory insurance for land-based ofws who are hired by recruiters. some 150 of us, mostly from the APL (alliance of progressive labor), APL women, marino, port workers and other affiliate groups, trooped to the bicam venue to register our presence to the bicam members. we had a streamer to convey our main concern --no to ofw compulsory insurance scam!
earlier that day, we also provided the bicam members with copies of statement, which was an updated version of the last one we submitted during their previous bicam in october.
before the bicam started, several of us went inside to say hello to the legislators. we were met by cong. way kurat, chair of the house committee on overseas workers affairs. We told him we are there to lend support to the efforts of bicam to approve the much needed amendments to ra8042 which we have been working on together with them, but we take exception to the proposal on the mandatory insurance.
cong way kurat said our concern was noted then he asked us to join them for dinner. We declined the offer, went out and joined our colleagues outside and decided to revisit the issue.
we formed a circle and started our discussions. Thanks to the management of the restaurant the legend who offered us their monoblock chairs for us.
a little later, a staff of sen jinggoy came and told me to go to the meeting room because the senator has some questions. The senator asked me why we were there in good number (during the last bicam, i was solo) he reminded me that they were not immune to our concerns, that in fact they were doing this for the ofws hence they even allowed me to make an intervention during the october bicam (which was not usual). i told him it was appreciated. I went on to say that we were there to actually lend support to the bicam in approving the needed amendments to ra8042 except the proposal on the insurance.
[pls click on this link for the updated version of our statement:
http://www.pinoy-abroad.net/lungga/index.shtml]
...and we went through the same arguments that we had during the last bicam -- they see the proposal as positive, they see it as something to benefit the ofws, that it is protection to ofws...and that they provided more than enough safety nets/ mechanism in the law to make sure it is not passed on to the workers and that it does not become simply an additional layer or party obstacle to the ofw...that it really becomes beneficial to the ofws...they asked to give it a chance....and we see it as otherwise.... that it is the recruiters who stand to benefit so why legislate it, that the state should not relinquish its duty to protect, that at best it can only be voluntary because there are already provisions for the same except that it is not working out efficiently hence must be addressed such as the owwa and the insurance is no solution to it, that while we can understand that technically since the proposal is contained in both versions of the house and the senate then it would be acted upon to which i argued that we believe these things are not written on stones and that we are still hoping and praying for the wisdom of the bicam members ...etc,. etc etc...unfortunately, I think they were mindset to approve all the proposals including the insurance and no amount of argumentation can make them change their minds. finally, cong edcel reiterated his statement during the last bicam -- he said .... the ofws are against it, the government agencies are against it and now, even the recruiters are withdrawing their support to it
[on that day, pasei, the biggest network of recruitment agencies, issued a press statement to this effect with a commitment to continue the practice of securing insurance for ofws on voluntary basis; click on link fro their statement: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20091117-236810/Recruiters_take_back_insurance_proposal_for_OFWs
post-bicam, I spoke with an advocacy colleague from the industry who expressed strong reservation in the final version approved saying it was far different from what they proposed originally and he laments that the version passed will invite more animosities between migrants and the industry. That got me worried some more....] ---
ok, back to cong edcel -- so he asked himself and colleagues again--what do we do in this situation? to which i quickly answered, you can delete the proposal.... and we went through the same arguments....until finally, cong edcel asked again, to break the impasse he said, since our conversation was going nowhere and no one was yielding --he asked --are we amenable to having it for a trial period of 3 years subject to mandatory review, even earlier than 3 years if there is motu propio of violation i.e. that it is passed on to the worker --upon sms consultations with colleagues outside and those who were not there as well -- i told the bicam members that we are not amenable to the proposal for the reasons we have cited. we want it scrapped. so that was how we ended. i left the room. They started the meeting. i reported to the group waiting outside. after sometime, the bulk of the group decided to go home. ka roger from marino and learn stayed with me until the bicam was finished at almost 12 midnight. one by one the bicam members came out of the venue -- first was cong edcel --he confirmed that the meeting was over. He went on to assure us again that they would be strictly monitoring the implementation of the insruance provision under the joint congressional committee. Next to come out was cong rex gatchalian who said the same. Then sen jinggoy who said the same stressing the safety mechanisms they put in place to allay our fears that the premium will ultimately be passed on to the workers ... ka roger and I decided to go home. it was a long day for all of us. we were exhausted.what is next? the bicam version will be finalised and send back to the respective chambers for final approval --first in the house, then transmitted to the senate and finally to malacanang for signing into law. gma can sign it, or veto it. if she does not act on it, it still automatically becomes a law in how many days (?) --30 or 60 days?? will she veto? may be, may be not...
we will request for the copy of the final version so we know exactly how things are. we will also request congress that we take part in the crafting of the IRR to which sen jinggoy said it may be possible. we must remind them all that it better work for the benefit of the ofws ...or else.... kawawa na naman ang ofws.... as for the ofws –please be more vigilant. Be confident in standing up for your rights.when the law says you are not supposed to pay, then don't pay!
Finally, the other sections amended, for the better I believe, are the following:
section 2 on statement of principles
section 3 on definition of terms
section 4 on deployment criteria
section 5 on termination of ban on deployment
section 6 on illegal recruitment –isinama na yung repro scam and other unlawful acts including loan scams and decking system for medical tests, monopoly on tests and other skills trainings, passing on fees to workers including that for the insurance...
it included also stiffer sanctions against recruiters and juridical bodies including other agencies like dole and poea
section 7 on penalties –imposing stiffer and higher penalties
section 10 on monay claims – amendment was silent on the refund for the unexpired portion claims-- upon clarification, I was told that the supreme court decision on money claims applies; the part proposed for amendment also says ..... I should mention this because I am not sure if this good or not --
Sec. 10. Money Claims. –Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, AT THE OPTION OF THE WORKER, the Labor Arbiters of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) AND THE OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT ADJUDICATORS OF THE POEA shall have the original and CONCURRENT jurisdiction to hear and decide, within THIRTY (30) calendar days after the SUBMISSION OF THE CASE FOR DECISION, the claims arising out of an employer-employee relationship or by virtue of any law or contract involving Filipino workers for overseas deployment including claims for actual, moral, exemplary and other forms of damages; PROVIDED THAT THE BASIS OF AWARD OF DAMAGES SHALL BE PROVEN BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE AND THE AMOUNTS THEREFORE SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE.
THE FIRST OFFICE WHICH TAKES COGNIZANCE OF A CASE FOR MONEY CLAIMS SHALL EXCLUDE THE OTHER OFFICE FROM EXRCISING JURISDICTION OVER THE CASE. A CERTIFICATION OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING SHALL BE ATTACHED TO THE COMPLAINT
IN ALL CASES FILED UNDER THIS SECTION, APPEAL SHALL BE WITH THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION AND SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE RULES THEREOF. .
Section 13 – on free legal assistance
section 16 –on mandatory repatriation of underage migrants imposing stiff penalties for recruiters concerned
section 19 --
section 20 on sgism to realize this provision
Section 23 –on agencies of government –POEA, OWWA; adding on DOH and regulation re medical testings, LGUs
section 24 -
section 25 – on legal assistance fund- regular appropriations in the GAA subject to finance and performance audit; on uses of LAF
section 32 –on governance structures of owwa, poea and seats for ofws –in terms of process and selection
section 33 on report to congress
section 35 on exemption on fees
new section on mandatory insurance –mahaba ito
new section on creation of a joint congressional oversight committee
new section – IRR crafting 60 days after effectivity
new section –funding of P25M for budget of oversight committee
all for now. salamat sa mga sumama sa kampanyang ito.. magpahinga muna tayo.
ellene

ellene a. sana
Center for Migrant Advocacy Philippines72-C Matahimik Street, Teachers’ Village Quezon City, Philippines
Email: cmaphils@pldtdsl.net;
URL: www.pinoy-abroad.net
Telefax: +632 4330684;
Telephone: +632 920 5003;
Cellphone: +63 928 795 2222

Solicitor General: insurance for ofws, ok as voluntary, not mandatory

Solicitor General: Insurance for OFWs, OK as Voluntary, Not Mandatory



From: ellene sana ellenesana@yahoo.com



Sent: Mon, October 19, 2009 5:50:40 PM



Subject: solicitor general: insurance for ofws, ok as voluntary, not mandatory


hi all.

during the bicam session, we gathered that the proposal for mandatory insurance went back as early as 2002. in 2004, the recruiters requested the poea governing board through the poea administrator to issue a resolution to effect mandatory insurance coverage for the ofws. poea said they cannot do it. to reaffirm its position, poea sought the legal opinion of the office of the solicitor general.

in May 2004, the Office of the Solicitor General said that the proposal for compulsory insurance for OFWs need not be mandatory and may be done only on voluntary basis. It went on to say that a careful study of the proposal would show that it may not exactly be advantageous to the OFWs.

read the full text of the osg communication to poea on the issue.

please click on http://www.pinoy-abroad.net/lungga/index.shtml



ellene a. sanaCenter for Migrant Advocacy Philippines72-C Matahimik Street, Teachers’ Village Quezon City, Philippines

Email: cmaphils@pldtdsl.net;

URL: http://www.pinoy-abroad.net/

Telefax: +632 4330684; Telephone: +632 920 5003; Cellphone: +63 928 795 2222

Request For POEA Memorandum

Sa lahat ng mga OFWs:

Nais lamang pong iparating sa lahat na ang pagtulong ng CMA sa atin ay patuloy pa rin. Kalakip po nito ang sulat na ipinadala ng CMA sa Kgg. na POEA Administrator Manalili.

Center For Migrant Advocacy

August 10,2009

Hon. Jennifer Jardin-Manalili
Administrator
POEA

Dear Admin. Manalili:

This is in reference to returning OFWs to Nigeria vis a vis the deployment ban to Nigeria. Per your verbal updates to us on July 28 during CMA-FES' RTD on Bilaterals on Migration, POEA will issue OECs to all returning OFWs from Nigeria who have existing valid work contracts and/or holders of Nigerian residence permits.

We have relayed the good news to our OFWs in Nigeria and those who were here on vacation confirmed the arrangements at POEA when they processed their documents as Balik Manggagawa.

It is in this connection that we write to you again. We would like to request a copy of the POEA memorandum in regard to the issuance of OECs to returning OFWs to Nigeria. This is for record purposes and to make the issue clear to everyone concerned.

A written memorandum will also give confidence to the OFWs. We trust that we can secure a copy of the requested document the soonest time possible.

We thank you on behalf of the OFWs in Nigeria.

Sincerely yours,

ELLENE A. SANA
Executive Director

72-C Matahimik Street,
Teachers Village,
Quezon City,
Philippines
1101

Telefax: 433-0684
920-5003
E m a il : cma@tri-isys.com

Website:pinoy-abroad.net

cc:B enjaminNadado, President, Pusong PinoyAssociation of Filipinos inNigeria
email : bpnadado@gmailcom

OFW

Ellene Sana CMA Director sent you a message.

Re: travel permit"punta lang sa poea for the oec. ok na ang me mga work permits & residence cards issued by nigerian government. kausap ko si poea admin manalili last tuesday about it. hindi na 10 yrs and above ang requirements. basta me work permits/ residence cards. the ofws may want to thank poea admin manalili for her understanding and flexibility on this issue.