Maza lauds OFWs in Hong Kong in their victory against the imposition of Pag-ibig membership fee as a mandatory requirement

“Vigilance and unity serve as OFWs’ armor against Arroyo administration’s brazen schemes to further squeeze the income from their labor. The recent victory of OFWs in Hong Kong against the imposition of Pag-IBIG as a mandatory requirement is a big blow against the current administration that Filipino migrant workers refer to as their consistent extortionist”.

Thus said Nacionalista-Makabayan senatorial bet Rep. Liza Maza today as she lauded the OFWs in Hongkong who strongly opposed the scheme that led Pag-IBIG to think twice about the implementation.

Maza, a three-term representative of Gabriela Women’s Party, also questioned Pag-IBIG President and CEO Jaime Fabiana who apparently made Hong Kong OFWs as trial balloon for government’s exaction schemes.

“It is ambiguous how they arbitrarily came up with this scheme to force OFWs to become members of Pag-IBIG and make it a requirement to process OFW documents. It appears that they are pulling the wool over the OFWs’ eyes,” Maza said.

Maza recalled the migrant workers’ resistance against the Arroyo government’s consistent exaction policies. In 2004, the GMA government forced the transfer of the OWWA Medicare Fund to Philhealth. In 2007, it also tried to implement the POEA guidelines on hiring Filipino household workers that carried provisions for training and accreditation requirements which translated to more fees for migrant Filipinos.

Maza is scheduled to visit the OFWs in Hong Kong this week to attend their proclamation rally and personally accept the OFW agenda for the 2010 national elections. ###