'Is Obama PNoy's real boss?'

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino migrant workers' group on Wednesday expressed disappointment over President Benigno Aquino III’s priorities in his first official US trip.

“Now, his first trip abroad is primarily to meet with US President Obama and not with OFWs who have repeatedly called his attention for their woes. We wonder: is President Aquino meeting his real boss for more instructions?” said Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-Migrante-HK).

Balladeres-Pelaez said Aquino is more keen on meeting Obama and US investors than OFWs around the world who have been appealing for his help.

“He said we are his boss. In fact, overseas votes also delivered him the presidency. But why is it that his first order of business in his first overseas trip is not to meet us, OFWs, and respond to our demands?” she said.

She said Aquino has yet to show any significant act that would indicate improvement in the protection of the rights and delivery of services to Pinoys abroad.

She added that while OFW remittances help save the ailing economy, the president still did not bother to make trips to countries with large concentration of Pinoy workers to check on their situations and implement concrete actions to resolve their issues.

“When will he meet with OFWs rotting in jail in the Middle East? Or court host countries to provide better treatment to Filipino nationals and sign orders that will lessen the financial charges his government imposes to Filipino migrants such as the overpriced electronic passport?” she said.

According to her, OFWs have sent petition letters to Aquino outlining their demands, including the standardization of e-passport fees, repeal of mandatory fees, review of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s Omnibus Policies, and improved services to OFWs.

“What we got instead, in the name of belt-tightening, was the deplorable proposal to cut the budget for legal aid to OFWs and funds of the Assistance to Nationals for repatriation,” she said.