Welcome to BASE21

We are appalled at the lack of concern the Macapagal-Arroyo government is showing with the arrest of scores of Filipino workers in a recent crackdown of undocumented foreign workers in Korea. Adding insult to injury, the Philippine Embassy in Korea has even canceled the passports given to them by Korean immigration authorities forcing the arrested workers to pay for new travel documents.

We cannot keep silent on the unjust practices of the Philippine Embassy in order to extract profit from our fellow migrants and compatriots. Its very obvious that the Philippine embassy is squeezing as much money it can get from the migrants despite the difficulties and sacrifices to earn for our families and contribute to the Philippine economy through remittances. While the Korean government is providing leniency for the undocumented migrant or illegal stayers who wanted to return back to their home-country though its "No Fine Policy", the Philippine Embassy is busy exploiting the Filipino migrants. They cancelled out by cutting the passports especially those still
in validity. Migrant Filipinos are opted to pay additional amount for passport renewal, travel documents and other exorbitant fees to the embassy instead of providing the needed assistance. This practice is condemnable.

The Philippine embassy should be held responsible for this unjust cutting and cancelling of valid passports. These still valid passports should be renewed free and to those who already payed for its renewal should be refunded.

ON SEWON TRAINEE UNDER JOINT VENTURE

With regards to the Sewon Filipino trainees, they came to the embassy seeking assistance due to the unfair condition they experience working in the company such as the noncompliance to the Korea labor law, the contract and the low salary. Instead of asserting for migrants rights as workers, the Philippine Labor Office in the Embassy issued and asked the Filipino trainees to sign a waiver exonerating the Philippine Embassy of its responsibility. Such an act washes the Philippine embassy's role to protect its citizen. Such an act the Philippine embassy consciously removes its moral ascendency to be called emissary for the Filipino citizen and migrant workers in Korea.

We demand that the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine government to take its role of asserting the Sewon Workers rights, claim the unpaid salary, passports and ban the Sewon Company as Joint Venture company to the Philippines from recruiting new trainees which will again be subjected to the injustices of the company. If the Joint venture under trainee system are being used to exploit by some companies, these companies should be banned. As an alternative, migrants who wish to work in Korea should be given a work permit, be treated as regular workers, and our rights be recognized.

PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY

Given the act that Filipino migrants also contributed to the Philippine economy, it is therefore the Philippine government's responsibility to assert and have dialogue and appeal to the Korean Government to ensure the trainees are given labour and human rights. The Philippine Government through the Philippine Embassy should also appeal to the Korean Government to end the series of arrest of undocumented migrants and instead implement a genuine amnesty program that can be availed by migrants with undocumented status and can legalize their stay in Korea.

Aside from the above stated issues there are dozen of many issues that need to be addressed such as the cases of the babies of Filipino migrants that were not allowed to be sent to the Philippines and the many cases of hospitalization and death and unpaid salary, human rights violation and many other injustices and other labor related problems faced of our compatriots among others also demand attention. What does the Philippine embassy can do about it?

A dialogue directly with our migrant compatriots and organizations is necessary so as to hear from the migrants ourselves the concrete and immediate needs.

KASAMMAKO already sent formal letter seeking a dialogue with the different migrants communities and but they always turn down our invitation. We even a held a "Silent-Walk-in Protest" at the Philippine Embassy last Friday (August 3, 2001) but the they "responsible" officials were not in the embassy to answer or inquiries and demands.

"We have the rights to know and to demand an explanation from the embassy and such a dialogue are just and legitimate for us Filipinos in South Korea. We cannot understand why such a simple gatherings to air complaints by Filipino migrants is so hard to be heard by the Philippine government emissary for Filipinos in South Korea."

We cannot understand why we are being striped-off our rights, neglected by our own government and identified as Philippine citizens and subjected to exorbitant collection of unnecessary fees turning us to merely milking cows and at the same time beast of burden.

For as long as the Philippine Government does not take its responsibility of providing protection and enough welfare services, and addressing the plight of the Filipino Migrants, KASAMMAKO will continue upholding and defending the rights of millions of migrants there who were driven out of their countries in search of livelihood.

WE WILL ALWAYS STOOD OUR GROUND!

So long as the Philippine Embassy officials will not hear the migrants demands KASAMMAKO along with different Filipino migrant communities and NGO's will continuously conduct series of mass actions at the Philippine embassy until a dialogue is held and all the Filipino migrant's demands are met. We, together with our partner NGO's in the Philippines in Korea. We will always stood our ground until the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will act immediately on the cases of Filipinos in Korea and provide them with all the necessary legal and welfare assistance to its nationals.

Protection from the Philippine government, Genuine Services and not Exorbitant and unnecessary collection of Fees!

The Philippne Embassy and the Philippine Government should assert our rights as workers to the Korean Government!

Assert and struggle for Migrants' Rights and Welfare !

KASAMMAKO
Katipunan ng mga Samahan ng Migranteng Manggagawa sa Korea (Unity of Filipino Migrant Workers' Association in Korea) c/o Jmark, KSCF, Room 511, Korea Christian Building, 136-46 Yunchi-Dong, Chongno-ku, Seoul, Korea 110-470

Email: kasammako@hotmail.com kasammakorea@yahoo.com
Hotline: 019-8137328, 017-2092340, 019-8221865, 016-2550138, 011-90423402, 017-76682690, 011-96906478, 018-864-80