3

TABLE OF

contents
EDITORIAL

Hope with Broken Hearts in the

3 Holding
Failed Political Experiment

Collective Learning, Collective Actions:

The Conference of Asian Womens Rights
Organizations Working to End Trafficking to
Women
Ging Gasa

Kaagapay Gratefully Witnessed the 20th

GAATW International Members
Congress
amitaF@2014

Kagkalimwa joined TECHNODEMONSTRATION TRAINING ON MEAT

PROCESSING initiated by the Local
Government of Cotabato City
Racma A. Nguda

More Communities Acquired PreEmployment Orientation Seminar

(PEOS)
jasmine g. bayao

Staff Development has Helped Shape and

Improve Better Relationship for Effective
Service
Ging Gasa
Kaagapays 18th Anniversary Celebrated

yet Significant Way

7 inRacmaSimple
Nguda

Building Capacities of Migrant Rights

for Communities
8 Advocates
Racma A. Nguda

10
11

17

Children Joined the 8th Mindanao

11 OFW
Youth Peace Camp

From ARMM to Bangsamoro: Failing

Aspirations or Renewed Hope for OFWs in
the Core Territories
Goldy Omelio

Forum on Climate Justice

12 Womens
A collective article of Ummu Al-Psydon and Goldy Omelio

Is it All About War or Its Absence? Reexamining What Peace Really Means
Goldy Omelio

Sneak on the Membership of

21 Brief
Kagkalimwa OFW Federation

21 SURVEY on CHILDREN of OFWs

Assistance and Counseling Updates
22 Legal
for 2014

OFW Children Have Fun Way of

Learning Things:Experiences from
Recreational and Educational Program
jasmine g. bayao

LAKBAY TRIBU Matagumpay na Inilunsad!

Dumalo Bilang Pakikiisa

9 Kagkalimwa
Tonie Sumaid

16

Stakeholders Discussed BarangayLevel Initiative in Combating Labor

Trafficking and Illegal Recruitment in
Cotabato City

On the Remarkable Success of the Asian

How to Response to Disaster-Affected

A Reflection
13 Communities:
Rahima M. Aliman

14

Pagdamay, Pagtulong at Pagsaksi:

Ang Pagbangon ng mga Nasalanta ng
Bagyong Yolanda sa Palompon,Leyte
nor-malyn
Kaagapay Observed the Public Hearing on

Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)

15 the
Ging Gasa

EDITORIAL

Holding Hope with

Broken Hearts
in the Failed
Political Experiment

The Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will cease to
exist by June 2015. This is because during
this time the Bangsamoro Transition
Authority (BTA) will be put in place
replacing the ARMM and repealing the
laws which created it namely: Republic
Act (RA) 6734 and RA 9054. Before the
abovementioned date, it is hoped that a
law which will be the legal foundation of
the new political entity the Bangsamoro
will be approved by both houses of
Congress signed by the President into law
and will be submitted to the peoples in
affected territories in the plebiscite ninety
(90) days after it was promulgated into
law.

The concrete change in the
political landscape in this part of the
country is the result of the political
negotiation between the Government
of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Just as
the ARMM is the concrete result of the
political negotiation between GPH and the
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
in 1996, the Bangsamoro will be the
political concession between the GPH and
MILF which will be regularly set up in
2016.

This was what everybody has
hoped for and that such scenario will
be a reality in the next few months. A
concrete political entity which has been
closely tied up with the popularity and

term of President Noy Aquino. A peace

which attainment has been tied up with
the specific President and not with the
stakeholders interest and demands is
like building a house in a very weak
foundation.

Big events which happened
in the first month of the year have
substantially changed all these.
In the middle of January 2015, the
spiritual leader of the worlds Catholic
visited the country and impacted
very much in the lives of all citizens
including the political leaders and the
ordinary citizens. He has emphasized
two important things; the first, is the
protection of the families and the social
costs which the families have paid
because of the separation of the members
of the families for economic and
employment reasons. The pope (Pope
Francis) has emphasized that corruption
diverts the resources for the poor that
directly linking the issues of migration
(OFWs reality) and corruption. That is
if resources are not stolen then. They
can create employment in different parts
of the country and that families need
not be separated because opportunities
for meaningful employment are made
available; and the second, important
statement of Pope Francis is that, he
wishes to have the peace in the southern
part of the country be successful but that
it should be sustainable and inclusive
which he specifically mentioned about
the inclusion of the indigenous peoples.
Weeks have passed after Pope
Francis had left the country when the
Mamasapano event happened. After
all have been said and done on this
very unfortunate event and almost ten

investigating bodies have been created

a reality has unfolded the fragility
of the peace that everybody is hoping
to get from the Bangsamoro political
entity. The forty-four (44) lives of the
Special Action Forces (SAF) of the
Philippine National Police (SAF-PNP),
the eighteen (18) lives of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and
four (4) civilians lives were lost to get
the international Malaysian terrorist
Marwan. The question of why so many
lives were lost including the collateral
damage just to get one notorious terrorist
and bomb maker is another story. The
event, however, opens up the nature
of peace that everybody is helping to
achieve in the next few months. It opens
up that much has to be clarified in terms
of the concepts of territory, security and
ultimately trust.

The Congress (both Houses)
has postponed all consultations and
hearings of the Bangsamoro Basic
Law (BBL) the legal basis for the
Bangsamoro Political Entity until these
basic points should be clarified. And this
has been done without anybody being
accused of peace spoilers.
Generally the trend in terms of people
pulse is still for achieving peace in
Mindanao and that this can be defined in
the BBL. The difference now is that the
Basic Law is being reviewed hoping
that this time it should be inclusive and
not just be bound in the framework of
one or two groups.

It will be therefore can be a
very opportune moment to consider the
agenda of the OFWs and the ensuring
of the new political entity will not only
cater to the foreign economic interests
but first and foremost the interest of the
majority of the three communities in
the region in terms of providing them
with meaningful employment. The nonseparation of families or the families
that stay together can truly help in the
strengthening of the new political entity
in the region. This unfortunate event has
created a space for us to put into practice
the message of Pope Francis.

While all of us should offer
profound sympathy with the families
and loved ones of those who were killed
in the Mamasapano incident let us all
make sincere efforts that their sacrifice
will not be in vain. Let us not give
any chance for another failed political
experiment in this part of the country.

33

Collective Learning, Collective Actions:

The Conference of Asian Womens Rights
Organizations Working to End Trafficking
to Women

day focused in strengthening

organizational learning system and
mechanisms. Overall, every partner
brought back new experiences
and learning which successfully
concluded the three-day meeting.

Ging Gasa

Committing themselves
to end trafficking of women
in Asia, twelve (12) womens
rights organizations in Asia,
including Kaagapay OFW
Resource and Service Center,
Inc., were convened on April
8-10, 2014 at Gokarna Forest
Resort in Kathmandu, Nepal. It
was attended by twenty five (25)
participants from the different
womens rights organizations
from the countries of India,
Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia and
Philippines which are partners
of the Global Fund for Women
(GFW).

This meeting aimed
for the participants and partner
organizations to share and learn
from each others strategies.
Discussions included the effective
ways of preventing and addressing
human trafficking in Asia within
the perspectives of human rights,
womens rights, labor rights and
migrant workers rights. It also
strengthened monitoring and
evaluation (M & E) tools through
identifying its key elements
42

that could effectively track

the progress and measure the
outcome of each organization
and as a collective group that
works for women. This M & E
is the Gender at Work Change
Matrix which GFW adopted.
The partner organizations also
discussed the key steps in
creating a stronger and more
reflexive learning system. Each
days activity was divided in
presentations where participants
from a partner organization share
about their work experiences in
combating trafficking to women
as supported by the Global Fund
for Women. The parking issues
that the group discussed together
with the resource person are both
challenging and encouraging
to the projects effectiveness in
times of implementation.

The second day of the
meeting focused on reevaluating
the results of the workshop by
using the Change Matrix and
reexamining the identified set
of indicators in measuring the
impact of work while the 3rd

Kaagapay
Gratefully
Witnessed the
20th GAATW
International
Members Congress
amitaF@2014

In celebrating the 20th
Anniversary of Global Alliance
against Trafficking of Women
(GAATW), it would be best for
the members to reflect on their
collective work experiences in
ending trafficking to women for the
past 20 years and looking forward
for another set of years for their
upcoming activities.

The GAATW International
Members Congress was held at
Swissotel Nai Lert Park Bangkok,
Thailand on September 23-26,
2014. Members attendance was
prioritized in the congress for

Kagkalimwa
joined TECHNODEMONSTRATION
TRAINING ON MEAT
PROCESSING initiated
by the Local Government
of Cotabato City
Racma A. Nguda

updates and planning purposes

but it was also opened for nonmember organizations like
Kaagapay who were invited for
the said gathering. The language
barriers did not hinder the success
of the gathering as interpretations
were easily available during
plenary discussion where English
and Spanish were simultaneously
provided.

There were different topics
on issues relating to women and
trafficking which were discussed
simultaneously and which the
participants could choose from.
Each presenter, majority of them
are members of GAATW, shared
their groups work experiences
and programs and services. At the
end of the discussion, attendees

have the chance for interactions

through the open forum.

The congress ended
with a closing celebration in the
evening of September 25, 2014
that marked the 20th Anniversary
of GAATW. It was enriched with
the showcase of presentations of
every country through dancing,
singing, drama and others with
the use of their cultural costumes
and dresses.

The GAATW members
at the end expressed their
gratefulness for non-member
organizations that fully supported
and joined the unforgettable and
historical celebration.

Kaagapays attendance
was supported by the Global
Fund for Women.

This is a program
of the Local Government
of Cotabato City as support
training to different civil society
organizations from the grassroots
communities Kagkalimwa
OFWFederation become part of it
as a member of the Cotabato City
Womens Council (CCWC) which
is one of the beneficiary groups of
the said training.

There were two (2)
sessions on this training. One was
conducted on September 12-13,
2014 for non-Muslimor non-Halal
procedures and the second session
was on September 26-27, 2014 for
Muslim or Halal procedure. The
demonstration processed Chicken
Nuggets, Corned Beef, Beef
Siomai, Beef Tafa and Embotido.

The two-day training
started with an opening remark
53

of DR. PANDA, a Veterinary

Specialist of Department of
Agriculture-Region XII. He
gave some points regarding
animal vaccine and ways to
slaughter animals into Halal
procedure by hygienic practices
in slaughterhouses and throughout
the cold chain which is equally
important. Principles of sanitation
of premises and equipment were
also described. They provided
manual to every trainee as
guidelines that trainees can utilize
for future demonstration in their
community.

The Techno-Demonstration
was facilitated by a representative
from the Department of Agriculture
(DA) Veterinary Department who
provided more details of hygiene
techniques before she demonstrated
the processing.
Selecting meat animals should
be in good variety and healthy.
And simple packaging techniques
were also taught in case packaging
machines are not readily available.
After the processing demonstration,
trainees were grouped where they
did actual processing and later
displayed their output for the trainer
to test and comment. .

The training provided
participants a big opportunity to
practice what they have learned for
family consumption and additional
income for their small business.
And also share such learning to
other members of their organization.

We do hope that the Local
Government of Cotabato City will
continue supporting grassroots
organizations and communities
through initiatives that could
support their organizations as well
as their families. The member of the
peoples organization particularly
the Kagkalimwa OFW Federation
gained additional knowledge and
skills from the said training.

62

More Communities Acquired PreEmployment Orientation Seminar

(PEOS)
jasmine g. bayao

In continuing the fight
against illegal recruitment
and human trafficking,
Kaagapay conducted another
series of pre-employment
orientation seminar (PEOS)
in the selected communities
of Mother Kabuntalan town
of Maguindanao, Alamada
town of North Cotabato
and Kolambugan town of
Lanao del Norte province.
These three (3) identified
municipalities have a
significant number of OFWs
and would-be OFWs with
potential partner communities.
During the orientation, most
of the participants have less
knowledge on the basic rights
of the OFWs and members of
their family. But this did not
limit their active participation
during discussions and open
forum. Moreover, they saw it
as opportunity to share their

own experiences as either OFW

returnee or as family members.
Also, the orientation became a
venue for them to know what to do
and where to go if the member(s)
of their family encounter problems
abroad, identifying the acts of
illegal recruitment and trafficking
and the means to avoid it.

Below is the list of the
number of participants by barangay
and by gender who attended
the orientation. There were a
total of two hundred four (204)
participants in Mother Kabuntalan,
Maguindanao, one hundred thirteen
(113) in Alamada, North Cotabato
and two hundred two (201) in
Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte.
In total, there were two hundred
twenty-nine (229) men and two
hundred eighty-nine (289) women
who benefited from the orientation.
For 2014, the orientation had
five hundred eighteen (518)
beneficiaries.

Staff Development
has Helped
Shape and
Improve Better
Relationship for
Effective Service
Ging Gasa

Kaagapay staff and
personnel had undergone a
Staff Development session last
January 31- February 3, 2014 at
Lemlunay Beach Resort, Maitom,
Saranggani Province. The
blissful three-day activity began
perfectly by revealing historical
background of personalities of
the staff through genealogy. The
session aimed at building better
relationship among colleagues,
strengthening self-esteem and
knowing better ones personality
for effective delivery of

Kaagapays programs and services.

This session made the staff
reveal and understand each others
weaknesses, strengths and unique
personalities while learning how to
adjust with one another in order to
work collectively and effectively. As
a development worker, this activity
is necessary to ease impacts of
dynamic behavior and personalities
in order to easily address

institutional and programrelated problems and come up

with a solution.

This kind of activities
if done regularly will surely
continuously upgrade the skills
and upscale the capacities of
personnel and staff to face new
challenges in an ever changing
situation.

Kaagapays 18th
Anniversary
Celebrated in Simple
yet Significant Way
Racma Nguda

October 16, 2014
marked the 18th Anniversary of
Kaagapay OFW Resource and
Service Centre, Incorporated.
This years memorable and
significant celebration was done
in a modest way by Kaagapay
staff together with some invited
Uztads who led the Dua (prayer).
The simple celebration was

73

more of a thanksgiving for

all the blessings and unending
delivery of the services to
Kaagapays constituents while
asking the Almighty Allah for
the continuous blessings for
Kaagapay where solidarity, better
relationship and understanding
regardless of different cultures
and beliefs will be developed
among the staff.

Difficulties and trials
were encountered for the past
years and the staff were able
to continue reaching the goals
of Kaagapay and extending
help and support to OFWs and
their families in the area. The
presence and undying support
and solidarity of the local and
international partners also
contributed to the success of

Building Capacities of Migrant Rights

Advocates for Communities
Racma A. Nguda

Trainers Training on
Migrant Rights for Communities
was organized by the Center
for Migrants Advocacy (CMA)
on October 8 - 12, 2014 at the
Davao Episcopal Mission Center,
Davao City. The trainees are
from barangay local government
units (BLGUs), non-government
organizations like Kaagapay
and members of the peoples
organizations like Kagkalimwa
OFW Federation. .
This advance training is a result

82

of the previous trainings of

the CMA among Mindanao
partners. The training provided
participants the skills and
capacities they need in
addressing the issues and
concerns of distressed OFWs
and coming up with possible
intervention to assist the
community.

At the workshop, trainees
discussed about their experiences
where OFW returnees, who are
at the same time trainees, shared

the initiatives in the partner

communities.

After prayers were said,
a simple meal was enjoyed and
shared by everybody.

Mabuhay ang Kaagapay !

what they have encountered

during the periods of working
in other countries. Abuses are
common and salaries stated
in the contract are not being
followed. Their experiences
have no difference to the current
experiences of the OFWs.

Representatives from
various concerned government
agencies were also invited.
The Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority
(TESDA Davao) gave inputs
about their programs and
services On the other hand, the
ARMM Regional Human Rights
Commission (RHRC) shared
about not being mandated by the
Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration (POEA) of any
function relating to addressing
distressed OFWs but the agency
is capable and can extend
assistance to them independently.
The Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration
(POEA), on the other hand, shared
that they have no cases of illegal
recruitment but they have cases of
estafa.
Another government agency
that gave significant input was
the Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration (OWWA) through
the Regional Welfare Office XI.
OIC- Regional Director Eduardo

E. Bellido discussed about some

tips in preparing and planning a
small business for the OFWs as
part of reintegration program.
He also mentioned about nongovernment organizations
accredited in conducting predeployment orientation seminar
(PDOS) and they are also trained.
He expressed his support in
strengthening awareness raising
and advocating for the rights of
OFWs.

Atty. Noel Ben of the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
was also present and discussed
about some significant points
of the laws that cover the rights
and welfare of OFWs and
their families. Cases of illegal
recruitment seemed widespread,

unstoppable and distressed OFWs

suffer the difficulties at the hands
of their own employer yet the
national government are very
slow in responding to all these
problems. The efforts of NGOs,
however, are commendable as
they assist and support the needs
of the OFWs. It is a challenge
for everybody to advocate for and
demand from the government the
worthy attention that these OFWs
need who, in worst situation, do
not know whom to seek redress
from.

The brief message of
Ambassador to Abu Dhabi
Bahnarim A. Guinomla also
posed challenge for private
manning agencies. Abusive
employers could sometimes

not be traced due to the lack of

cooperation from these agencies
in providing sufficient information
as to the background of employers
whom Filipino workers are
working with.

After the days series of
discussions, group workshops
allowed participants in discussing
about action plans for their specific
area of concern that would include
monitoring the data and recording
OFWs in their barangays.

The training mainly
gave additional knowledge and
capacities to trainees the proper
procedures in helping distressed
OFWs in their respective areas.
It is also a way of enhancing
awareness to better educate the
people in the community.

LAKBAY TRIBU
Matagumpay na
Inilunsad!
Kagkalimwa
Dumalo Bilang
Pakikiisa

at pagsakatuparan ng kanilang
karapatan sa sariling pagpapasya
sa loob ng panukalang
Bangsamoro Government.

Binuksan ang paglalakbay
na ito noong Setyembre
13, 2014 na ginanap sa Upi
Agricultural School sa bayan
ng Upi, Maguindanao sa
pamamagitan ng isang ritwal
ng mga Teduray at Lambangian
na sinundan naman ng isang
maliit subalit mahalagang
talakayan kasama ang mga
timuays at fintailans at si
BTC Commissioner Froilyn
Mendoza.
Nagkaroon
ng malawakang diskusyon at
talakayan kasama ang iba pang
dumalo sa programa bago pa man
ito nagtapos sa hapon.

Noong Setyembre
17, 2014 ako at iba ko pang
kasamahan sa Kagkalimwa
OFW Federation ay kasamang
naglakbay patungo sa iba pang

lugar kung saan nagkaroon ng

debating forum sa Mindanao State
University sa Marawi City kasama
ang mga estudyante at mga guro sa
nasabing unibersidad. Kinabukasan
ay tuloy naman kami sa bayan ng
Lala, Lanao del Norte at naging
matagumpay rin ang programa at
talakayan doon.

Setyembre 22, 2014
ng bumalik kami sa Cotabato
City at dito nagtapos ang unang
paglalakbay dahil nagpatuloy pa
rin ang Lakbay Tribu sa Pagadian
City, Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur,
Kabacan, Midsayap, Davao City at
iba pang lugar sa Mindanao. Kami
ay masaya na naging bahagi kahit
sa unang paglalakbay lamang dahil
dito namin mas lalong nauunawaan
ang kalagayan at mga panawagan
ng mga katutubo.

Tonie Sumaid

Ang MPPM ay naglunsad
ng paglalakbay na pinangalanang,
LAKBAY TRIBU Para sa Sariling
Pagpapasya na sinimulan noong
Setyembre 13, 2014 at nagtapos
sa Oktubre 29, 2014.Ang
paglalakbay na ito ay inilunsad
para sa ating mga kapatid na
mga katutubo, lalong-lalo na
ng mga Teduray, Lambangian
at Dulangan- Menubo na
naghahangad din ng kapayapaan

93


Different stakeholders
had gathered on October 1, 2014
at Sardonyx Plaza, Cotabato City
and discussed about the possibility
of bringing to the barangay level
the documentation and monitoring
mechanisms that would help prevent
and uphold the rights of victims/
survivors of labor trafficking and illegal
recruitment in Cotabato City.

About seventy-five (75)
representatives from the communitybased organizations,
barangay local
government units,
non-government
organizations,
government agencies
and Sangguniang
Panlungsod office
had attended the
Stakeholders Forum:
Towards Establishing
A Barangay-Level
Mechanism to
Document and
Monitor Labor
Trafficking and
Illegal Recruitment in
Cotabato City.

Led by
Kaagapay Overseas
Filipino Workers
Resource and Service
Center, Incorporated
in partnership with the
Cotabato City Women
Council (CCWC), the
stakeholders expressed
positive feedback
on the presented
mechanism.

Barangay local government
unit (BLGU) as the basic and most
accessible unit of government has
been involved in the recruitment
process of overseas/local employment
only through releasing of Barangay
Clearance/Certification as a prerequisite
document in obtaining passport
from the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) Cotabato Consular
Office. However, there is no concrete
mechanism that would make the
BLGU responsible in preventing the
incidence of labor trafficking and illegal
recruitment in its respective barangay
and/or no concrete information and
details that could be used to sue/
prosecute the trafficker/recruiter. This
is the gap seen with the existing efforts

of the different concerned agencies like

the present formation of Inter-Agency
Committee Against Trafficking (IACAT)
and all other initiatives of government
and non-government institutions that
aim to eradicate or at least lessen the
incidence of labor trafficking and illegal
recruitment.

The proposed mechanism would
authorize BLGUs to record/document
the important details such as name of
the manning/recruitment agency with

COMELEC Certification or Voters ID

before a clearance is awarded while
Barangay Mother Bagua, because of
the extensive coverage of the barangay,
requires their constituent to submit a
signed clearance from the Purok Leader
before a Barangay Clearance is released.
Though the advocacy concept is
acceptable to the stakeholders,
there were challenges, concerns and
recommendations raised that also need
to be comprehensively considered by
all the stakeholders. (1)
List of licensed manning/
recruitment agencies
operating in the area
should be provided
to the BLGUs, (2)
massive dissemination
of right information in
every barangay about
labor trafficking and
illegal recruitment and
the ways to prevent
it, (3) building and
strengthening the capacity
of the barangay officials
as part of establishing
the mechanism, (4)
community-based
organizations, especially
members of the Cotabato
City Women Council
(CCWC), should
accompany the BLGUs
in monitoring labor
trafficking and illegal
recruitment in their
respective barangay,
(5) a local ordinance
should be formulated for
the purpose of this advocacy through
the office of Sangguniang Panlungsod
Member Christina Chua as chairperson
of the Womens Committee, (6) concerns
about labor trafficking and illegal
recruitment shall be integrated to the
current formulation of the Gender and
Development (GAD) Code of the city and
(7) for the City Government to strengthen
local economy and employment.
It has been acknowledged that all
the stakeholders have different and
complimentary responsibilities over
the issue of labor trafficking and illegal
recruitment in the city; that it is not
only the responsibility of government
agencies/institutions or barangay officials
but all the members of the community.
In such a way, a good image of Cotabato
City is established.

Stakeholders Discussed BarangayLevel Initiative in Combating Labor

Trafficking and Illegal Recruitment
in Cotabato City

2
10

its corresponding contact details, name

of the recruiter/agent (if any) and his/
her contact information and proof of
identity, country of work as to where the
constituent is applying for work, nature of
work that the constituent is applying for
and all other relevant information need
to obtain before releasing the requested
Barangay Clearance/Certification. In this
event, any anomalies of the recruitment
process could be prevented and the
information obtained could be use in
filing a case/complaint against involved
parties/entities should there be rights
violation perpetrated.

The forum also provided
opportunities for the stakeholders to
learn from each others initiatives that
could also help develop the mechanism.
Barangay Poblacion 6, for instance,
requires their constituent to submit

OFW Children
Joined the 8th
Mindanao Youth
Peace Camp

OFW Children Have Fun Way of

Learning Things:
Experiences from Recreational and
Educational Program
jasmine g. bayao

As a result to last years
program Paaralang Pangkaunlaran
among Children of OFWs, Kaagapay
OFW Resource and Service Center,
Inc. decided launching the OFW
Childrens Recreational and
Educational Program aimed at
making the OFW children aware
of their rights and providing
them opportunities to enhance their
talents in music and arts and develop
camaraderie among each other.

The activity, held at Ummah
Development Center, Rosary Heights
5, Cotabato City on June 12, 2014,
was participated by fourteen (14)
girls and fourteen (14) boys from
Cotabato City and Maguindanao with
a total of twenty-eight (28) active
children. . The program was also
timely, as a commemoration of the
116th National Independence Day.
The first part was a brief input on
Republic Act 9262 or the AntiViolence against Women and their
Children Act which the children
carefully listened into and enjoyed
the visual presentation with moving
and colourful pictures. It was then
followed by colouring of personally
selected image from the provided
book and team-building games. Each
of them was very excited and showed

competitiveness with their fellow

children.

The other exciting part was
the drawing contest which focused on
the thematic question, As a child of
OFW, how would you draw or picture
out yourself and your dreams?
The children actively joined in the
drawing contest. Out of twenty-eight
(28) entries five (5) were announced
winners who got major prizes while
others got minor prizes with the help
of the two (2) judges Ms. Haniessa
P. Mastura from Tripod Foundation
and Mr. Abuzar Salik from Mindanao
Peoples Peace Movement. Some of
the parents/guardians were there who
showed support and guidance to their
children for the whole duration of the
activity. Thanks to them.

This program had once again
opened up better understanding of
the struggle of children of OFWs as
always victims of emotional distress
and loneliness. As observed the
children showed longing for their
parent (s). Their simple drawings
illustrated their disagreement about
their parent working abroad but
accepted that they dont have a choice
and rather take the consequence
of being left behind and grow up
between their parent (or one of them).

About seventeen (17)
children of OFWs from Cotabato
City have, for the first time,
joined the 8th Mindanao Youth
Peace Camp on June 20 23,
2014 held at LGU Beach Resort,
Barangay Lower Bayao, Tukuran,
Zamboanga Del Sur. It was of
another remarkable success for the
Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao
para Kapayapaan (AKMK) that
organized the said camp participated
by about two hundred fifty (250) tripeople youth delegates representing
thirty-three (33) organizations from
different communities of Mindanao.

With the theme, Advancing
an Inclusive and Peaceful
Mindanao: Our Generations
Responsibility, the camp established
integration among the tri-people
youth in building a comprehensive
and inclusive peace in Mindanao
and inculcated awareness about their
immense role in peace-building.
Timely with the development of
I would like to express my
deepest gratitude for letting
me and other OFW children
experience the 8th Mindanao
Youth Peace Camp held at
Tukuran, Zamboanga del
Sur last June 20-23, 2014.
I am glad that I met youth
organizations and new
friends. In the few days of
the camp, me and the rest of
the OFW children have done
a lot of activity bonding and
have learned a lot of things
from it.
-Jonaira Pendi

113

the GPH-MILF peace process,

the camp also discussed issues on
Sustainable Economic Alternatives,
Labor Migration and the Youth,
Globalization of Education, Gender
and Cultures (Men, Women, LGBT),
and The Future of Our Food and
Agricultural System: Challenges to
the Youth.

Lessons learned and
knowledge gained from the lectures,
thematic workshops, multimedia,
and teambuilding games are the tripeople youths humble contributions
to the peace-building efforts in
Mindanao.

Im not surprised about the
issues and concerns raised by the
delegates at the forum because even
me is affected by frequent flood
in my area in Sultan Kudarat town
of Maguindanao province which is
near the Rio Grande de Mindanao.
Local government units have limited
support in assisting the needs of the
community affected by calamities.

Various demands and
calls of people were voiced out
such as putting an end to mining
and logging but such acts are still
rampant. .

We should stand with one
another through peaceful means of
solving the problems of our mother
land.
-Racma A. Nguda

On the Remarkable
Success of the Asian
Womens Forum on
Climate Justice
A collective article of Ummu AlPsydon and Goldy Omelio

Attended by close to a
hundred women and witnessed
by few men, the Asian Womens

12
2

Forum on Climate Justice was

successfully realized through
the initiatives of International
Institute for Research and
Education (IIRE) Manila,
Mindanao Tri-people Women
Resource Center, Inc., Focus
on Global South and Stop
the War Coalition. This was
conducted at the University
of the Philippines Balay
Kalinaw, Diliman, Quezon
City last July 2-3, 2014 which

was attended by fifty six (56)

organizations from different
regions of Luzon (with thirtyeight organizations),Visayas
(with three) and Mindanao (with
fifteen organizations) mostly
from the grassroots women
organizations. International
delegates from Pakistan,
Indonesia, Malaysia, France,
Canada and Netherlands were also
present. The forum aimed for the
following objectives: (1) convene

women leaders from different

Asian countries to share and learn
on the issues of climate change
and how the situation affects
grassroots women in different
situations; (2) establish network
and linkages among different
womens groups especially at
the grassroots level; ; and (3)
foster closer communication and
develop mechanisms for effective
campaigns on climate justice
among women and climate justice
activists across Asia.

The guest speaker,
Marijke Colle, former codirector of IIRE-Amsterdam,
discussed about Climate Crisis
and Ecofeminism. Accordingly,
ecological and social disasters are
most likely caused by capitalism,
which exploits the people and
destroys the environment as the
basis of all human society, and
the speeding up of ice melting
in Antarctica that resulted to the
rise of the sea level. Ecological
crisis is manifested through
agro-chemical industry which
is unsustainable; the foods are
produced by machines and not
by human and the decrease of
production due to the changes of
climate. The development of the
bio-fuels threatened people as it

produces goods for fuels and

not food for the people. On the
other hand, developed countries
are buying vast of lands in
underdeveloped countries, which
is an act of land grabbing, for
mono-cropping which is mainly
for export. These have caused
unstable food prices, migration
from the countryside to the cities
and general pollution as even
the wastes are being sent to
other countries. This is literally
a man-made ecological crisis.
Industrial revolution was never
an answer to development as
it exponentially begins and
intensifies ecological crisis.
In pharmaceutical industry,
capitalist expensed more on
advertisement with high price of
items rather than on research or
experiment for better medicines
however, it does not respond
to human needs but to their
profit. . Thereby, capitalist
system extends it exploitations
to all places and resources in the
world. The privatization scheme
is not for the needs of the people
but for profit; exploitation of
the workforce and the nature is
exorbitant.

This exploitation and
crisis are additional oppression

among women. Womens labor

are often devalued since they are
perceived as the central figure in
taking care of men and children
and have the central role in the
private sphere. Currently, women
are under the struggle for social
rights, reproductive rights, and
equal rights to education among
others. Yet 2/3 of the economic
works of the society are done
by women thus, sustaining the
work force. Asia is more affected
because 70% of the worlds
population is from Asia.

Impacts of climate
change to women in Asia
were then shared by delegates
from Indonesia, Pakistan and
Philippines.

Various topics were also
discussed at the forum such as
Food Sovereignty and Climate
Change, Climate Refugees and
Migration, Global Struggle for
Climate Justice and Grassroots
Women and the Struggle for
Climate Justice. At the end of the
forum, delegates discussed and
adhered to strategies, approaches
and proposals for cooperation in
addressing climate justice.

How to Response to
Disaster-Affected
Communities:

for Basic Sectors Leadership

conducted on October 17-20,
2014 held at Family Country
Hotel, General Santos City. The
participants come from different
areas of Region XII and parts
of Maguindanao like Cotabato
City, Pagalungan, Paglat,
Datu Montawal, Upi, Lebak,
Basilan, General Santos City
and other areas. It was started
by the preliminaries followed
by the opening remarks and

key notes of Sr. Mela Fellizar

Cagay and Director Reynaldo
M. Bungobong CESE, DILG of
Region X11.

During the second day
there was discussion about
Understanding Hazard and
Disaster which presented the
Hydrological and Geological
Hazard affecting the region.
Hazards include environmental
calamities like snow storm,
earthquake or the eruption

A Reflection
Rahima M. Aliman

This reflection was
based on a three-day seminar
on Community Based Disaster
Risk Management Training

133

of volcanic wave and other

disasters that affect the people
in the community. Disasters
mostly affect vulnerable people
including their health and
livelihood.

My reflection is on our
experiences for the past years
that we, Filipinos encountered
many forms of calamities in
our communities with lack of
support from the Government.
Their support could not
accommodate and address

the needs of all the affected

people and victims/survivors of
flood where more houses were
destroyed, livelihood damaged
and their equipments destroyed.
To date, there are still a lot of
families and individuals who
have not recovered from all of
these calamities.

What is exactly the
real framework of responses to
disaster-affected communities?
This kind of question is very
relevant in the context that

today we are witnessing the

new normal in our climate and
environment. Our response must
not only to mitigate the impact
of the climate change. It should
be preventive which means
we should campaign to stop all
mining and logging activities in
our areas. This should be done
here and now by all of us.

religious organizations,
academes at iba pa.

Kahit pa man sa dami
ng tulong na naipamahagi sa
mga apektadong indibidwal
at pamilya, ito ay may
kakulangan pa rin. Isa sa
mga local organizations na
nakakita ng kakulangang
ito ay ang Kaagapay OFW
Resource and Service Center
sa pakikipagtulungan nito sa
Mindanao Humanitarian Action
Network against Disasters
(MiHANDS). Samantalang ang
Global Fund for Women ay

isa naman sa mga international

organizations na nagpaabot ng
tulong para sa mga apektadong
komunidad.

Napagkasunduang ang
Barangay Lat-osan, bayan ng
Palompon, Leyte ang isa sa
mga komunidad na bigyang
tuon para sa early recovery
and rehabilitation initiatives sa
pamamagitan ng mga pagsasanay
at pagbigay ng ibat-ibang
kagamitan at pangangailangan
para sa kanilang muling
pagbangon.

Isa sa mga pagsasanay

Pagdamay,
Pagtulong at
Pagsaksi:
Ang Pagbangon
ng mga Nasalanta
ng Bagyong
Yolanda sa
Palompon,Leyte
nor-malyn

Ika nga nila, ang sakit
ng kalingkingan ay ramdam
ng buong katawan. Ito ay
kagaya ng nangyari sa Bisayas
ng hinagupit ito ng Bagyong
Yolanda ang epekto nito ay
ramdam din ng mga taga
Mindanao, Luzon at maging
ng buong mundo. Lahat ay
naging apektado sa delubyong
dulot ng bagyo na siyang
naging sanhi ng pagkawala
ng maraming buhay, tirahan at
maging ng pinagkukunan ng
kabuhayan. Dahil sa masalimuot
na pangyayari, maraming tulong
ang dumagsa galing sa ibatibang ahensya ng pamahalaan,
international at local NGOs,
2
14

na ginawa ay ang Backyard

Gardening Session kung saan
ibinahagi sa mga kababaihan
at mga magsasaka ang BioIntensive Gardening Food
Always in the Home (BIGFAITH) at tinuruan silang
gumawa ng liquefied organic
fertilizer. Samantalang ang
Pagsasanay sa Pag-proseso ng
Pagkain naman ay itinuro sa
47 na mga kababaihan kung
saan ipinakita sa kanila ang
pagluto at pag-proseso ng Coco
Sapal Biscuit, Squash Maha,
Banana Chips sa tulong na
rin ng Kagkakalimwa OFW
Federation na dumaan din
sa mga maraming katulad
na pagsasanay ay naging
matagumpay ito dahil
nadagdagan ang kaalaman at
kakayahan ng mga kababaihan
lalo na ang paggamit muli sa
sapal ng niyog na kadalasan ay
tinatapon na lamang. Ang mga
natutunan nila ay maaari nilang
gamitin upang pagkakitaan
dahil hindi na ito kailangan ng
malaking pohunan sapagkat
makikita lang ang mga sangkap
sa bakuran.

Ilang linggo pagkatapos ng

pagsasanay sa pagluluto ay
inilunsad naman ang Pangunahing
Pagsasanay sa Kalusugan sa tulong
ng Mindanao Tri-people Women
Resource Center, Inc. (MTWRC).
Sinimulan ang pagsasanay na ito
sa pagbahagi at pagpaliwanag ng
karaniwang sinyales at sintomas ng
mga pangunahing sakit tulad ng ubo,
tigdas at pagtatae.
Binigyang halaga sa pagsasanay
na ito ang kahalagahan ng mga
halamang gamot na panlunas sa
mga karaniwang sakit matapos ang
bagyo. Nagtapos ang pagsasanay
na alam ng mga kababaihan at mga
ina kung paano gawin ang sabon,
skin ointment at syrup mula sa mga
halamang gamot.
Liban sa tatlong pagsasanay na ito,
nagkaroon din ng Play Therapy
at Debriefing Session ang mga
kabataan at kababaihan. Ang paguusap ay naka-sentro sa relasyon
ng pamilya bago at pagkatapos ng
bagyo samantalang ang paglalaro
naman ay naging paraan na
nabawasan ang kanilang emotional
stress.
Ang pinakahuli subalit mahalaga
din ay ang pagsagawa ng pag-uusap

Kaagapay Observed the Public Hearing

on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)
Ging Gasa

On October 22,
2014, the first public hearing
on the Bangsamoro Basic
Law (BBL) was held at the
Municipal Gynasium of Upi,
Maguindanao. This was led
by Cong. Rufus Rodriguez

together with the members of

the Ad Hoc Committee on the
BBL. This important political
hearing was attended by different
civil society organizations,
non-government organizations,
peoples organizations, barangay

hinggil sa kanilang karapatan

bilang mga nasalanta ng
kalamidad at maging ang mga
pangunahing indikasyon ng
illegal recruitment na madalas
mangyayari sa mga disasteraffected communities. Bago
nagtapos ang pag-uusap na ito
ay nagkaroon ng pagkakataon
ang komunidad na alamin
ang kanilang problema at
ang nais nila na maging
mukha ng solusyon sa usapin
ng kahirapan, kalusugan,
edukasyon, kahusayan (peace
and order) at kalikasan/
kalinisan. Nangunguna pa rin
sa problema ang pagkasira ng
kanilang pananim, malayong
pagamutan at kawalan ng
health center, limitadong
inuming tubig at kawalan ng
palikuran. Kahit papaano, sila
ay umaasang matugunan ng
mga ahensiya at grupo ang mga
pangangailangang ito.
Sa pangkabuoan, mayroong 624
indibidwal ang nakinabang sa
mga pagsasanay, session at sa
pagbahagi ng mga kagamitan
sa pagluluto, gardening tools at
pagproseso ng halamang gamot.

officials, religious sectors,

representatives of Moro
Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF), local government of
Upi and constituents interested
in learning the provisions of
the law.

This very important
gathering cum hearing aimed
at consulting, gathering
and addressing the peoples
perceptions, demands,
proposals and concerns
about the provisions and the
establishment of the proposed
153

Bangsamoro Government. All

ideas expressed were freely
accepted in the forum. Position
papers that expressed criticisms
or proposals for BBL inclusion
were properly recorded. It was
also a venue for the people to have
clarity about their concerns and
fears. Congressman Rodriguez,
as chairperson of the committee,
made a promise of relaying to the
other members of the Congress the
output of the hearing for them to
consider in their future meetings.

What made this public
gathering very relevant is that
North Upi which is considered
the ancestral land of the
Teduray-Lambangian tribes, has
been considered as part of the
core territory of the proposed
Bangsamoro territory.

Another public hearing,
which was also attended and
participated by some Kaagapay
staff, was held at the Cotabato
City State Polytechnic College
on October 23, 2014. Series of
public hearings like these were
set in various parts of Mindanao
which would likely end before
2014 making sure that by the
first part of 2015, everything
is ready for the next process
which is the plebiscite avoiding
negative circumstances at the
moment it is approved. Likewise,
constituents within, contiguous
and outside the core territories of
the proposed new political entity
are hopeful that these public
hearings would hear and address
their concerns and that the new
political entity would be inclusive
and be beneficial to the future
generations.

16
2

From ARMM to Bangsamoro: Failing

Aspirations or Renewed Hope for OFWs
in the Core Territories
Goldy Omelio

Unacceptability is
currently the term used in
describing the status quo of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) which was
lauded by the then Bangsamoro
people and members of the
Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF) who claimed
that by installing ARMM is a
way of recognizing their right
to self-determination thereby
providing them the space to
enjoy peace and development
in the region that has long been
denied from them.

If remembered, ARMM
is a product of the Government
of the Republic of the
Philippines Moro National
Liberation Front (GRP-MNLF)
final peace agreement signed
in 1996. But such remarkable
success also earned criticisms
and disparity among members
of the MNLF and led to the
creation of its faction group.
The Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) entered into
formal peace talks with the
government in the same
year. Since then, MILF and
the Philippine Government
have had on and off peace
negotiations.

The PNoy
administration has remained
steadfast in ending this
negotiation before the end
of his term in 2016. As part
of his legacy of tuwid na

daan, replacing ARMM with

Bangsamoro Government
justifies the reform he dreamed
for the region. However, this
effort does not escape from the
critiques eyes. Some argued of
miscalculations of the time frame
thereby putting at risk the output
of the peace agreement while
others alternatively proposed
provisions in the Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL) that would
somehow acknowledge the right
to self-determination of the
indigenous peoples in the core
territories at the same time. Others
have also argued that replacing
ARMM does not mean abolishing
the culture of corruption and
warlordism in the region rather
replaces the current bureaucratic
arrangements while upholding the
interests of the political elites .

Calling ARMM a failed
experiment and replacing it
for a better one should both be
quantified and qualified from
the bottom to the top, meaning,
scrutinizing properly the aspects
where ARMM has failed from
the views of ordinary people and
rights holders living in the region
who rather have the authority
to say what had failed and what
to demand from the coming
Bangsamoro Government.

One of the noteworthy
issues and hard-to-disregard
problems which ARMM failed to
address are the local employment
and labor migration. The latter is

just the major effect of the former.

It has been a public knowledge
that ARMM is relatively
underdeveloped as poverty
incidence in the region is the
highest in the country . As
this situation is believed to be
one of the pushing factors of
migration, significant numbers of
OFWs from the region has been
deployed . Maguindanao, one
of the provinces of the region,
is one of the major sending
provinces of household service
workers (HSW), popularly
called as domestic workers. It
is also the top place of origin
of distressed OFWs whom
Kaagapay OFW Resource and
Service Center, Inc. facilitated
through its Legal Assistance
and Counseling program. These
distressed OFWs complained
for underpaid/unpaid wage,
maltreatment and overwork.
Other relevant pressing issues,
like labor trafficking and illegal

recruitment, are also prevailing

in the entire region as armed
conflict and poverty persistently
worsen the deprived situation of
the local people. Baklas system
and falsification of document
are predominantly opted by
women and young women for
smoother transactions of HSW
application in other countries
with the facilitation of recruiters/
agents of either legal or illegal
recruitment/manning agencies.
Despite of Maguindanao as
the province-center of ARMM
for the previous years of
its operation, this was not
concretely addressed.
If these are some of the
supposedly failures of ARMM,
then it should be considered
by the coming Bangsamoro
Government. Establishing
viable, sustainable and
environment-friendly local
economy in the region would
somehow resolve the problem

Is it All About War

or Its Absence?
Re-examining
What Peace Really
Means

presence of justice . Hence, the multiple forms of injustices in the society seem
to justify the acts of armed struggles.

Mindanao, for instance, has been experiencing decades-old wars which
are both written and forgotten in the Philippine history. Several revolutionary
and armed groups Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng ManggagawaMindanao (RPMM) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were
formed and continuously demand their cause either through armed struggles,
reform initiatives or peace talk with the Philippine Government. The peace
deal between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)
and MNLF which claimed to be the solution to the peace and development
problem in Mindanao has been recently declared a failed experiment while
simultaneously fast-tracking the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and
MILF peace deal that projected to be closed by 2016. It is expected that by then
on, the Bangsamoro people would enjoy their right to self-determination and
would not be marginalized in their own homeland. This, however, is a broader
view of what should be reclaimed by the Bangsamoro people thereby specific
forms of injustices that go beyond armed struggles and peace negotiation
shall not be neglected in reclaiming the rights of the Bangsamoro people in
particular and of the peoples in Mindanao in general.

Even before the creation of ARMM, provinces where the population
of Muslim Filipinos are concentrated are already suffering as a result of
extreme poverty. Little has changed as reforms and development agenda were

Goldy Omelio

Peace has been commonly
perceived and regarded as a situation
free from armed conflicts, harsh
arguments and tough confrontations.
Technically, it is defined as a state
in which there is no war or fighting
. At some point this is incontestable,
but on the other point, it has been
redefined with a statement that it is
not just the absence of war but the

of livelihood and employment in

the region thereby minimizing
the flow and impact of labor
migration. At the same time,
effective and sufficient preventive
local mechanisms against labor
trafficking and illegal recruitment
shall be established in order to
promote safe migration thus
curtailing the number of distressed
OFWs from the region.
If this is considered as well as the
provision of efficient and concrete
programs for the families of
OFWs in the region, then surely
the Bangsamoro Government will
receive two thumbs up from its
constituents.
But as things are manifesting now,
the more there are political changes
or results of political negotiations,
the more economic hardships have
been felt by the people in ARMM,
as concretely manifested by more
and more people leaving the region
for work in the distant places.

173

introduced in the region after the GPH-MNLF Peace Agreement. Despite

significant donor support, such agreement hardly led to peace as armed
conflict continue between MILF forces and the government which launched
two (2) major wars in 2000 and 2003 and the postponement of the signing
of MOA-AD in 2008. Infrastructure construction neither did led to structural
transformations in political and economic institutions as poverty threshold
among families in the region remains higher compared to the rest of the
regions in Mindanao as shown in Table 1 below. There could be several
factors that contributed to this unjust situation.

Table 1. Poverty Threshold among Families in Mindanao by Region (in

Percent) 2006, 2009 and 2012
Region in Mindanao
Western Mindanao (Region IX)
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Southern Mindanao (Region XI)
SOCKSARGEN (Region XII)
CARAGA
ARMM

2006
41.0
35.1
26.9
34.7
43.3
43.0

2009
41.5
35.4
27.3
31.1
43.3
42.0

2012
36.9
35.6
28.6
37.5
34.1
46.9

Limited Political and Democratic Participation. From the start, the
GRP-MNLF peace agreement did not provide broader space for ordinary
Bangsamoro people and citizens living within the claimed ARMM territories
to have direct involvement in the process. Only high-ranking officials of
MNLF and Bangsamoro political elites ascend from marginalization while
leaving the rest of the Bangsamoro people behind, embracing the kind of
development being spoon out to them without being asked what they actually
need. The genuine political and democratic participation of the people,
especially in conflict-prone areas, should not be left behind the process since
they are always the victim of armed confrontations thereby their voices and
participation are vital in attaining peace. Otherwise, the concept of peace will
only be enjoyed by the few.

Political dynasty, Warlordism and National Electoral Interference.
Economically well-off Bangsamoro families with strong family and clan
ties have the opportunities in manipulating and appropriating political
powers in the region. This and warlordism have strengthened the culture
of political dynasty that has long been festering the political system of the
country. Additionally, the region is also known to be an entity where national
interference in the selection of electoral candidates is stronger. People in
significant numbers of areas in the region are already used to not casting their
votes during Election Day for either of the two (2) reasons: (1) winner has
been declared the night or days before the election and (2) somebody does the
casting for them. Manipulating the political decision of the people can never
be peaceful. It is an innate right of a person that should not be separable from
the rest of her/his rights. If this culture is not changed nor reformed within an
autonomous government, justice and peace will never be enjoyed by the entire
population in Mindanao. Power relations will continuously be concentrated
among the few, the elites and the powerful sector of the Bangsamoro.

Poor Quality and Insufficient Social Services and Facilities. While
other Filipinos in other regions have access to basic social services, people

2
18

OFWs: Sa Digma at
Kapayapaan
Ni: Tatay Remo Fenis

Pangingibang Bayan: Magkaibang

Pagtingin
Pangako ng greener pastures
Dahil ba hindi na berde sa lupa nila?
Nandoon ang pangakong maliwanag na
kinabukasan
Dahil ba madilim sa lupang tinubuan?
Digmaan, kalamidad, kahirapan
Iilan sa mga dahilan ng pangingibang
bayan
Kawalan ng Kabuhayan at Oportunidad
Karamihan sa kanila ito ang paghahayag
Sa simula hindi naman ito ang gusto
Nag-aral lang naman noon upang
makapagtrabaho
At iyon na nga ang tugon ng kalagayat
gobyerno
Bigyang daan ang mangibang bayan
upang may trabaho umano
Sa konteksto ng globalisasyon at liberal
na kompetisyon
Nais sumabay ng mahirap at umuunlad
na mga nasyon
Kaya hindi naman tayo pahuhuli sa
integrasyon
Murang lakas-pagawa ang tanging
kontribusyon
Kalagayan ba ay ano?
Hindi lang simpleng upang maitawid ang
pamilya
Dahil kahit pamahalaay ginawang
programa
Upang bilyones ay pumasok sa kabang
bayan
Na pinaglulustay naman ng mga kawatan
Hindi bababa sa limang libo kada araw
Silang lumuluwas upang maghanap buhay
Bilang manggagawa, tao at dayuhan sa
lupang puntahan
Kadalasan pinapabayaan ng ating
pamahalaan
Bugbog sarado na sa trabaho kayod pa
rin
Dahil maraming umaasang andito sa atin
Sa pagpapakita ng sipag at galing
napag-iinitan din
Basta ba para sa mga mahal, lahat ay
gagawin
Umaasa naman ang karamihat lipunan
Na buhay hari at reyna ang lagay nila
Kaya sa tuwing nakatatanggap ng mga
padala
Nag-aakalang pinupulot lang ng mga

kamag-anak nila ang kita

in ARMM have basically none. Education, health, housing and sanitation are
poorly and insufficiently addressed. Simple literacy in the region remains low
compared to the rest of the regions in Mindanao as shown in Table 2 while
Table 3 shows why, mainly education, and other services have poor qualities
compared to other regions.

Table 2. Simple Literacy of the Population in Mindanao 10 years old and

over 2000, 2003 and 2008 (In Percent)
Region in Mindanao
Western Mindanao (Region IX)
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Southern Mindanao (Region XI)
SOCKSARGEN (Region XII)
CARAGA
ARMM

2000
85.3
91.4
90.2
87.0
92.0
68.7

2003
88.9
91.8
90.3
87.3
92.1
70.2

2008
94.0
93.9
93.7
92.1
94.7
81.5

Table 3. 3 -Year Average Regional Allocation of Selected Agencies

FY 2008-2010 (In Thousands)
AGENCY
DepEd
Locally - Fumded
Infra Projects
DENR
DAR
DILG
TESDA
DOLE
DOTC
DOST

REGION I TO XIII ARMM

7,735
4,584
2,930
833
334
117
90
86
53
38
31

184
102
84
43
25
20
15

DIFFERENCE
3,151
2,096
149
14
6
43
27
17
15

Low budget allocation is one of the factors why basic social services
and facilities are poorly delivered to the communities if at all. On the
other hand, interminable corruption among national and local leaders and
government agencies is another part of the miserable implementation story.
This means that if budget allocations for the region significantly differ from
the rest of the regions in the country, ARMM or the coming new political
entity of the Bangsamoro remains at par. However, providing sufficient budget
allocations to the region should be accompanied by transparent governance. If
corruption still persists in the country and in the region in particular, then good
quality social services will be at risk.

Job Insecurity and Labor Migration. Local employment is part
of the basic social services but it should be included in the top priority list.
Though there is not so much significant difference as to the unemployment and
underemployment rate of the region from the rest of the regions in Mindanao,
the labor force participation rate (LFPR) is highly cynical and something
that should be explained of. ARMM has the least LFPR among the regions in

Hindi pinapasahod at kinukuha ang

mga dokumento
Karamihan sa karanasan sa hindi
maisumbong na mga abusadong amo
Kung hindi makakatakas ay ikukulong
na mas Malaya pa ang alagang aso
Iba namay buhay ay kikitilin sabihin
lang nahulog habang naglalampaso
Baon ang mga pangarap para sa
pamilya at sarili
Pasaherong inilipad sa himpapawid
Kasamay naka-empakeng bagahe at
luhang sinasarili na lang
May mga umuwing nakalatay, wala sa
katinuan at naka-kahon na lang
Kapayapaan sa Bansang
Pinanggalingan at Pinuntahan
Bilang manggagawa, tao at dayuhan
sa bansa
Limitado iyong karapatan at pagkilos
ay hindi Malaya
Iba pa ang sitwasyong may gyera at
mga karahasan
Na hindi mo malaman kung kalian sa
balat bomba tatamaan
Lumisan sa bayan dahil sa karahasat
kaguluhan
Hindi naman panatag ang loob
habang nagdesisyong lumisan
Mawawalay sa mga pamilyat lupang
nakasanayan
Titibayan na lang ang loob, sikmura
at katawan
Kahit malawak ang kaguluhan at
kahirapan
Ekonomiya ng bayan ay hindi naman
patay na
Dahil sa kanilang mga remittances
na padala
Kaya mahalagang huwag kalimutang
pahalagahan sila
Hindi maiguhit ang mga pag-aalalat
nadarama
Sa tuwing mabalitaang may bagyo,
baha at gyera sa bayan nila
Lalo pa kung may mahal sa buhay na
nasawi at di man lang makita
Kakayod upang makabangon ang
pamilyang naiwan habang mabigat
ang kalooban
Usapang Kapayapaan sa Mindanao
Itong mungkahing batas ay nakitaan
ng maraming butas
Hindi naman dahil nais maging
espesyal ang hanay nila
Subalit sa konteksto ng gyera noon
at bago ang kasunduan
Sila ay mahalagang bahagi ng pag-

193

gulong ng ekonomiya

Mindanao as shown below. Though the regions underemployment rate is low,

it should not be taken for granted due to the changing trends of the working
class condition. Workers in the agricultural sector are decreasing while those
in the services are increasing thereby significant numbers of Filipinos in the
entire country is under the threat of job contractualization, low wage scheme and
limited work benefits. This is also an indicator that the agricultural sector is not
well developed (specifically in the ARMM) despite of the Philippines being an
agricultural country.

Table 4. Total Population 15 years and Over and Rate of Labor Force
Participation, Employment, Unemployment and Underemployment, by
Region: October 2014 (In Percent)
Region in
Mindanao

Total
Population
15 yrs and
over (in 000)

LFPR

Employment

Unemployment

UnderEmployment

Western
Mindanao
(Region IX)

2,254

63.5

97.3

2.7

22.5

Morthern
Mindanao
(Region X)

3,075

71.0

94.2

5.8

31.0

Southern
Mindanao
(Region XI)

3,154

66.5

94.5

5.5

17.6

SOCKSARGEN
(Region XII)

2,757

65

97.1

2.9

21.8

CARAGA

1,760

64.8

95.8

4.2

22.0

ARMM

2,377

56.9

97.1

2.9

12.5

One of the usual options nowadays in response to the growing threat
of contractualization, low wage schemes and work benefits is grabbing the
opportunities of overseas employment.

In 2011, ARMM was accounted to have 65,000 OFWs (with document)
based on the Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) done by the National Statistics
Office from April 1 to September 30, 2011. Though this is a sample data, the
number was refuted by concerned government agency in the region since there
are a lot of OFWs who are originally from ARMM but prefer to use the address
of their recruitment agencies or host families in Metro Manila who hosted
them before deployment. Still many more (OFWs) leave the country with false
documented or no documents at all. And like many other Filipinos, OFWs from
ARMM sacrificed the distance and longing from the family and are under the
emotional threat of social costs like couples breakup or delinquency and/or
uncared children while economic contribution through their remittance is also
another part of the story. This positive contribution and its consequential impacts
should well be handled by the coming regional government.

From Kaagapays Legal Assistance and Counseling desks, majority
of the distressed OFWs who seek assistance are originally from the province
of Maguindanao, are working as domestic workers in Middle East countries,
are women and are either trafficked, illegally recruited or experience unjust
labor treatment. The problem of OFWs supposedly is a national problem but in
reclaiming the autonomy of the Bangsamoro people, the coming Bangsamoro
Government have all the powers and opportunities to design and implement

2
20

Kahit na sabihing itong mungkahing

batas ay balangkas muna
Subalit ito ang tungtungan ng lahat na
gagawin pa
Kaya mahalagang hanay ng mga OFW at
karapatay mabigkas
At gawing integral sa pagpapanday ng
magandang bukas
Ang mga teritoryong saklaw at
mungkahing saklawin pa
Ay ang pinaka-kontribyutor ng
nangingibang-bayan
Ayon na nga sa nabanggit sa unahan
nitong akda
Sa mga lugar ding ito malawak ang
hirap, kawalan at gyera
Kailangang igarantiya ng lahat na mga
mekanismo
Rebeldeng kilusan man ito lalo na ng
gobyerno
Karapatan at Kapakanan ng mga OFW
isakatuparan ito
Huwag isantabi at huwag hayaang
patuloy na maabuso
Pagpapanday ng Malaya at
Makabuluhang Bukas
Huwag silang silang pabayaan at mga
pamilya nila
Dahil kung mamimili man ang karamihan
sa kanila
Kung pwedeng huwag nang mangibang
bayan pa
Ay iyon ang pinaka-pipiliin nila
Nangibang-bayan sila upang makatakas
sa sitwasyon
Upang simulang buuhin mga pangarap
lalo na ng pamilya
Subalit naikulong sila sa pangarap na
iyon
Kaya tulungang tuluyan nang makalaya
sila
Gapos sila sa pangamba sa mga
dayuhang bansa
Tali sila sa batas na dayuhan para sa
kanila
Kung mangyaring ang balangkas at
katuparan ng bagong pamamahala
Ay ang bigyang katuparan mga pangarap
nila dito na lang sana
Tara na kaibigan, kasama at kababayan
Tumulong tayong pang-aapi at kahirapan
ay wakasan
Makabuluhang Partisipasyon ng mga
mamamayan
Bigyang katiyakan sa pagpapanday ng
Kalayaan at Kinabukasan
ng Bangsamoro; Mindanao; Pilipinas; at
ng Mundo.

its mechanisms in protecting and

promoting the rights of OFWs
coming from the region and basically
to demand from the national
government what OFWs are worthy
of. But in the long run, a strong,
viable and sustainable local economy
that could provide decent job for all
is apparently the key in minimizing

Brief Sneak on the

Membership of
Kagkalimwa OFW
Federation

Since the creation of
Kagkalimwa OFW Federation in 2009,
it had its two (2) General Assemblies.
Since then, so much has changed on its
memberships.

This data shows the updated
membership of the federation
which were gathered through area
visitation/monthly meeting of member
organizations for the purpose of
profiling and data banking. There are
two (2) provinces and one (1) city
covered by federation.

the flow of labor migration, mitigating

its social costs and contributing in
the attainment of peace and just
Bangsamoro society.

So even if the Bangsamoro
Government will be functional by
June 2016, people in the region will
experience the absence of war but not
necessarily experience peace. Because

as long as families are separated

because of economic hardships there
are always heavy social and political
causes to the region. Breakdown in the
bonding of the families and community
conflicts will continue to occur because
people in the region have disintegrated.

Chart 2: Membership Category

This chart shows that 37% (132)
of the members attained high school level
as their highest educational attainment.
35 % (123) have elementary level while
14% (51) attended college. On the other
hand, 5 % (16) of the members studied
Arabic while 9% (30) have no educational
background.
Chart 5: Occupation

51% (179) of the members are OFW

Returnees while 47% (165) are
Families/Relatives of OFWs and 2% (8)
are currently OFWs.
Chart 3: Age Category

This chart shows that among the
OFW returnees and OFW families, most of
them are housekeepers with a total of 69%
(244) followed by 14% (49) who are selfemployed.

Chart 1: Province/City

Most members of the federation
belong to the age category of 40 to 65 years
old with 61% (214), while 26% (93) of them
belong to the age category of 30 to 40 years
old and 13% (45) of the members belong to
the age category of 25 to 30 years old.

Chart 4: Highest Educational

Attainment

There are a total of three
hundred fifty-two (352) individual
members. Chart 1 shows that 70% (246)
of the total members of the federation are
from Cotabato City, 26% (91) are from
Maguindanao and 4% (15) in Alamada,
North Cotabato.

SURVEY on
CHILDREN of OFWs

The Education Training and
Organizing (ETO) conducted a survey
among children of OFWs particularly
among the members of Kagkalimwa OFW
Federation for profiling purposes. This
profiling will soon be used for organizing
initiative among OFW children under
Kaagapays organizing program. Currently,
there are seventy-nine (79) children of
OFWs among Kagkalimwa members. The
following illustrations show the profiles of
these children.

213

Chart 1. GENDER

Chart 4. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

AND STATUS

The first chart shows that majority
of the OFW children are females with fiftynine percent (59%) or forty-seven (47) while
forty-one percent (41%) or thirty-two (32)
are males.

Thirty-six percent (36%) or
twenty-three (23) children are currently
studying or have attained elementary/
primary education while twenty-eight
percent (28%) or eighteen (18) children
are in or have attained secondary school
and twenty-seven percent (27%) or
seventeen (17) are in tertiary education.
Children who are at the preparatory
education accounted for eight percent
(8%) or five (5) and only one (1) child
is studying Arabic lessons.

Chart 2. AGE

Most children age 11-15 years old
who accounts for twenty-seven percent
(27%) or twenty-one (21) children
followed by 19 years old and above with
twenty-one percent (21%) or seventeen
(17) children, 6-10 years old with twenty
percent (20%) or sixteen (16) children.
16-18 years old, however, are accounted
with eighteen percent (18%) or fourteen
(14) children and only fourteen percent
(14%) or eleven (11) children are 5 years
old and younger.
Chart 3. PRESENT ACTIVITY

Chart 5. FREQUENCY OF
COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR OFW
PARENT/S

Chart 5 shows that the top
most frequency of communication
between children and their OFW
parent(s) is sometimes with a total of
thirty five (35) or fifty-seven percent
(57%) while twentyfive (25) or fortyone percent (41%) of them always have
communication with their parent(s)
abroad. One child, however, lost a
communication with her/his parent.

Ninety-one percent (91%) or
fifty-three (53) children communicate
with their parent(s) through mobile
phones either through text or call while
seven percent (7%) or four (4) children
use the internet. On the other hand,
Kaagapay has accounted a child who
uses post mail for communication.

Legal Assistance
and Counseling
Updates for 2014

Another fruitful and
progressive year had ended
for the Legal Assistance and
Counseling (LAC) program as
it served and facilitated OFW
beneficiaries for 2014. In
2013, LAC assisted fifty (50)
beneficiaries. For 2014, there
were fifty-two (52) beneficiaries
who have availed the services of
the program. Their cases/claims
were acquired through drop-in,
reach-out, and referral (phone
and email) system.

Surely, our experience
during the past year will help us
prepare for the year 2015.
The illustrations below show
the demographic profiles of
beneficiaries.
Chart 1. Gender

Chart 6. MODE OF COMMUNICATION

This chart shows that the top most present
activity of the children is studying with a total of fiftythree (53) children or seventy-six percent (76%). This
account is followed by out-of-school youth (OSY) with
a total of eleven (11) children or sixteen percent (16%).
On the other hand, there are five (5) or seven percent
(7%) seeking for work and only one (1) is currently
working at the time of the survey.

2
22

The first chart shows that
ninety-four percent (94%) or forty-nine
(49) beneficiaries are females while six
percent (6%) or three (3) are males.

Chart 2. Categories of Beneficiaries

The second chart shows that
most beneficiaries are current OFWs
during the facilitation of their case. They
accounted for seventy-eight percent
(78%) or forty-one (41), while OFW
returnees accounted for ten percent
(10%) or five (5) while would-be OFWs
are eight percent (8%) or four (4). On
the other hand, Kaagapay facilitated
four percent (4%) or two (2) cases of
deceased OFWs.
Chart 3. Place of Origin

Kaagapay facilitated is Saudi Arabia with

sixty percent (60%) or twenty-nine (29)
beneficiaries for 2014. On the other hand,
Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Syria
have the same percentage of eight (8%)
or four (4) while Lebanon has six percent
(6%) or three (3). Other beneficiaries are
working/have worked in Qatar, Malaysia
and Bahrain.

Chart 4. Country of Work

Chart 8. Terminated Cases

Chart 5. Nature of Work Abroad

Accounted with ninety-four
percent (94%) or 49, majority of the
beneficiaries are semi-skilled or domestic
workers while six percent (6%) or three
(3) beneficiaries are skilled OFWs.
Chart 6. Cases/Claims Category

For 2014, most of the
beneficiaries come from the province of
Maguindanao with thirty-three percent
(33%) or seventeen (17) followed by
Cotabato City with thirty percent (30%)
or sixteen (16) beneficiaries, North
Cotabato with twenty-five percent (25%)
or thirteen (13), and the rest are from
Cavite, with six percent (6%) or three
(3), and from Lanao del Norte, Davao
and Zamboanga.

with sixty-nine percent (69%) or thirtysix (36) of them while thirty-one percent
(31%) or sixteen (16) are Christian/
Catholic.

Out of fifty-two (52) cases
served and facilitated, thirty (30) cases
were terminated leaving only twentytwo (22) cases for the next years
continuation of treatment. In the thirty
(30) terminated cases, seventy percent
(70%) or 21 (twenty one) were successful
while thirty percent (30%) or nine (9)
have failed due to the following reasons:
insufficient documents provided, lack
of coordination from the families and
concerned recruitment/manning agencies
were shut down.

The most facilitated cases in 2014
is the non-payment of salary with nineteen
percent (19%) or ten (10) beneficiaries
followed by lost contact with seventeen percent
(17%) or nine (9). Runaway, overstay and
maltreatment have the same percentage of nine
percent (9%) or five (5) beneficiaries. Illegal
recruitment, underpaid and money claims
both accounted for eight percent (8%) or four
(4) while twelve percent (12%) have other
concerns.

Chart 7. Religion of Beneficiaries

For the past three (3)
consecutive years the top most country
of work of the OFW beneficiaries which

Islam (Muslim) is the religion
of most of the beneficiaries facilitated

233

EDITORIAL BOARD

Ang Kaagapay Concerns ay inilathala ng

Kaagapay Overseas Filipino Workers Resource
and Service Center, Inc.
sa tulong pinansyal mula sa
Comit catholique contre la faim et pour le
dveloppement

Francis Alolod
Goldy A. Omelio

CONTRIBUTORS
Ma. Catherine M. Gasa
Goldy A. Omelio
Jasmine G. Bayao
Fatima Lintang - Ali
Racma A. Nguda
Romilyn G. Cruz
Rahima Aliman
Antonia Sumaid
Jonaira Pendi
Tatay Remo

PICTURE SELECTION
Romilyn G. Cruz

ko

sa ntr P
a ib ar
id min usyo a
eta g
ly ta n at sa
e s ng su i
a i ga he ny
ba pa st on
ba n iyo g
ng o n,
ba tum ma mg
ha a ar a
gi wa i k k
ng g ay om
lat sa on en
ha te g s ta
lan lep um ry
g on ul o,
ito o at
.
na

na

LAYOUT/CARTOONIST
Bagong Pitas

AA
G
Re AP
#
Si 34 sou AY
ns 9
ua An rce Ov
t A te an er
ve Co d
, C m S sea
ot po erv s F
ab u
i
ka
Ph ato nd, ice lipi
ag
ili C Ro Ce no
ap E
pp ity sa n
ay m
in 96 ry te Wo
co ail
es 0 H r,
ta A
0, eig In rke
d
b
ka
at dr
M ht c
rs
o es
a
in s

98 s
W
@ :
pa eb
gm
yc site
(0
ot :
ai
63 Tel
ab
l.c
) ( ep
a
om
06 ho
to
.o
4) ne
rg
42 #
1 :
-5
02
4
ga

4
na ,
o

da