Manila, Philippines – Nangangamba si Senador Risa Hontiveros sa kalagayan ng mga Pinoy sa Malaysia dahil sa kasalukuyang kampaniya ng bansa laban sa mga undocumented migrant workers.
Ayon sa sendor, ang kampaniyang ito ng Malaysia ay tinatawag na “Ops Mega 3,”Ā sa ilalim nito, ikukulong ng mga awtoridad ng Malaysia ang sinumang mahuhuling migrant workers na walang maipapakitang dokumento.
Sa lumabas na ulat, 228 na immigrants ang nadakip noong July 1, at 43 na iligal na manggagawa naman ang nadakip noong July 6.
Sinabi ng mambabatas na naiitindihan niya na ang batas ay dapat sundin ngunit binigyang diin niya na kailangan pa rin itong isagawa sa tamang paraan at naayon sa batas.
“While I understand that the law must be followed, I ask the Malaysian government to ensure that procedures take into account human rights principles and proper observance of ILO conventions. It is important that as the law is observed, its implementation must be tempered to avoid abuse,”Ā sabi ni Hontiveros sa isang panayam kahapon (July 11).
“It is vital for us to understand that the phenomena of migrant and undocumented work materialize as a result of exploitation and systems that are naturally disadvantageous to the vulnerable sectors of society,” dagdag niya.
Ani pa Hontiveros, dapat hanapan ng solusyon kung paano matutulungan ang mga undocumented workers upang maging legal ang kanilang pananatili sa Malaysia dahil marami umano sa mga ito ay biktima lamang ng human trafficking at ng mga illegal recruiter.
Bukod pa rito, mayroon ding mga manggagawa na napilitan lang tumakas sa kanilang mga amo kayaāt naging undocumented workers.
“This has been particularly problematic in cases of employer abuse, intimidation and exploitation, and sometimes forces workers into undocumented work as a way of escaping harmful situations,” paliwanag niya.
“This is something that requires change on multiple fronts, most especially labor policy. We should never dehumanize workers. Because I am sure that if the law permitted more flexible means of entering work legally, they wouldn’t have to resort to undocumented living as a means of protecting themselves,” ani pa ng mambabatas. (Remate News Team)
