Efforts to promote welfare of OFWs in Thailand lauded

MANILA — The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) on Saturday lauded the efforts of President Rodrigo Duterte to promote the welfare and dignity of overseas Filipino

workers (OFWs) at the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Thailand.

“It is very much encouraging and inspiring to promote and push through the rights and dignity of our OFWs during this coming 34th Asean meeting,” CBCP-ECMI chairman Bishop Ruperto Santos said in a text message.

“We, at CBCP ECMI, is appreciative and grateful for the caring initiatives of our President to our OFWs. This shows his concern and compassion towards them,” he added.

The Bataan prelate noted that it is just right to push for the safety and protection of not only Filipino workers abroad but also other nationalities, particularly in the region.

“As we witness, Asia is home to many migrants around the globe. And is indeed high time to do necessary measures to protect them, to promote a decent and very humane treatment and to prevent unjust, unfair treatment. Most serious problem and evil acts being committed against our Asian migrants are human smuggling and trafficking,” he said.

“Migrants are also pillars of our economic growth. They are much more human persons with inherent rights and dignity must be respected and taken good care of,” Santos said.

The CBCP-ECMI official said they will pray for the meeting to be successful and to have positive effects on migrant workers.

“We pray for the success of this 34th Asian meeting and hoping for fruitful results for our migrant workers,” he said.

There are some 30,000 Filipinos working in the host country.

President Duterte is in Bangkok for the summit, where he is expected to discuss matters involving the welfare of Filipino workers as indicated in the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers which was signed in 2017. The event will formally open on Sunday.

The landmark document was signed in the Philippines where leaders agreed to strengthen social protection, access to justice, humane and fair treatment and access to health services of the region’s migrant workers.

It also aims to establish a framework for closer cooperation among member-states on addressing migrant workers’ issues in the region.

President Duterte last visited Thailand in 2017. (PNA)