An Open Letter to Cong. Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David

Dear Congresswoman Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David,

This is a personal letter to the representative of Manila 4^th District, Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David. I will pose 10 questions for you to answer. I believe that the solution to the OFW Emergency Repatriation Fund is not the lack of funds, it is how do we make use of the money from OWWA funds.

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Ako po ay sumusulat sa aking blog, sapagkat itong aking munting tahanan ay nagsilbi na ring munting tinig bilang isang mamamayan at isang OFW. Minsan na rin po itong blog na lumaban sa mga taong nagkutya ng mga Caregivers, at nakipagsagutan ng blog sa taong nagsabing ang mga ‘OFW ay humahalik sa mga puwet ng dayuhan para kumita ng dolyar.’

Noong sinabi ni PNoy na babawasan niya ang funds ng mga Social Services para sa mga OFW, isa ako sa mga tumutol sapagkat nakikita natin na magiging mahirap ang mga bagay para sa ating mga OFW. Noong sinabi ng Philhealth na gagawin nila ang payment na required sa mga OFWs from P900 at magiging P2,400, isa din po ako sa mga nagblog ng pagtutol sapagkat wala akong nakikitang pakinabang para sa maraming OFW na nagbabayad ng Philheallth, kasi mas magandang Medical Insurance ang binibigay ng company dito sa Saudi Arabia or Middle East or ibang bansa kaysa sa Philhealth. Noong naging requirement ang Pag-ibig at nakita natin ang hindi maayos na sistema at paiba-ibang Pag-ibig number ang binibigay sa mga OFWs sa OWWA, ay nagreklamo tayo kay Vice Pres. Binay at sinagot naman po at pinaliwanag ng kanyang Chief of Staff.

Ang akin pong pagtutol sa mga bagay na ito ay hindi lamang para sa mga OFW kundi dahil mismo ako ay walong taon ng nagtratrabaho sa Saudi Arabia. Nabasa ko sa internet ang inyong panukalang batas na magdadagdag ng 50$ ang mga OFW na papaalis ng bansa, or maging ng mga magbabakasyon at isasama sa requirement ng OEC.

Pumutok ang balitang iyan na may inihain po kayo, Congressman Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David na House Bill (HB) No. 6195 to amend the Republic Act 8042 o ang Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. As of this writing, your Facebook photos ay naishare na sa Facebook ng mahigit 1,000 times CONDEMNING your Bill in Congress.

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I would like to ask you the following questions hoping for your answer so I can better understand and maybe support your bill.

1.    Who run the OWWA? I met with OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon, I just wanted a picture with her because she doesn't have time to entertain questions.

2.    Are the people working in the directorship of OWWA are former OFWs who understand our plights and situations abroad?

3.    Who audits OWWA? Let us be transparent here.

4.    Assuming there are 4,000 OFWs leaving the country every day, multiply that with 25$ we are paying as required, 4,000 x 25$ (P43) x 30 Days x 12 months = P15,48,000,000 (P15.5B) every year. Do we know where do OWWA use this money? Explain to us first where you use these funds because first and foremost we own that money. There is still a missing P551M funds from the previous administration.

5.    You said "There are millions of OFWs all over the world which the Philippine government is mandated to protect and safeguard under RA 8042 but it seems incapable to efficiently help distressed OFWs due to financial constraints” Why wouldn’t you be so noble to donate P10M from you and each of the fine congressmen from the PORK Barrel and we are talking about P10M x 200 Congressmen - a whooping P2B pesos in additional funds for OFWs!

6.    Why not make a bill or promote it so that OFWs who will retire at the age of 60 will benefit from OWWA?

7.    Sino ang nakikinabang sa mga binabayad namin na 25$? The undocumented, run aways, and those people who come as tourist and then decides to be TNT?

8.    Nakonsulta mo ba ang mga OFW groups and other NGOs sa panukalang batas na yan, Congresswoman David? I am sure they can give you very good advise. The likes of Susan Ople or Jun Aguilar?

9.    Di ba nakasaad sa RA Act 10022 or MIGRANT WORKERS AND OVERSEAS FILIPINOS ACT OF 1995 na bawal ang magbigay ng increase payments and burdens sa mga OFWs and their families?

10. Is there a way for you to pass the Bill creating an up-to-date database and locator system, disaster preparedness at mitigation measures without imposing the pay to us, OFWs?

I remind you that your political career is at stake here. Some of the OFW sentiments are strong, and emotions are high. I understand that. Just go over those comments, threading up to hundreds in FACEBOOK, TWITTER, FORUMS and Chatrooms. 

You awaken the quiet giants, 11 million strong and able men and women and their families back home, some of them maybe living in your district. If you cannot explain fully to the angry millions whom the government labeled as Bagong Bayani because of PERANG PADALA, and justify the measure, please, think of another Bill. Not this one. Tadtad na kami ng bayarin mula kaliwa't kanan sa processing and sa requirements.

Bagong bayani? Those Billions of dollars of money flowing freely to the Philippines keeps the economy afloat, feeds our families, and allow us to send our kids to school but we don't ask anything from you. We don't even rally to computerized the system of documentation and payments in OWWA so it will be a little easier for us, OFWs. We don't even demand from the people in the agencies and consulates and embassies who seem to be so honorable and unreachable with their titles to be kind to us, JUST BE KIND to us.

 We don't want glory, we want better government services and honest leaders.

Madam Congresswoman, with this BILL, you may have good intention, but you are fighting against people, the OFWs, who are already tired of politicians milking their very hard earned dollar. People who are lonely, away from their families and love ones. People who sacrifice all, bearing the heat of the desert and the cold of the night so they can provide a better future for their families. They feel the pain and frustrations, never mind the fatigue and tremendous challenges dealing with people of different background, culture and ways. WE ARE OFWs. WE ARE NOT HEROES, WE ARE FILIPINO CITIZENS of the WORLD who only wanted a better life. Don't make it hard for us.

Please be considerate. Please use your mind and heart.

A Facebook page against this Bill and to pressure Congresswoman Bonoan-David not to pass the Bill can be found here, GLOBAL OFW VOICES

©2012 THOUGHTSKOTO

"Stronger Homes for a Stronger Nation" - PEBA 2010 Theme

One of the best leader that influenced my life so much was a man named Gordon Bitner Hinckley. He said in several occasions that "the strength of a nation lies within the walls of its homes." I believe that with all my heart.

As we contemplate the PEBA theme for this season, I presented three different topics to 10 of the members of PEBA. I asked them to reply to me privately or in a thread. 7 out of 10 chose this theme.

" Strengthening the OFW Families: Stronger Homes for a Stronger Nation"

The theme construction was suggested by a woman-blogger who actively supports KABLOGS and PEBA as a volunteer.

Someone in the group warned us of the sensitivity of the topic. But we have to make a stand. We can't wait and watch at the sidelines while we know as OFW's, and we read as bloggers the terrible typhoon that is hitting the lives of fathers, mothers, and childrens related to OFW's. I am literally in tears for months of research about OFW families. I can linked you to hundreds or more post, news, forum topic and discussions about the broken marriages and destroyed families but so little, if there's any, solutions posed. The government who hailed the OFW as heroes for saving the economy doesn't even have a concrete program.

So today, we at PEBA is asking our representatives and senators and the new government to present a solid and lasting programs to save OFW marriages, to save the Filipino children's future. Some say this is a private and personal moral choices to make, yes, but it has also a national consequences. If this wont stop, the rising generations will be a product of broken families that are either addicted to alcohol or drugs, or do not want to go to school, or become a menace in the society. The rippling effect is unthinkable, the future is then bleak and could be a dismal failure. It all starts at the family. That's why if we have to strengthen a nation, we should begin from our home.

PEBA President NJ Abad of the Desert Aquaforce states if eloquently when he says in his formal opening entry of the 2010 season at the PEBA website

"PEBA’s 2010 Theme: An Out of the Ordinary Call

PEBA has witnessed the real life suffering and loneliness of the OFWs and their families and believes that strengthening the OFW families, strengthens the homes and the nation! Thus, this season’s theme of “Strengthening the OFW Families: Stronger Homes for a Stronger Nation” does not just momentarily fit the issue of hour but is a timeless subject that cannot be bound by shackles so long as there are OFWs out there.

Scores of blogs and articles have been written about the subject in the past but it seems that the government authorities remain clueless of solutions and action plans to abate the increasing number of broken families.

We cannot wait and just rely on our government to come to rescue of the OFWs families in crisis. As Pinoy Expats and OFW bloggers, we have the moral obligation to help and encourage one another in our own little ways. What we blog and write about may encourage a fellow OFW or a fellow blogger to save his marriage from falling apart… it may help one to keep the family intact.

What can we do as bloggers? The PEBA 2010 Season opens with not just the OFWs and Pinoy expatriates writing about the OFW families but will be joining forces with local bloggers who, in one way or the other, have been influenced by OFWs in their lifetime. The support of the local bloggers who are sympathetic to the OFWs cause will have that exponential effect of reaching and educating up to the grassroots level.

PEBA calls on the bloggers to write and post about topics on strengthening the OFW families, and their being miles away from each other. Topics may include family communication, family gatherings, parent-child coaching and counseling, assistance and support in children’s homework and projects, conference meetings with family members, online contact with families, pointers on cheap communication, etc. PEBA calls on the bloggers to write about what they are doing to strengthen their families despite the distance and their absence from home. PEBA calls on the bloggers to share insights, ideas, pointers and how to express love for their spouses and children.

PEBA will not just be an organization that will give annual awards for exemplary blogs but it will proactively act on issues that will make difference in people's lives, especially the young children, and the OFW's and their families."

"PEBA’s Call to our New Government Leaders and Private Sectors"

"OFWs are happy on the government’s appreciation of the billions of dollars that are remitted into the Philippine economy. Such acknowledgment must be placed in more concrete terms by giving more benefits and perks for the OFWs. Furthermore, PEBA calls on the new leaders to take a reality check on the OFWs and their families. PEBA calls on the government to take care and support the OFWs and their families by putting leaders – secretaries, labor attaches, consuls, and embassy officials who understand and are sympathetic to the plight of the migrant workers. Appoint new leaders who are mindful of the struggles and harsh realities in the life of OFWs and their families - leaders who have vision for the OFWs and their families.

To the private sectors that have benefitted from the sweat and blood of the OFWs remittances, PEBA calls on you to create and promote advocacy programs and projects and to fund social activities and values education workshops that will help strengthen the OFWs families."

We encouraged all our blogger friends and supporters to join in this season, and our previous winners to post about the topic in their respective homes/blogs. Together, let us create a collective voice that may the leaders of our lands will hear or read. Together let us make a difference to someone's lives that may save a marriage, a family, and the children's future.

©2010 THOUGHTSKOTO

Madame President, Did You Read the PEBA 2009 Entries?

"In private high schools, we finance half of the students.

We have provided college and post-graduate education for over 600,000 scholars.

One of them, Mylene Amerol-Macumbal, finished Accounting at MSU-IIT, then she went to law school, and placed second in the

last bar exams, the first Muslim woman bar topnotcher. Congratulations!"

Okay, that's my school, MSU-IIT or Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, its a 60% Christian and 40% Muslim university, but one of the best school in the country. I am proud that's where I graduated. I was one among those scholars to pay P10 per semester so long that I maintained my GPA of not more than 2.0.

But let us examine some of your praises and reports about OFW's and the rest of the Filipino's abroad.

"Sa hirap at ginhawa, pinapatatag ang ating bansa ng ating Overseas Filipinos.

Iyong padala nilang $16 billion noong isang taon ay record. Itong taon, mas
mataas pa.

I know that this is not a sacrifice joyfully borne. This is work where it can be
found — in faraway places, among strangers with different cultures. It is
lonely work, it is hard work. "

(posible po bang nabasa niyo o ng speech writer niyo some of the stories ng mga PEBA Nominees?)

Kaya nagsisikap tayong lumikha dito sa atin ng mga trabahong maganda ang
sahod, so that overseas work will just be a career choice, not the only option
for a hard-working Filipino.

(Yan po ang conclusion ng entry ng isang nominee from Qatar)

Meanwhile, we should make their sacrifices worthwhile. Dapat gumawa tayo
ng mas epektibong proteksyon at pagpapalawak ng halaga ng kanilang
pinagsikapang sweldo. That means stronger consumer protection for OFWs
investing in property and products back home.

Para sa kanila, pinapakilos natin ang Investors Protection Task Force.

Hindi ako nag-aatubiling bisitahin ang ating taong bayan at kanilang mga
host sa buong mundo – mula Hapon hanggang Brazil, mula Europa at Middle
East hanggang sa American Midwest, nakikinig sa kanilang mga problema at
pangangailangan, inaalam kung paano sila matulungan ng ating pamahalaan
– by working out better policies on migrant labor, or by saving lives and
restoring liberty.

Pagpunta ko sa Saudi, pinatawad ni Haring Abdullah ang pitong daang OFW
na nasa preso. Pinuno nila ang isang buong eroplano at umuwi kasama ko.

(There are still very many, Madam, di lang po sa kulungan. Some are suffering from injustices, some are confined in houses of hardhearted employers.)

Mula sa ating State Visit sa Espanya, it has become our biggest European
donor. At si Haring Juan Carlos ay nakikipag-usap sa ibang mga bansa para sa ating mga namomroblemang OFW. Ganoon di si Sheikh Khalifa, ang Prime Minister ng Bahrain. Pagpunta ko sa Kuwait, Emir Al-Sabah commuted death sentences.

We thank all our leaders, all world leaders who shown compassion
with our workers.

Our vigorous international engagement has helped bring in foreign investment. Net foreign direct investments multiplied 15 times during our administration.

Kasama ng ating mga Together with our OFWs, they more than doubled our foreign exchange reserves. Pinalakas ang ating piso at naiwasan ang lubhang pagtaas ng presyo. They upgraded our credit because while the reserves of our peers have shrunk this past year, ours reserves grew by $3 billion.

(I have one thing to confess. I voted for you the last election, and even asked the rest of my siblings to do the same. Since then, we are honestly disappointed. But we believe in being submissive to the rule of the land, and to those in authority, so I am still hoping you planted something good so my kid will see something good as well.

I am honestly hoping and praying that the one who will seat Malacanang after you is a good Filipino LEADER, if there is still one, out there.)

complete text here

©2009 THOUGHTSKOTO

Global Launch of the 2009 Top 10 Pinoy Expat/OFW Blog Award

Any successful endeavor is worth repeating and much more sustained. Especially when it touches and inspires the lives of the people for whom it dedicate its toils, pain, and achievements. Such are the motivations for which the 2009 Top 10 Pinoy Expat/OFW Blog Award (PEBA) is once again being launched online. Wikipedia mention of PEBA here.

In its second year, PEBA will recognize Pinoy Expats and OFWs bloggers making a difference in their lives, workplace, community, the Philippines and the world in general.

This year the theme is

“Filipinos Abroad – Hope of the Nation, Gift to the World”.

Cognizant and directly affected by the brunt of global financial crisis, Filipinos continue to anchor their hope and trust to their family members abroad as herald of better news and good tidings. Thus, reinforcing the OFWs and Filipino expats role and image as new heroes and saviors.

PEBA also recognizes that Filipinos wherever they are, be it land-based, sea-based or air-based as the case maybe, are shining examples of dedication, diligence, and excellence in almost anything they do. It is not uncommon for them to be praised as assets to companies and organizations contributing to the social and economic well being of their host country. PEBA considers the more than 12m overseas Filipinos scattered abroad as gifts to make this world a better place to live.

The award which started last year had a very simple objective. It was created to award bloggers who infuses enthusiasm and inspiration for others to do good and be hopeful in this world of hopelessness. Filipino expats and OFWs with their talents, means, resources and blogs unfailingly served as voice and beacon of hope. Ten top bloggers were identified from around the globe such as the Americas, Europe, Africa and Middle East, and Asia and the Pacific, who, up until these days continue to blog and their commitment re-ignited in contributing change through their own little ways.

So for this year with the valuable help of numerous individuals from around the globe, the search is on again. Filipino bloggers and netizens are invited to recognize Pinoy Expats/OFW who tireless blog in making the blogosphere a better space and place for exchange, discussion, and service of the Filipinos and the citizens of the world alike. It is worth knowing and learning those stories of Filipinos overcoming difficulties and challenges. Although it is a reality that not everyone is successful but still their stories are way for others to gain insight from their life lessons and experiences.

From May to October 2009 any Filipino blogger can nominate or be nominated except for last year’s top 10 PEBA awardees. Guidelines are available from its official blogsite (click here). By December 2009 winners will be announced in a public event in the Philippines whose details are still being prepared and ironed out. Sponsors, supporters and volunteers are very much welcome to make this endeavor a success.

Be part of another historic event of Pinoy Expats and OFWs!

©2009 THOUGHTSKOTO

12 MILLION STORYTELLERS FOR CHANGE

12 MILLION STORYTELLERS FOR CHANGE

"by Jim Paredes, of http://haringliwanag.pansitan.net, No. 1 Blog of the Year for 2008 Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards, and No. 1 in the Asia and Pacific Region. This post is reposted with Mr. Jim Paredes permission."

Last week’s article was an expression of concern about the coming 2010 elections and the sweeping changes we need in our country. Although I was not surprised at the tremendous reader reactions via letters, e-mail, calls from people everywhere, I must say that the response has been quite inspiring. There is a constituency for change out there and it is pretty sizeable.

A lot of the reactions came from overseas, from disgruntled Filipinos who have given up completely on the Philippines and left the country in disgust, and from those who, while they live abroad, continue to pine for their homeland and want to do their share in taking it out of the rut it is in.

To both groups, this column is for you.

There are around 12 million overseas Filipino workers spread out all over the world. Their blood, sweat and tears are what keep this country financially afloat. The money they send home keeps many kids in school, feeds families and generates a lot of the economic activity that keeps the entire Philippines humming. In many ways, it is only fitting that OFWs should be encouraged to play a role and have a say in creating a vision of what the Philippines can be.

Aside from their economic contribution, OFWs have made many personal sacrifices to hold up the sky for their loved ones. They have missed out on birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, Christmases and other milestones in the lives of those they cherish. Ironically, they know quite well that it is precisely their absence that makes the observance of such major events possible.

But more important than all that is the untapped capability of OFWs to bring about meaningful change in the country. OFWs have had the opportunity to live and work in many functional societies around the world, and have thrived in them. To my mind, their experiences abroad can be very valuable in helping create a functional vision of our country’s future.

Our OFWs can be the storytellers, narrators and witnesses of how the lives of ordinary Filipinos can move ahead if the system only allows them to. Their very lives are testimonies to this. Where for years, their dream of becoming something had not been possible in their homeland because of the social inequity and lack of opportunities, now they are proud, productive and prosperous people.

One of the joys of traveling is in meeting our kababayans who, though they still exhibit traits of their humble beginnings (noticeable only to a fellow Pinoy), now carry themselves with dignity that says they are equal to everyone else in the new country they live in. It tells me that we, as a people, have what it takes to get ahead and achieve excellence when the cards are dealt fairly.

Contrast this to life here at home where the average guy must dream smaller, live with more indignities and less breaks because “mahirap ang panahon at ganyan talaga ang buhay.” There is in the culture here at home an inertia that kills dreams. The sense of what is possible here is so limited and cramped that many are tempted to relocate and pursue their future abroad.

Imagine, then, a scenario where Filipinos abroad speak in support of change, telling their families back home about real places where societies function much better than what we have here. Imagine them writing to their kababayans back home and telling them there is no reason — except for our collective apathy — why we cannot have the same in the Philippines.

Imagine these OFWs throwing their influence behind a progressive candidate who has the right ideas on how to modernize the country and make government not only more functional, but also more prosperous. Imagine 12 million voices for change influencing their families and friends in the Philippines on what to ask for in a candidate and who to vote for! This could electrify the electoral process. Now, that would be something to contend with.

If this OFW block were to get organized and speak as one, they could be as influential as the Catholic Church, and much more progressive.

Much has been said about OFWs being “heroes” of our society because of the personal sacrifices they continue to endure for their families. I do not contest that. But I would like to add another dimension to the heroism that we have bestowed on them.

In writer Joseph Campbell’s view, every life is a hero’s journey and goes through stages as it unfolds. In his view, the hero’s journey starts when a hero leaves a familiar place (psychological or literal, or both) and is thrown into the unknown. In short, life and circumstances have conspired to throw him out of Eden and he/she is off to the adventure of a lifetime. This is the common thread found in big and small hero stories, whether fiction or non-fiction. Look at Rizal, Ninoy, Shakyamuni, Jesus, Frodo, Ulysses. This, of course, will take the hero to places where he will be deeply challenged in all aspects. In “herospeak,” he goes “through the fire.”

Now there are two things that can happen. He either burns out completely and the journey ends, or he survives. If he survives, the next stage is for the hero to return to his hometown and testify about the lessons and truths he/she has learned.

From this angle, our OFWs may have a new role waiting for them. After going through the fire in their previously unfamiliar locations which have become home, and with their newly-earned status of personal success and financial capability, it is time for them to play the bigger role of not just turning the lives of their families from poverty to prosperity, but to be the voices of wisdom, modernity and progress and the examples of personal change that many of them have become.

It’s time to not just inspire our kababayans, since they are already doing that. It’s now time for OFWs to influence us to do the right thing, to dream and act to “make the word flesh” and bring about the necessary changes the Philippines needs.

This may yet be the OFWs’ biggest contribution to our country.

( Before the start of the 2009 nomination we will be featuring blogs of the Top 3 Pinoy Expats/OFW Winners from the 2008 winners and will be reposted in my 3 Blogsite)

My apology to Doc RJ and Kikay who commented for my auto post from my Gmail about sublimobi. It sent to all my inbox contacts including my auto post to blogger via email.