Solon calls for justice on townmate-OFW’s fate
First District Board Member Richard Garin re-echoed calls for justice on the fate of a townmate, Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Lea Grozen Taronas.
Maltreated in the hands of her Singaporean employers, Taronas was repatriated in the middle of an unfinished 2-year work contract. She had to be rescued following well-placed fears of family members who lost contact months before the first plea for government intervention was made.
In a privilege speech, Garin labeled Tarona’s plight as a “personal tragedy” and a “national dilemma
“The 2008 survey on the diaspora of Filipinos to work as overseas contract workers will show us the following: 51.7% are males, 48.3% are females. The age group range from the early age of 15 up to 45 and over, the highest age groups as ages 25-39 for both males and females, the age group being the prime time for productivity and creativity for a human person,” he began. “The major occupations cover corporate executives down to laborers and unskilled workers, the latter getting the highest percentage of 32.4%. The highest region contributor is region IV-A, CALABARZON; Western Visayas has only 5.6%. The highest percentage for place of work is Asia with 78.2% and Singapore, where this speech will dwell on, has 2.6%. The total cash remittance for 2008 is 141 million pesos.”
Garin then went to cite the reasons why Filipinos seek jobs abroad as he presented the story of Taronas.
“Unstable economic and political situation of the country, low salary scale rates, poor or even no benefits at all. These are the generic or the overall scenario of the situation of working abroad and all the implications and results that come out of it,” Board Member Garin continued. “Let me be specific. This is a story of Lea Grozen Taronas of Brgy. Igcocolo, Guimbal, Iloilo. Lea used to be a home worker, just like every other married Filipino woman-an ordinary person by any standard. But she had dreams of her own, not the grandest of dreams, but rather simple and decent ones: to have food on the table, roof over their heads, clothing on their bodies, and to send her three children to school-decent and reasonable ways of life every responsible parent aspires.”
“In pursuit of her dreams, last march 10, 2008, as officially documented migrant worker, she ventured abroad to be a domestic helper. She became a homemaker of a house not her own. She cooked other people’s food, washed and ironed their clothes, cleaned their house, looked after their child, and washed their car. That did not really matter to her as long as she was able to provide for her own family’s future with the salary she hoped to earn,” he continued. “But fate did not mean it to be. She got herself ironed in the back when, in the judgment of her master, she ironed their clothes in the wrong way. She had to endure bodily injuries inflicted by her employers for incurring their displeasure for the most trivial of reasons. Her respite from work meant that she was to be locked up in her room. She was allowed only one meal per day and should be finished in 30 seconds and not paid the salary stipulated in the contract-the very motivation that impelled her to work in a foreign land.”
Pictures of Taronas bearing multiple injuries were then shown.
“Her ordeal ended last July 8, 2009, when she was repatriated-no,”rescued” would be a more appropriate term. It appears that the several weeks before, a fellow domestic helper took pity on Lea and took pictures of her knowledge. Those showed the damning scars of physical abuse. This good friend informed Lea’s family of her ordeal and showed the pictures as proof. This sad homecoming was covered by ABS-CBN Iloilo,” Garin continued with members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) shown the touching return.
“Lea was rescued from her abusers upon the intervention of Congresswoman Janette Loreto- Garin, who upon learning her state from Lea’s family immediately and personally saw to it that our government do what is expected to be done: protect the welfare of our “modern-day heroes”. This rescue effort was further made easier with the full assistance and cooperation of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Regional Office VI as well as the officers and staff thereof,” he added. “The personal tragedy of Lea Taronas begs immediate and efficient actions from the government as this again puts to fore the tragic plight of our unfortunate overseas workers being at the utter mercy of their employers. Official government records show acts of abuse and maltreatment of their employers. The unofficial record speaks of a much terrible prospect: forty (40) deaths every week. Needless to say, madness has to stop.”
Garin ended with a plea for action.
“If Flor Contemplacion was sentenced to death by Singaporean authorities for allegedly killing a fellow domestic helper, I, believing that justice is the same for those who live in mansions and those who live under bridges, am genuinely interested what penalty would the same Singaporean authorities impose upon these beast who inflicted upon Lea Taronas such physical, emotional, and psychological harm which would earn the title “Bestial Act of the Year” at any given time. Our country has more than adequate laws that seek to protect our overseas workers. Our Constitution mandates that the Sate shall afford full protection to labor, not only within our country but also overseas. Under the Migrant Workers Act of 1995 the Department of Foreign Affairs is mandated to provide over-all coordination and legal assistance to all Filipino Migrant Workers in distress.”
As for responsive efforts extended to Taronas, Board Member Garin pushed for the passage of Resolutions commending President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Garin also pushed for similar commendation to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Central Office, Dr. Jose Mari Fermin of the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
To note, PGMA in her recent Iloilo visit extended a P50,000 financial assistance to the family while OWWA’s James Mendiola facilitated the immediate and safe repatriation.
Dr. Fermin for his part personally attended to all the medical needs of Taronas alongside the assistance of the PCSO. While the DFA made official representations in the victim’s behalf.
“Lea Taronas might have thought, “I could never have a real home unless I own a house.” Too little to wish, too much has been paid. The poor can accept poverty but they can never accept injustice. And so, let there be justice,” Board Member Garin ended.