By Vir B. Lumicao
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| A parade kicked off Unifil's 34th year celebration on Chater Road |
Thirty-four years since it was founded, United Filipinos in Hong Kong continues to rally migrant workers to remain
solid and continue the struggle for their rights and welfare.
Unifil chairperson Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, addressing
about 300 Filipinos who gathered on Chater
Road
“Nananatili pa rin ang banta sa atin na tayo ay hindi pa
makakauwi sa ating bansang Pilipinas sapagkat nananatili pa rin ang labor
export program at pinalalakas pa ito ng kasalukuyang gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng
pagtatayo ng Department of OFWs,” Balladares-Pelaez said.
She said the Duterte government continues to be deaf to migrants
workers’ gripes.
“Tatlong taon na ang lumipas subalit marami pa sa karaingan
nating mga OFW, mga migrante, and hindi pa naibibigay ng gobyernong ito,”
Balladares-Pelaez said.
“Kaya tama po, dapat ay hindi tayo tumigil, dapat ay
magpatuloy po tayo sa ating pagiging progresibo, dapat ay magpatuloy tayo sa
ating pagiging aktibista dahil kapag ipinakita nating ang ating pagsasama-sama
sa pagkilos at pagiging organisado natin, nagkakaroon tayo ng mga kongkretong
pakinabang dito sa Hong Kong,” she said.
She said the workers should remain united, whether they are
campaigning against anti-migrant worker policies of the Hong
Kong government or the Philippine government.
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Pelaez said OFWs should relentlessly fight for issues that
will eventually lead to their return to their homeland and be reunited with
their loved ones.
“Mangyayari lamang po iyan kung ang ating gobyerno ay
magsasagawa ng mga trabaho para sa ating mga Pilipino para po tayo ay hindi na
mapilitang lumabas ng bansa,” the Unifil leader said.
She said these would be regular jobs with decent salaries
for Filipino workers, land for the farmers, and better social services for the
Filipino masses.
“Pag iyan po ay maisagawa at maibigay sa mamamayang
Pilipino, asahan nating hindi na lalaki ang bilang ng ating mga mamamayan na
puwersahang nangingibang-bansa para maghanapbuhay nang mabigyan ng magandang
kinabukasan ang pamilya,” she said.
Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, manager of the Mission
for Migrant Workers, said her group has witnessed the development, progress,
and relentless struggle of Unifil for Filipino migrants’ rights and welfare in Hong Kong .
Tellez said that Unifil would not hesitate to act,
especially if the workers are victims of exploitation and whose rights are
being violated.
“Hindi ninyo makikita iyan na nakaupo lang, sapagkat iyan ay
magpapatuloy sa pagkilos,” Abdon-Tellez said.
She said from its original 10 member groups, Unifil
membership has more than doubled. She
said there were times the number fluctuated as member-groups dissolved as leaders
went home, but Unifil has remained strong and kept fighting for migrant
workers’ rights.
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| Parade of flags by Unifil's member-ogranizations |
Eman Villanueva, chairman of Bayan Hong Kong and Macau, said
the activism and solidarity of Unifil and its member groups have paid off
because over the past 34 years they have achieved benefits from the Philippine
and Hong Kong governments though their mass actions.
“Hindi biro yung dinaanan na mahigit tatlong dekada na
patuloy na pakikibaka at, higit sa lahat, patuloy na paglilingkod sa ating mga
OFW ditto sa Hong Kong ,” Villanueva said as he
explained the Unifil slogan “Proud to be progressive.”
He said being progressive means finding ways and solutions
to achieve what is best for the workers, especially in the face of adverse
policies.
“Kaya kayo ho, kapag napabilang sa isang tinatawag na
progresibong organisasyon, dapat proud
tayo…kasi hindi tayo tulad ng sinasabi ng iba na, ‘huwag na kayong magprotesta
para sa dagdag-sahod kasi yung sahod, itataas din naman iyan kahit hindi ka
magprotesta’,” Villanueva said.
He enumerated the concessions that migrant Filipino workers
won through their mass actions, foremost of which was forcing the Consulate to
open on Sundays when most domestic workers take their day off.
He also pointed out that the Hong Kong
government began legislating annual salary hikes for migrant workers after the
Unifil and allied workers groups from other Asian countries fought for them.
The celebrations started with a mass officiated by Father
Dwight dela Torre of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente/Philippine Independent
Church at 9 am, and followed by a parade and cultural presentations of various
groups under Unifil and other allied organizations.
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