Spare OFWs from war on terror - migrants' group

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have their own ‘wars’ to settle and the US war on terrorism should not be one of them. This was the strong condemnation by an alliance of Filipino migrants’ groups based in the Middle East on Monday against the statement of the US Embassy's FBI Legal Attaché Stephen Cutler that OFWs can be used to curb global terrorism. According to John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East (Migrante-ME) regional coordinator, the US war on terror is not an OFWs’ war and that they must be spared from this at all costs. In addition to this, Monterona criticized President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for allowing the RP-US Balikatan exercise in the country. On Saturday, Cutler, in a lecture on global terrorism at the Philippine College of Criminology in Manila, said that OFWs are capable of establishing “people-to-people understanding" and in effect, destroy hate, which he considered as the root of terrorism. Culter explained that the more than eight million OFWs across the globe, some in countries believed to be ridden with terrorists, directly relay understanding of cultures to their family members. While Migrante-ME agrees that Filipinos can easily relate with other nationalities around the world, Monterona said that “is not a reason why the Arroyo administration or any post-Arroyo government should heed this call using OFWs as a means to fight terrorism [in] whatever way." Own ‘wars’ According to Monterona, OFWs contend with their own ‘wars’ on a daily basis especially since their stay in foreign lands abound with many difficulties such as delinquent foreign employers and the ‘struggle within’ of being away from their family. “We, OFWs have our own ‘war’ here [and] abroad. The ‘war’ on the worsening plight of OFWs. The ‘war’ on demanding to our government to heed on our worsening plights, to have blue print for the protection of our rights, the ‘war’ for the advancement of our welfare. [These are] our own [‘wars’]," Monterona said. ‘Being an OFW is not a choice’ Migrante-ME claimed that the more than 10 million Filipinos working abroad is only an indication that the domestic economy failed to offer them decent jobs for raising their families. Monterona added that being an OFW is not a choice but the only option. “The OFW phenomenon is one of the clearest signs of the country’s economic backwardness," he said. “We are long dismayed with the Arroyo government considering migrant workers as the main export product like commodities to prop up our sagging economy as seen in its intensification of exporting labor without implementing honest programs for OFWs’ protection and welfare," Monterona added. Meanwhile, the group reiterated its call on President Arroyo to step down from office or be removed through a popular uprising. “Migrante is in the forefront, along with other sectors, calling for Mrs. Arroyo’s immediate resignation or to oust her with another People Power, with a hope that if she is removed, the next President must recognize the importance of protecting OFWs’ rights and welfare and must truly responsible for the rights and interests of our migrant workers," Monterona said. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV