The Partido ng Manggagawa once more expresses its solidarity with the fight of the Filipino Educators Federation for labor justice and migrant rights. Your struggle inspires not just kababayans abroad and labor groups in the US but also workers in the homefront. News of your sacrifices and the victories you have achieved has reached the Philippine shores since the initial efforts and up to the latest filing of a class suit.
The class suit is a new front of battle so to speak. Again it will test the unity and resolve of the Filipino migrant teachers. Despite the gains you have achieved, supporters of the illegal recruiter Lulu Navarro will not weaken but grow even more desperate in sabotaging and resisting your endeavors.
But we have confidence in your strength and unity. Over the course of two years of struggle, you have proven yourselves worthy. We hope you the best in the class suit. Rest assured that not just your families back home but the workers movement in Philippines supports your fight.
Isa para sa lahat. Lahat para sa isa. That is the essence of bayanihan. That spirit of bayanihan that has guided your fight and eluded previous efforts at organizing Filipinos in the US will see you through thick and thin.
That same spirit of bayanihan animates the reviving struggles of the labor movement in the Philippines such as the export zones workers who have been ravaged by the effects of the global crisis and the Philippine Airline employees who are resisting the attempt of the second richest Filipino to turn them into contractuals who have less pay, no benefits and no security of tenure.
Mabuhay ang FEF! Mabuhay ang mga manggagawang Pilipino!
August 15, 2010
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BATON ROUGE — Hundreds of Filipino teachers recruited to teach in Louisiana schools were thrust into massive debt, unsavory living conditions and, in effect, indentured servitude, an attorney charges in a class action lawsuit to be filed today. However, they failed to mentioned that these teachers who are in debt had applied to different financial institutions in their native country, the Philippines over and over which had their application filled out and explained the monthly interest involved with their signatures, and co-signers signatures. After the approval, the funds borrowed which is over the placement fees and related fees where transferred to their respective bank accounts. The extra money was used either for their families, pocket money, and other personal use. The financial institutions said that most teachers skid away from their financial responsibilities. Up to now, August 2010, these teachers have not paid their debts. One complainant, Ingrid Cruz mentioned that she borrowed money from her family, however, the records show that she borrowed $9000 dollars from AG finance (Philippines). She mentioned to the media that she only borrowed money from her family. Again and Again they mentioned that the financial institution was either owned or in cahoots with the recruiting agencies. There is absolute evidence that the agency have no interest or ownership. There's no recruiting agency anywhere in the world that would render a service for free. The fees are standard and under POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Agency) rules. The passport being confiscated is also a blunder, because its standard practice or protocol for POEA and recruiting agencies in the Philippines to process the application to all avenues to complete their deployment. Imagine if they received their passport approval from their homes, they can and might SKID AWAY from their responsibilities from the agencies. Therefore, they can fly to their employers and work there, while escaping their signed contracts and financial obligations that was approved by POEA. Unsavory living conditions they say, hmm.. SAVOY is a huge company that has compliance with the city ordinance of Baton Rouge. How can you get a lease without any credit (first time in the US), that's why the Los Angeles recruiter made an arrangement for each teacher to pay SAVOY $ 310.00 (three hundred ten dollars only) a month with furnitures included. If SAVOY is unsavory and dilapidated, where is the city ordinance citation that says that? where?. the answer is null. Indentured servitude they 'say', Indentured servitude consisted of a worker (the "indentured servant"), usually from a foreign country, agreeing to work for a specific time, usually about 7-8 years, to pay off his costs of travel to the new country. Pay would be minimal during those 7-8 years, and might only include housing, food and training. We don't think this happen in their schools (employers). These teachers need to wake up and smell the coffee because making false accusation have TONS of re precaution after the fact. These temporary working Filipino teachers who loves to sue just for the hell of it will find the consequences in the end. This is a question of character and honesty. They probably think that this is all a joke. Lets make sure that these Filipino teachers names that other schools already have as we speak should make sure that they don't harm other educational institutions in Louisiana and other states. They keep diverting the real truth which is SUING their own employer for 5 million dollars. They like to use oppression on their recruiter and other key school personnel to somehow block the media and readers from the REAL INTENT to extort monetary compensation from the school district insurance carriers.
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