|
The reform of two important bills affecting overseas
workers and expatriate Filipinos will be a major concern of the Ahon
Pinoy party-list organization if voted to Congress in the May 14
election.
“We need to take a second look
at the overseas voting act and the dual citizenship law to make them
work more effectively for workers and immigrant Filipinos,” Bernie
F. Ople, Ahon nominee and spokesman said.
The flaws may be in the basic
laws or in the implementing rules, Ople said. Either way, the next
Congress should review the measures and their administrative
mechanism and Ahon Pinoy, if elected, will play a leading role, he
added.
Ahon Pinoy was organized by
retired and active OFWs to represent the eight million overseas
workers and their families in the House of Representatives. There
has not been an OFW party-list group elected to the Congress.
Ople has served as director
general of the National Manpower and Youth Council (now Tesda), the
training arm of government for out-of-school youth and prospective
workers. The other nominees are Francis “Klink” Ang II, a former
press attaché in Toronto, Canada, and Nino Herrera, a former worker
in New York City and an NGO executive.
Ople expressed concern that since
the pertinent laws were passed, only 522,514 OFWs have registered
under RA 9189, the Overseas Voting Act of 2003. On the other hand,
only about 26,000 former Filipinos have regained their citizenship
since the Bureau of Immigration started implementing the dual
citizenship law three years ago.
Dual citizenship is provided
under RA 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act, also
known as the Dual Citizenship Law. The act grants former Filipino
citizens the right to regain their citizenship to participate in the
national life through business investments, property acquisition and
retirement.
Ahon Pinoy considers these
numbers low considering that seven to eight million Filipinos are
working abroad. In addition, about three to four million Filipino
immigrants and expatriates who have elected new citizenship are
contributing to the economic and political life in their host
countries.
“We have to involve the OFWs
and the Filipino immigrants more fully in the election of national
officials and in economic activities in the Philippines, Ople said.
“Let’s begin with the review of the laws and their implementing
rules.”
|
