The Ramos Visit To The U.K.
Document Title: The Ramos Visit To The U.K.
Document Ref No: R9705161
First Published: Reflections - TBA
Publication Date: 16th May 1997
Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen, SSC
London : The British like to point out with pride that it was they who were first to officially outlaw slavery over a hundred years ago and had a important part in recognizing the equal rights of women under the law. But in reality many kinds of slavery still exist not only in the world but here in Britain where President Ramos is due to visit this week. While he will be meeting with British members of parliament and business executives eying juicy contracts in the Philippines he has rejected an invitation to meet with representatives of the more than 2000 Filipino contract workers here who are campaigning for the rights of Filipinos. The London based Kalayaan, an assistance and lobby group for overseas domestic workers set up by the Missionary Society of St. Columban (known in the Philippines as the Columbans) and the Church Commission For Filipino Migrant Workers have written to President Ramos asking him to visit workers representatives for one hour. These are the majority of the Filipino community who cannot afford to pay the US$100 a plate dinner organized by the Philippine Embassy in the Royal Lancaster Hotel. They want him to stand up for the rights of Filipinos here and end the abuses. These are the workers who send home millions of dollars used to pay the interest on the foreign debt and help keep the Philippines afloat and the wealthy living in luxury. Ernesto Castro, consul general at the Philippine Embassy on luxurious Palace Green gave little indication of compassion or legal action to defend Filipino's human and labor rights here. They have been in touch with immigration officials he told Reflections, "and in future call up the information desk" he curtly told Reflections.
In the letter from Kalayaan the cost of these earnings in human suffering is listed ; "They have suffered the treatment that used to be the lot of slaves - beatings, imprisonment, deprived of food, working for 24 hours, harassment, withholding of their wages, threats of abuse or even death. The list is long and the treatment cruel. It is happening in 1995 in the U.K. and the majority of people who suffer are Filipinos. The U.K. Government allows rich people from abroad to bring their domestic workers with them. The conditions attached to the arrangement can result in ill treatment and brutality as above". The letter said.
This is not a minor issue here.Last year 170 members of the British Parliament signed a motion calling on the other MP's to work together to solve the problem. Several of the concerned MPs told Reflections that they will raise the matter with president Ramos. The abuse of Filipino workers in Britain and elsewhere has been the subject of several TV documentaries. The failure of the Philippine officials to respond to this shameful history of abuse is one that President Ramos will have to respond to quickly. Regretfully it seems that high level Filipino officials are more interested in snaring business opportunities for their rich family and friends than protecting the rights of Filipinos. Investments in the Philippines benefit the rich not the poor.
Last 7 March I spoke on the needs of street children in the Philippines before a group of six Parliamentarians, members of a cross party committee on street children that has the full backing of 160 members of the British Parliament together with Lord Archer of Sandwell and high level officials of the Catholic Bishop's conference, NGO's and members of the press. This was arranged by the Jubilee Campaign a children's rights organization backed by the MPs committee. This was to promote the passing of legislation in the British Parliament to prosecute U.K. nationals who sexually abuse children when abroad and who manage to escape justice where the crime is committed. It is also aimed to bring the issue into focus for Philippine officials so that they will enforce laws against abusers including police and military. In Ozamis jail for example young people are held in prison in awful conditions, a violation of human rights and of R.A. 7310.
Several of these concerned MPs met with president Ramos in Malacanang last year and brought to his attention their deep concern about the trafficking in children for prostitution. Reflections wrote recently about the frustrated efforts of Philippine NGO's to get the cooperation of the NBI child protection unit in cracking these syndicates despite having infiltrated them and leading them to their Manila safe houses. The MPs representing the committee on street children will bring up the problem with President Ramos during his visit here. They will stress that law enforcement and the judicial system must be reformed in the Philippines because if it cannot protect its own children who can it protect. The Philippines, unable or unwilling to enforce it's laws, is fast earning a "lawless" reputation in the world community. President Ramos will be trying to patch that up as he swings through Europe and attend the World Summit for Social development in Copenhagen.
That summit heard Hillary Clinton tell the delegates that governments will have to think of new ways to protect the most vulnerable in their societies.
"They will have to protect basic human rights and that includes the rights of women and workers to be protected from exploitation and abuse..." she said. The summit is setting goals to end world poverty and social injustice and 120 heads of state are expected to attend. It is very much a problem of law enforcement and the juridical system. but one thing is clear that corruption in the police and NBI has to be ended and that is the clear message that the British members of parliament will deliver to president Ramos during his visit here. END
