To our honorable guests from the diplomatic corps, the representatives of various government offices and non-government organizations, our migrant Filipinos, friends from the media and fellow advocates, a pleasant good morning to all of you.
The Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW) is pleased and proud to bring together our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), their families and migrant advocates from civil society, government and private sectors, for this momentous event.
The search for greener pastures has driven millions of Filipinos to work abroad. Government statistics show that as of 2003, the overseas Filipino population has increased to 7.76 million, distributed in 192 countries.
One of the developments of this phenomenon is the emergence of migrant associations and organizations as well as NGOs oriented to promote Filipino migrants' welfare. At the same time, NGOs and advocates like PMRW also arose to advance the rights and welfare of migrants in the homeland. Distance, lack of resources and the sheer weight of issues that we deal with on a day-to-day basis are major obstacles in coming together. Thus, we are pleased that we finally could hold this World Conference of OFWs. During this three-day gathering, we hope to touch base with each other, to dialogue, to review what has been done and to plan our next course of action.
Our OFWs are renowned for their skills in the international labor market. We, at PMRW, believe that our OFWs have to be involved in drawing up national and transnational migration policies and programs. Thus, we have provided them with the remarkable opportunity in this Conference to share their views, insights and recommendations on issues which directly concern them and their families.
PMRW conducted several preparatory activities to gather inputs for this Conference. The foreign missions of receiving countries which host our OFWs participated in a series of round table discussions (RTDs) to share their views about migration-related issues. Between July and September, PMRW organized four RTDs by region: Europe, Americas and Oceania, Asia, and the Middle East. Titled, "The Migration Process: Detecting Problems and Identifying Solutions," the RTDs turned out to be enriching as foreign missions provided relevant views and insights during the thematic discussions on documentation requirements, visa application process, migration policies, and unauthorized migration and trafficking.
Also part of the intensive preparation was the conduct of a PMRW study on the pre-migration experiences undertaken by one of our member-organizations, the Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC). The results of the study were presented in dissemination-cum-forum last November 12. A final report, including the proceedings of the said forum, has been completed and will be used in coming up with concrete actions to ensure a safer environment for OFWs at the pre-departure stage.
We sincerely thank the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung who has been our constant partner in pursuing this endeavor, beginning from day one of our intensive preparation for this event.
Likewise, I personally wish to commend the efforts of our member-organizations who, in one way or another, have shared their resources and means and have worked together to make this event possible.
The World Conference of OFWs is intended to be a collaborative project. PMRW only serves as an instrument in bringing advocates together so that we can all move forward. From this initiative, we hope to reap more remarkable results through the continuous cooperation and support of our fellow advocates in the Philippines and across the globe.
On behalf of the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, a very warm welcome to the "World Conference of OFWs: Shaping the Future of Filipino Labor Migration."
May this be the start of more fruitful partnerships for the protection and promotion of the rights of our Filipino migrants.
Mabuhay ang ating mga OFWs! Magandang umaga. Maraming salamat po! |
