Filipino Teachers Rally vs. ‘Inadequate’ Help in Addressing Human Trafficking

By Jennie L. Ilustre

Washington, D.C.–Some 40 Filipino teachers, who are victims of human trafficking by an illegal Philippine-based recruiter, joined a national call-to-action rally organized by the militant advocacy Gabriela-DC group in front of the Philippine embassy on March 24.

The rally took place despite the snow that closed down embassy and federal offices in the nation’s capital.

The group criticized the Philippine government for its “inadequate” response to the plight of the teachers, who lost their jobs in Prince George County Public Schools, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) general.

In a brief interview at the embassy on March 24 and an email interview two days later, Philippine embassy Consul Elmer Cato refuted the charges.

He said, “The embassy here in Washington D.C. and all our embassies and consulates general overseas are mandated to assist Filipinos in distress wherever they may be,” Consul Cato said, adding, ““We recognize the invaluable role of overseas Filipinos in the economic transformation of the Philippines.”

He pointed out that the Philippines “has a gone a long way in its efforts to combat human trafficking” since the tragic case of OFW Flor Contemplacion. “We have created the Interagency Council Against Trafficking,” also known as IACAT.

Jo Quiambao is co-chairperson with Fen Ecleo of GABRIELA Washington, D.C., the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) chapter of GABRIELA-USA.

GABRIELA stands for General Assembly Binding Reforms Integrity, Equality, Leadership and Action, and it is named after Philippine revolution heroine Gabriela Silang.

Quiambao noted in telephone and email interviews that over 4,500 Filipinos leave the Philippines each day in order “to send remittances back home. “

“When migrant Filipinos face dangerous and difficult conditions, they cannot rely on the Philippine government for help,” she said, adding Gabriela DC would continue to fight for justice for the trafficked teachers and OFWs.

Embassy Assistance

“We are ready to receive them here at the embassy or meet them elsewhere to discuss how we could be of assistance to our teachers,” Consul Cato said.

“Gabriela had in fact earlier also requested the assistance of the embassy in waiving the authentication fees for the documents the teachers needed to send to Manila in connection with the trafficking case they have filed,” Cato added. “We have agreed to waive the fees.”

On the day of the rally, Gabriela leaders and the teachers were scheduled to meet with embassy officials Consul Arlene Magno and Labor Attache Luzviminda Padilla.

“We rescheduled the cancelled meeting two days later, but we did not hear from them,” Consul Magno said in an interview at the embassy on March 24. She added she didn’t know when the two sides could again reset the meeting.

“But we told them that we’re ready to set aside a day to help the teachers process their documents,” she said.

Gabriela Co-Chairperson Quiambao said in a telephone interview the previous day the teachers needed to submit an Affidavit detailing their charges against illegal recruiter Isidro Rodriguez, “as well as a Special Power of Attorney appointing a family member to represent them in court hearings in the Philippines.”

She said there are “ten teachers that are interested in joining the class action suit in the Philippines.”

One of them is Janet Basilan, Gabriela DC Vice Chair of Campaigns. “My American dream turned into a nightmare because my promised job did not exist when I arrived in the US,” she said at the rally.

She added she was joining the fight for justice “to prosecute Isidro Rodriguez and all of the other enablers who made it possible to carry out his trafficking scheme.”

Labor Trafficking

Since 2003, an estimated 300 teachers have been illegally recruited and trafficked to the U.S. by Philippine-based recruitment agencies working with Rodriguez.

Gabriela DC charged that case complaints had been reported to Philippine embassy officials in the past, as well as to the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), the government institution mandated to regulate recruitment agencies. Gabriela DC said the response from the Philippine government “has been inadequate and unsatisfactory.”

Rodriguez, the recruiter of the teachers, is currently in jail in the Philippines. Migrante International is helping the teachers in filing a suit in the Philippines with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

Asked to comment on the plight of Overseas Filipino Workers, Jon Melegrito, Communications Director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, issued a NaFFAA statement on March 23. NaFFAA is based in D.C.

The statement follows: “As a community, it is a serious concern to us when non-immigrant workers here in the U.S. are subjected to exploitation, manipulation and abuse–especially by unscrupulous recruiters and placement agencies. Foreign workers who work very hard often find themselves victimized because of exorbitant fees, retaliation, and other anomalies in the recruitment process. They deserve support to ensure their welfare is secured.”

Consul Cato said, “We are ready to work with Gabriela and other organizations that seek to promote and protect the rights of Filipino workers overseas.”

He noted the U.S. has recognized Philippine government efforts “by removing the Philippines from its Tier 2 Watchlist.” He was referring to the annual ranking of the State Department, based on a country’s performance in combatting human trafficking.

On the same day the area teachers and Gabriela D.C. held the rally, Gabriela-USA also held rallies in front of the Philippine Consulate Offices in New York and San Francisco, as well as in Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles as part of its nationwide call-to-action event.

Gabriela DC Co-Chairperson Quiambao said Gabriela-USA would hold bigger rallies in spring. She noted the panel discussion at Georgetown University, held the week after the rally, aimed to enlighten the mainstream about the issue.