Thursday 9 August 2018

Mock ASEAN Summit: Migrant Workers in ASEAN




Republic of the Philippines
Delegate: Vann Bunna & Khim Rathanak
Date: 6 January 2018

In ASEAN, the Philippines is recognized as the largest sending state along with Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam; while Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore are known as receiving states in term of migrant workers.  There were fourteen point two per cent of Filipino overseas workers were employed in ASEAN countries, mainly Singapore. Moreover; Filipino migrants face many obstacles and challenges including exploitation, discrimination, violence, trafficking in person, sexual harassment, lack of health and social protection. 

The government of the Philippines has been at the forefront of international, regional and national efforts to institute policies, programs, and mechanisms to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers. On the national level, the Philippines congress adopted the comprehensive Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 to institute the policies of overseas employment and establish a higher standard of protection and promotion of the welfare of migrant workers, their families and overseas Filipinos in distress. 

On the regional level, as the Chairman of ASEAN Summit in 2007, the Philippines was a host for ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers which mentioned on the fortify of fundamental rights and dignity if migrant workers without the application by the receiving states.

On the international level, through the Department of Labor and Employment, the government has aggressively forged bilateral labor agreements (BLAs) with countries of destination. As of November 2013, the Philippines signed eighty-seven BLAs which vary in content and coverage. So far, they comprise of thirty-eight general agreements on employment, welfare and cooperation (mostly on health professions and domestic workers), nine agreements on social security and forty agreements related to seafarers.  

On the strongly belief, we the government of the Republic of the Philippines would like to call upon all ASEAN member states to facilitate in promoting the social protection and raise up the fundamental rights of migrant workers at the same time in the what as local labors are treated. Moreover, we also would like to stimulate, in where the migrant workers take place, the states to build up policies in promoting welfare of migrant workers. Optimistically, all ASEAN member states will enhance cooperation and make ASEAN to stand in prosperity and abolish the discrimination and violation to migrant workers.  



 
 
 
 
 
 

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