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SENATE
President Manuel Villar Jr. wants a simplified
application of the no-fault insurance system for migrant
Filipino workers in a bid to check the rising number of
workers victimized by illegal-recruitment syndicates.
Noting
that the no-fault insurance is traditionally associated
with motor vehicles, Villar believes that “the same
program can be applied where illegally recruited workers
can receive direct payment or reimbursed by insurers
regardless of their fault in the incident, in this case,
in the application for overseas employment itself.”
In a
statement, Villar explained that the no-fault insurance
is a form of indemnity plan in which the person injured
in an accident or misfortune receives direct payment
from the company with which they themselves are insured.
He added
that the no-fault insurance eliminates the need for
victims to establish another’s liability or fault,
through a civil case. “It has proven to be an effective
system as it leads to quicker settlement and reduce
bureaucratic layers in resolving issues,” he said.
Villar
confirmed that he has asked the Senate Oversight
Committee on Labor and Employment, the Department of
Labor and Employment and its agencies to “study the
matter urgently” as he cited official data showing that
at least one out of eight migrant workers leaving the
country is a victim of illegal recruitment.
Villar
suggested that in order to support the migrant workers’
no-fault insurance fund, “a percentage of what we pay in
the passport processing or in the travel tax, or in the
embarkation fee may be earmarked for the purpose.”
“Migrant
workers are leaving the country with the prospect of
greener pasture for their families. A number of migrant
workers are successful, proving that the Filipinos can
excel in whatever field. But there are Filipinos who, in
addition to having suffered the hardships of illegal
recruitment, have to go through the complexity of legal
procedures to claim indemnification or even refund of
the fees they paid,” Villar said.
At the
same time, Sen. Loren Legarda called on President Arroyo
to take a more active role in getting justice for two
“unfortunate workers,” one reportedly held hostage and
raped by her employer in Saudi Arabia and another
believed to have been murdered in the
Kabd Desert
in Kuwait.
In a
resolution, Legarda, likewise, asked the Senate
Committee on Labor, chaired by Senate President pro
tempore Jinggoy Estrada, to conduct a full-blown inquiry
into both cases, saying the two workers, both domestic
helper, deserved better attention from the government.
The
woman held prisoner in
Saudi Arabia,
according to Legarda, is an Ifugao who hails from
Quirino. It was learned that she managed to call her
husband to report that she had been raped by her
employer and four of his friends, one of whom even
videotaped the incident.
But,
while the worker from Ifugao is still alive, the second
Filipino woman, identified as Fatima Sagadan Maulana,
42, of Carmen, North Cotabato, was believed to have been
killed then raped on May 9. Kuwaiti authorities
discovered her decomposing body on May 16. Philippine
Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya has reported the
discovery of her body to
Manila
and the embassy has already contracted the services of a
private lawyer to help ensure protection of the rights
of the victim in the ensuing investigation. The
assailant was reportedly arrested and is now facing
charges. |
