A NEOPHYTE party-list lawmaker on Monday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to find ways to legalize the stay in China of over 200,000 undocumented Filipino migrant workers.
Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III of ACTS-OFW party-list said more than 200,000 undocumented Filipino workers in China—household workers, tutors, and private teachers—appear to have failed to secure work visas from the Chinese government.
Bertiz said Duterte could push for the documentation of those Filipino workers as a confidence building measure in pursuing the resumption of bilateral talks with China on the maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea.
He believes the President’s visit to China recently “will bring balance” in favor of these undocumented migrant workers.
“The concern of our sector would be the legalization of the agreement between China and the Philippines. Until now, the ones working in China, the majority of them, 200,000, most are undocumented, the documented ones are very few,” Bertiz told a news conference.
He said this issue was mentioned by Labor Secretary Bello III which shall be forwarded to the President to request Chinese authorities for the legalization of 200,000 undocumented OFWs in China.
Bello earlier said he brought up with the President the documentation of illegal OFWs in China, and have it discussed with Chinese officials during his state visit last Oct. 19 to 21.
Elsewhere, lawmakers expressed belief that the Philippine government is in the right track with joining alliance with China and Russia.
“We can have relationship with many countries. We may have multiple partners but one thing is constant, and we heard this from President Duterte: We must uphold our interest at all times,” Coop-Natcco party-list Rep. Anthony Bravo said.
“Rather than judge what the President said, I would rather judge it with what was accomplished during the trip,” Bravo added.
Buhay party-list Rep. Mariano Michael Velarde said “it is always good to add new alliances.”
“The country’s leaders are always looking out for the country and our countrymen’s best interest,” he said.
For his part, Aangat Tayo party-list Rep. Harlin Neil Abayon said the $24-billion investment that Duterte brought home from China would likely create two million jobs for the Filipino people.
“Aside from that, China also agreed to settle the disputes in accordance with international laws,” Abayon said, noting he saw nothing wrong in the Philippines having strengthened ties with China, with which it forged diplomatic relations in 1975 during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos.
“It sounds like President Duterte had a successful trip. For us, the result is okay,” Abayon said.