Ople Center Helps 137 Bus Drivers File Charges Against CYM International and RJJ Lacaba

Ople Center Calls Attention of Government Agencies to 137 Bus Drivers Stranded in Dubai

News Release
Blas F. Ople Policy Center
April 12, 2009

Filipino community rallies around 137 stranded bus drivers in Dubai; Ople Center seeks immediate probe and suspension of licensed agency involved in their recruitment

In keeping with the spirit of Lent, the “bayanihan” spirit was alive and well in Dubai as Filipinos pitch in canned goods, water, toiletries, and other food items to help 137 bus drivers stranded and looking for jobs after being deployed there by a licensed recruitment agency.

The stranded drivers were overwhelmed by the show of hospitality and generosity by Filipino community leaders who traveled in a convoy yesterday (Black Saturday). According to Ares Gutierrez, sub-editor of XPRESS, the Dubai-based paper that broke the story about the stranded bus drivers, most of the victims were confused as to what they should do next.

One of the drivers, Claro Oliver of Rizal province, contacted the Blas F. Ople Policy Center yesterday for help in pursuing justice against their recruiter, CYM International Services, a licensed recruitment agency. The agency promised the Filipino drivers good-paying jobs at Dubai’s government transport agency known as Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Some of the drivers, some of who quit their local jobs despite years of service, have been waiting to be hired by RTA since January of this year. Desperate for food and cash, the stranded drives have resorted to scavenging a dumpsite for scrap food.

Former labor undersecretary Susan Ople, who heads the Blas F. Ople Center, urged the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to immediately investigate and if possible, suspend the said agency and its counterpart in Dubai, Al Toomoh Technical Services. “The sheer number of victims involved constitutes an act of economic sabotage by this licensed agency. We urge immediate action and for the owners of the agency to be barred from leaving the country.”

The bus drivers, nearly half of who hail from the province of Bulacan, complained to the Ople Center that their passports were being held by the foreign counterpart of their local agency in Dubai. This prevents them from applying for new jobs. Majority of the victims are professional drivers who have worked for years in reputable transport companies such as Baliuag Transit. The Center said the Philippine Consulate should intervene and obtain the passports of the stranded workers.

The plight of the 137 bus drivers were first exposed by Filipino journalists Jay Hilotin and Ares Gutierrez of Xpress publications based on a tip from a fellow Filipino journalist working at Gulf News. Word quickly spread through e-mail and soon, an assembly time and place were designated to enable Filipinos to join an aid convoy leading to the camp where the bus drivers were staying. A Filipino association of Airsoft aficionados whose game was suspended last Friday, pitched in by giving cash donations.

Aside from lack of food, the drivers were sharing living quarters near the Ajman garbage dumpsite. Their building’s electric power is sourced from a generator, giving them only 3 to 4 hours of electricity. The building also has inadequate water supply.

According to the drivers, they paid as much as P150,000 to CYM International Services in exchange for jobs at RTA. Some of the drivers have been staying in Dubai waiting for the promised jobs to come into fruition since January.

Based on interviews with XPRESS, driver Max Sumulong, 34, one of the victims, said last year CYM had offered him a job as a driver for Dh5,200 a month and he had given the agency 10,000 pesos (Dh1,000) as “processing fee”.

“The agency had asked each one of us to take out a 150,000-peso (Dh11,418) loan from a lending agency recommended by them and made us sign undated cheques worth 405,000 pesos (about Dh40,000) addressed to a bank and the lending agency, payable in 15 months,” he said.

Eliseo Maximo, who has worked for 11 years as a bus driver in Manila, said: “We’ve been collecting aluminium cans, selling them at Dh4 per kg in Ajman, just to have something to eat.”

The stranded bus drivers are hoping that the Philippine Consulate can help them look for jobs in Dubai rather than be sent home. “Their biggest worry is on how they can repay the lending agency. If they come home, whatever they earn as bus drivers won’t be enough to pay off their loans and still sustain the needs of their families,” Ople explained.

Ople said she is awaiting documents from the bus drivers that would help speed up the POEA’s investigation into the alleged illegal recruitment practices of CYM International Services and its counterpart in Dubai. The Filipino community has lent the drivers a photocopy machine so they could consolidate and reproduce all the documents needed to bolster their case.

The former labor undersecretary also hoped that the 137 drivers would be able to meet President Arroyo, Vice-President Noli de Castro and other high-ranking officials in their visit to Dubai.

Photo: Donations for the stranded bus drivers pour in

Picture courtesy of Ares Gutierrez of XPRESS, a Dubai-based paper

Ople Center calls on NEDA to explain the government’s economic stimulus plan to thousands of displaced workers, affected OFWs, and trade unions

A non-government organization assisting displaced overseas Filipino workers called on the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to present the government’s economic stimulus plan to labor unions, non-government organizations dealing with migrant workers, and thousands of displaced workers affected by the financial crisis.
Read more

RP debaters shine in Asian Tournament

Philippine debaters scored major victories in the recent Asian Universities Debating Championship (AUDC) that pits different schools from nine countries against each other.

Estelle Ople-Osorio, a member of the De La Salle Debate Society and granddaughter of the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople, was unanimously re-elected as the Chair of the Asian Universities Debating Union and is the first woman to hold the position and the first chairperson to do so in succession.

“Given the success of Filipino debaters in international competitions, we urge the DepEd and CHED to use school debates as a fun learning tool to promote reading, critical thinking, public speaking, and other skills to build confidence among our youth,” she said.

Two other Filipinos made it to the Union’s Executive Committee: 3-time Asian Debating Champion Sharmilla Parmanand, who was elected as adjudication officer, as well as SMU Hammers Champion Carlo Cabrera, who was elected as Secretary.

The Asian Universities Debating Union is the governing body of the Asian Universities Debating Championship (AUDC), the most competitive debating tournament in Asia. Members of the Union include the top universities from Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Philippines has an impressive track record in AUDC, with Ateneo de Manila winning three out of four championships, losing only this year to Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University by a 5-4 decision.

Filipinos dominate the penultimate rounds as well, with 5 teams representing Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and the University in Santo Tomas in the Top 16. Five out of ten of the Best Debaters in the tournament were also Filipino, namely De La Salle’s Robin Sebolino, Dino de Leon and Ateneo’s Charisse Borromeo, Stephanie Co and Glenn Tuazon, who was eventually named the Best Debater of the entire tournament.

De La Salle University also made a strong showing in the Public Speaking competition, with Pipao Santiago and Philip Binondo making it to the Grand Finals. Philip Binondo’s humorous take on emancipation earned him the much -coveted title of Best Public Speaker in Asia.

Under Osorio’s leadership, the AUDC Executive Committee was able to launch its own official website (http://www.audc.info) and facilitate free adjudication and debate trainings upon request. Her main goal this year is to create a free online debate video archive and motion database that can be used to improve Asian debate and adjudication training.

Osorio said debating could be used as a tool to promote confidence and better communications skills among students.

Ople Center warns of higher illegal recruitment cases due to hard times;

Laments inadequate manpower to fight human trafficking

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center expressed concern that inadequate incomes and a severe lack of job opportunities could escalate the number of illegal recruitment cases.

“Driven by desperation, the unemployed and underemployed become easy victims of illegal recruiters who are able to conjure fairy tales of a glamorous life overseas in a single encounter,” the Ople Center said.

Former labor undersecretary Susan Ople, head of the BFO Policy Center, noted a steady increase in the number of illegal recruitment cases being handled by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as well as human trafficking cases lodged with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Despite such increases, the number of staff handling illegal recruitment and human trafficking cases remain low.

The Ople Center lamented that there are only 22 people in the POEA’s anti-illegal recruitment branch who are involved with surveillance, filing and monitoring of cases as well as conducting preventive information campaigns.

“Twenty-two people within POEA are manning the fort against highly mobile and cunning illegal recruiters with the lives of hundreds of thousands of potential victims at stake. Even if they enter into partnerships with the NBI, CIDG and other agencies, that core staff complement is still woefully inadequate,” Ople stressed. She pointed out that the same holds true for the anti-human trafficking unit of the Commission on Filipino Overseas. At the Department of Foreign Affairs, she recalled that there was only one officer assigned to the anti-trafficking desk.

“When an undocumented worker is detained overseas for some violation, the government is required by law to assist the worker. We can save millions if we invest more in preventing illegal recruitment and human trafficking here at home,” Ople added.

Based on POEA records, there was an 8% increase in pending cases last year compared to year 2006. However, despite this increase, there was a decline in the number of arrests of suspected illegal recruiters from 50 in 2006 to only 26 suspects in 2007.

Meanwhile, the POEA has issued advisories against bogus job offers in Romania, China, Spain, Canada, and other countries. It has also issued a warning to prospective job applicants not to fall victim to online illegal recruitment.

Based on information received by the BFO Center, the inflow of domestic helpers to Syria and Lebanon continue despite government’s efforts to discourage such departures. The Center was instrumental in facilitating the repatriation of women workers from Syria who suffered beatings and abuses from the hands of their agents and employers.

“We would like to warn women looking for jobs as domestic helpers overseas against accepting job offers for Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon. We don’t have an embassy in Syria that can look out for you. Its government has yet to craft comprehensive laws to protect migrant workers. In Kuwait, the number of welfare cases involving Filipino women workers remains seriously high while Lebanon poses a security threat due to persistent armed conflict. Some of our countrymen prefer to throw caution to the wind and try their luck elsewhere thinking that nothing can be worse than the situation here at home. Unfortunately,we have learned of enough horror stories to know that this isn’t always so,” the Ople Center said.

Ople Center urges call centers to follow OSH guidelines of DoLE

Former labor undersecretary Susan Ople urged the call center industry to follow the guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) of the labor department to promote the health and well-being of thousands of call center agents in the country.

Ople noted that the OSHC has called on different companies to formulate policies that will indicate management’s commitment to a safe and healthful workplace. Under Department Circular No. 1 which was issued last March, the employer has to formulate and implement an appropriate OSH program in accordance with the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards and other health-related issuances by the DoLE. Circular 1 also mandates employers to organize Safety and Health committees in their workplace, pursuant to Rule 1040 of the OSHS.

“The BPO sector is a leading star of the economy and must now illuminate the path towards better safety and health standards in the workplace,” the daughter of the late Labor and Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople said.

The founder of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center noted that many call center agents are new entrants to the workforce and may not be sufficiently aware of their rights and obligations as employees. “They have a right to a safe and healthy workplace and to humane conditions at work,” Ople pointed out. She said that employees in the BPO sector are prone to work-related musculoskeletal disorders, eye fatigue, and physical stress due to long and irregular hours at work. The Center also noted a number of complaints regarding security threats and harassments experienced by night shift workers to and from their place of work.
“Call center employees that work the night shift are more prone to muggings and sexual harassment because they have a set routine and thus can be easily victimized by street hooligans,” Ople explained.
The former DOLE official noted that the labor department has relaxed its rules to allow call center companies to employ women workers for nightshift duties. “Such exemptions must be matched with appropriate safety and health benefits such as free shuttle services for night shift workers,” she stressed. The Blas F. Ople Policy Center has initiated an online petition for free shuttle services for night shift call center employees. The petition can be found at www.oplecenter.org.

Ople said the country’s successful business processing and outsourcing industry must lead the way in providing non-wage benefits to its employees. According to industry reports, the BPO sector, led by call centers, posted US$4.8 to $5 billion in revenues in 2007, compared to the US$3.4 billion in 2006. It also generated 320,000 full-time jobs in 2007 versus 237, 000 in the previous year.

Despite the steadfast growth of the call center industry, it continues to have a high turn-over rate among employees. “There are high emotional and physical burdens attached to this line of work and it is best if the industry itself sets the example in addressing the welfare of their employees,” Ople added.
She said that a few leading call center companies have been able to promote safety and health standards in the workplace. “A shuttle service for employees will go a long way to assure them and their families that management does care about its workforce,” Ople said.

Ople Center initiates online Labor Day petition for free shuttle services for night-shift call center employees

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center has started an online petition to exert pressure on the call center industry to look after the safety of thousands of night-shift workers by investing in free shuttle services for employees.

Former labor undersecretary Susan Ople said the petition was prompted by persistent reports of harassment and physical threats experienced by employees assigned to work the night shifts, particularly young women who report to work late in the evening and come home in the wee hours of the morning.

“In the spirit of Labor Day this coming May 1, 2008, we would like to propose that Call Centers offer free shuttle services to night-shift employees for their own safety. The service won’t have to bring all of them home directly but at least drop them off in secure places that have decent lighting with access to public transportation,” the online petition said.

Ople said that once the petition has exceeded more than a thousand signatures, the center would transmit the petition to the leaders of the business processing and outsourcing industry as well as to the Department of Labor and Employment. Those who wish to sign the petition can do so at www.petitiononline.com/ccenter1/petition.html.

“Hopefully this will help open the eyes of industry leaders on the hazards faced by their night-shift employees going to and from their place of work. They are more prone to be victims of harassment and mugging because it is during the dead of the night that policemen are nowhere to be found,” she added.

One of those who signed the petition commented, “I fully support the petition since I am sick and tired of meeting hard bodied, sweaty, masculine hooligans at night and I feel unsafe.”

A father of a call center employee wrote that he supports the online petition because his daughter who works in a call center was harassed on two separate occasions while on her way to work. “The first time was when she was walking to work around 9 pm. The second time was while she was aboard a jeepney that was bound for her place of work.”

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center said the government should start looking into the work conditions of call center employees. “The success of the BPO sector should not set it apart from the need to promote safety and health standards for its employees. There are call center companies that are doing a good job in looking after their staff but much more can be done to promote higher standards to reduce occupational hazards that are peculiar to this industry.”

The Ople Center is a non-stock, non-profit organization named after the late Labor and Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople, a former journalist who is now acknowledged as the “Father of the Philippine Labor Code and Overseas Employment.” He was the longest-serving labor minister in Asia and the first Filipino elected president of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. The Center is involved in labor and migration issues including the campaign against human trafficking. It also continues to provide scholarships to deserving journalism students in partnership with Samahang Plaridel. It also has a Shoe Donation Program for indigent schoolchildren.

Ople Center recommends additional non-wage benefits for May 1

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center proposed five specific non-wage benefits that the government can study as part of its package of benefits to workers on Thursday, May 1 also known as Labor Day.

Former labor undersecretary Susan Ople, who heads the BFO Policy Center, said high costs of rice, food and oil should encourage the government to think about urgent ways to help workers around the country cope with inflation and the erosion of their purchasing power. Read more

Commentary: Our Women, Their Slaves by Susan Ople

Female migration from rustic rural communities to bustling cityscapes is a daily occurrence, prompted by poverty and driven by the desire for economic miracles. In my own hometown of Hagonoy, OFW families abound with relatives in South Korea, Japan, the United States and the Middle East. What used to be standard occasions for family reunions become elaborate homecoming feasts with comings and goings digitally recorded for posterity. Read more

Ople Scholar Graduates

Rommel C. Lantayao, an Ople Scholar for SY 2006-2007, graduated last March 31, 2007 from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila with a degree in Mass Communications. Read more

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