Back to square one?

"It's almost Sisyphean"

We wrote too soon. I sent my article for Monday last Sunday morning, where I expressed the hope that the overwhelming approval of the Bangsamoro Organic Law would usher in peace and eventual prosperity in Muslim Mindanao.

Then I motored to Hsinchu, a good hour away south of Taipei, to attend the third anniversary celebration of a group of Filipino OFWs who are photography enthusiasts, the Taiwan Litratistas.

These OFWs in Taiwan went into photography, first as a means to escape the drudgery of work in a foreign country during weekends, and also to learn a possible skill that would serve them in good stead when they return to the Philippines.

They also conduct workshops in our Ugnayan Center, teaching photography to our fellow contract workers.

Last year, we cooperated with them to put up the first photo exhibit of Philippine sceneries at Taipei’s Red House, a tourist landmark.

While we were having lunch, news came about the bombing of the Jolo cathedral, which suddenly cast a pall of gloom upon our table, where sat Davaoeño Cesar Chavez, our labor attache, and Dayang-Dayang Sitti Jaafar, our welfare officer who comes from Tawi-Tawi.

Just as the whole world was congratulating us for the successful ratification of what could finally end decades of fratricidal conflict in the South, this dastardly act happens. It’s almost Sisyphean. Are we back to square one in our quest for peace.

* * * 

Sulu is such a beautiful island. Several times in the past, when I was in the cabinet of President Estrada, we would see from a helicopter the many pristine white sand beaches and the mountain lakes that could be such an attractive destination for foreigners. The surrounding waters teem with abundant marine life. The soil is so fertile that the fruits in Sulu are without equal, whether lanzones or mangosteen.

If we only had peace, the economy of Sulu could grow by leaps and bounds, and its people saved from crippling poverty. The same could be said about Basilan.

Tawi-Tawi further south has fortunately been a haven of peace, and look how despite its distance from Luzon and the capital, this island province has slowly but surely developed, with its seaweed farming and nickel mining

* * * 

Over that Litratista affair in Hsinchu, our labor attache, Atty. Cesar Chavez, also spoke about a creeping human trafficking racket that victimizes our contract workers, as already detected in Taiwan.

Illegal recruiters still manage to prey on our OFWs by taking advantage of their search for greener pastures.

Chavez reported that five Filipinos are currently stranded in Malta after falling prey to illegal recruiters who

promised them jobs in Europe.

These unscrupulous recruiters specifically target workers in Taiwan because of their capacity to pay higher placement fees, amounting to as much as NT$200,000 or about P340,000, considering that they are already in good paying jobs in Taiwan.

Workers who have been on the island for quite some time, with substantial savings and who are about to reach the end of their contracts, are the most vulnerable to this unscrupulous scheme.

The lure of better-paying jobs, and the possibility of permanent residency, in Canada and other European countries is the biggest factor why our kababayans entertain these precarious offerings from illegal recruiters.

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office and the labor office, however, cannot extend protection or provide assistance to workers who avail of these job offers since their original job contracts indicate that they are to work in Taiwan.

We can only warn them not to entertain these job openings as they only jeopardize their safety and welfare.

* * *

Taiwan and many other Asian countries celebrate the New Year, which in the lunar calendar begins February 5.

As such, work grinds to a halt from February 2 all the way to February 10 this year, as the Year of the Pig takes over from the Year of the Dog.

Filipino travelers who made the mistake of booking tours in Taiwan will find almost all shops, even restaurants closed, as Taiwanese take a holiday break, much like our Christmas holidays where all work stops on December 24 and though not declared holidays, the dates between the 26th to the 29th are virtually no-work days until the first of January.

In the case of Taiwan and many other Asian countries, the whole week is declared an official holiday period. It is a practice that we may as well adopt in our country, that is, declare the whole period between December 24 to January 1 a long holiday.

Filipinos hardly work during this whole festive season anyway