Chairperson of the Committee on Labor Senator Joel Villanueva welcomed on Thursday the signing of Association of Southeast Asian Nations pact safeguarding migrants workers’ rights.
“We welcome the recent signing of the ASEAN Concensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers,” he said.
Vilanueva said that the signing of the ASEAN concensus seemed to be the ‘testament to the commitment of the region’ to improve the labor standards and protect the legal rights of our workers especially in line with ASEAN integration.
“This agreement will definitely benefit our OFWs. Truly, there is a need to do so especially since we are in an era where our countrymen have increasingly chosen to work abroad,” the senator said in statement.
WATCH THE ASEAN LEADERS GATHERING AT THE PLENARY HALL OF THE PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER (PICC) FOR THE SIGNING OF THE ASEAN CONSENSUS ON THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS:
Moreover, according to Villanueva, the agreement will also complement and strengthen the pending bills in the Senate which improve the benefits and protection of the OFWs.
“One such example is the creation of a separate department for migrant workers which will cater to all their concerns and thereby reduce or eliminate bureaucracy in OFW assistance,” he said.
“With the recently signed ASEAN concensus, we are confident that our efforts and advocacies in the legislative department would be given adequate attention for the sake of providing sustainable future for our citizens here and abroad,” he added. (Tretch Melarpes – PTV)
