PRESS STATEMENT
Migrante Europe
October 25, 2022
Migrante Europe decries the rabid imprudent measures that Philippine government had imposed on migrant labor using the pretext of the weakening of the exchange rate of the dollar to the peso.
The most irresponsible exaction measure of Philippine government is now in place dubbed “ADVISORY ON THE REVISED SCHEDULE OF FEES FOR CONSULAR SERVICES”. Shamelessly, the milking cow has to be slaughtered after choosing the wrong economic managers.
Apparently, the pretext of the “weakeningof the peso to the dollar” as alibi to collect more money from the laboring citizens abroad, further prove the bankrupt economism of Philippine state power to shape-up Philippine balance of trade and balance of payments. The depreciation of the peso reflects bad economics as it means local industries are falling short of demands and could not generate higher monetary exchanges reflective of weak commodity circulation in the world market.
Nobody believes in the credibility of Philippine state to honestly engage in exchange and therefore has affected its means to generate external currencies and brisk trade and commerce. Take note that historically, Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth fed on dollar salting, and a lot of them in the upper echelon operate via dollar salting since the years from Marcos dictatorship and back to Marcos again. Today, when the irresponsible Marcos regime go out junketing, is it not using the country’s dollar reserves?
Due to this shortfall, the insolent state relies on sheer power of exaction and heaps on top the backs of migrant labor who suffer time away from home, in isolation and distance. Likewise, the state sustains to be inutile as it cannot craft systems of productivity to employ local labor to create further goods and services it can exchange for foreign currencies. Massive unemployment at home again reflects how bad the economic policies are on the lack of precision and realism to uplift the Philippine labor market. And so that lack of creativity to transform basic capital into valued added goods for global exchange makes a messy insolent state resort to sell and directly pimp its labor force abroad. Adding insult to injury, it puts pressure on the neck of Filipino migrant labor, via squeezing whatever amount it can bleed.
Hence, the never ending “Filipino labor export” policy that the state had cunningly designed as speedy stop gap measure to bleed on faucet of foreign currencies. Amongst the gambit are consular services on top the downtrodden migrant labor force as beasts of burden taking on massive taxes via consular collections from passports production, issuance of travel documents, notarial services, certifications, authentication, solemnization of marriage, petition corrections, visiting visas, seaman’s visa, and expediting fees among others.
STOP THE LABOR EXPORT POLICY!
STOP THE COLLECTION AND EXACTIONS ON MIGRANT LABOR!
REJECT MARCOS-DUTERTE REGIME!
-end-
For Reference:
Rhodney Pasion
Secretary General
Email add: www.migrante.eu
