Taiwan OFWs and their legal rights

May, 2011. Changhua, Taiwan -  I spent my last day in Taiwan with our Filipino Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). I attended the Sunday masses twice that day wherein Filipinos usually attend the regular sunday masses in a  church in Changhua. I even became a reader as requested by Fr. Loloy Nespiere of the Apostleship of the Seas (AOS).

Fr. Loloy jokingly  commented that the church could have been "fullpacked" if not for the fact that it is the payday weekend, so most OFWs are in Taichung "shopping."

Based on Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) 2009 records, Taiwan was third largest Asian destination for OFW. As of 2009, there are 33,751 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) working in Taiwan. out of t he total 260,995 landbased  OFWs in Asia. The OFWs from Taiwan came from companies of that country’s electronics, metal workers, and semi-conductor industries,

However, due to the recent global economic recession,  remittances from Filipinos in Taiwan dropped sharply by 52.71% in 2009 as  lay-offs were implemented due to the filing for bankruptcy of these companies and retrenchment of workers.The Philippines received about US$92 million from Filipinos in Taiwan in 2009 compared to the US$194.071 million received in 2008.

I delivered the paralegal lecture on the OFW legal rights twice, one  in the afternoon and one during the evening mass. I explained  to them, in essence, the substance of the amended  Filipino Migrant Workers Act.' An essential feature of the amended law is the insurance requirement  that was introduced by the Philippine government and took effect on November 8 last year. The act applies to all categories of OFWs who are hired by agencies and who are leaving the country for the first time. It also applies to workers hired with new contracts by agencies. The insurance policy covers natural and accidental death and permanent disability, repatriation costs, medical repatriation and three months’ salary for every year of the migrant worker’s contract for cash claims that arise from the employer’s liability, among other benefits.

 Last february 2011, friction erupted between taiwan and philippines due to the  Philippine government’s "deportation mess"  of 14 Taiwanese to China. the Philippine government allegedly ignored its request to deport toTaiwan 14 Taiwanese suspected of defrauding several Chinese of $20 million. MECO expressed regret over the Philippine government’s deportation of the 14 Taiwanese to China stressing that the decision to deport the Taiwanese to China was based on the government’s one-China policy.

In the event the fiasco was not resolved, it was feared that the country stands to lose some 600 million Taiwan dollars or roughly P900 million in yearly remittances from Taiwan-based OFWs.

The government does not directly deal with Taiwan, especially on political matters, but only on trade and economics.