OFWs urged: Come home more often, join FB, invite all

Rob Schneider- Hollywood Actor said: To be a Filipino, It's just fun anywhere 

Add a few more Facebook friends and earn the title "new tourism ambassadors" in the process.

The catchy campaign come-on was pitched by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who urged more than 9 million overseas Filipinos to "go into the social network and begin to connect with everyone else in the world."

"No matter how many kinds of Filipinos are in the world today—Filipino-Americans, Filipino-Chinese, Filipino-Italians, Filipino-Japanese, Filipino-Singaporeans, Filipino-French, Filipino-Arabs, Filipino-Germans, Filipino-Canadians and Filipino-Swedes, among others—there will always be only one type of fun. It's called Filipino fun," Jimenez said in a speech during the closing program of the Second Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora on Feb. 27 in a Makati City hotel.

He said that kind of fun comes from an openness, which happens to be a common Filipino trait.

"To build a nation, one can only begin with the most basic of all ingredients—national pride. Your self-esteem, your confidence is what will make people sit up and take notice. They will praise you for your hard work, your perseverance, your intelligence, your discipline," he said.

"But if you are great fun, if you are confident in yourself, they will follow you in the Philippines," he added.

Come home

In his remarks, Jimenez also urged overseas Filipinos to come home to the Philippines more often.

Last year, a record 4.27 million tourists visited the country, a 9.07-percent increase over the 3.92 million visitors in 2011.

Jimenez expressed confidence that the 2012 figures could be surpassed this year with the help of the Filipino diaspora, which he said was "not just a spreading out of Filipinos."

"Because if all we did was to spread out, it could be the beginning of a separation, which is what makes this gathering very crucial, some important and so necessary," he said.

Common view

Jimenez said the tourism slogan "It's more fun in the Philippines" is an invitation to the world that Filipinos share more than a language.

"We share a common view of our world. We remind each other of the things that matter most—family, friendship and God," he added.

For his part, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the government was encouraging the active participation of overseas Filipinos and their involvement in national issues.

"Our foreign service posts are partners of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas  in communicating with and mobilizing overseas Filipinos to participate in various programs," including, among others, the Business Advisory Circle, which assists Philippine nationals abroad in setting up business partnerships in the country; the Alay Dunong program, which systematizes the skills and technology exchange between overseas Filipinos and the Philippines; and the Return and Reintegration Program, which assists balikbayans to successfully reintegrate into local life.

Proactive approach

Del Rosario said the country's embassies and consulates abroad were also taking a proactive approach to urge overseas Filipinos to join the country's overseas absentee voting and dual citizenship programs.

The government also puts the welfare and protection of the rights of Filipinos abroad in its top priorities, he added.

"In cooperation with other government agencies and international organizations, the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has repatriated a total of 14,203 OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) from areas affected by civil strife or natural disasters, from 2011 up to the present. In particular, a total of 3,457 Filipinos were repatriated from war-torn Syria since the uprising began in 2011. Despite the ongoing crisis in the middle eastern country, the Philippine Embassy in Damascus continues its operations in order to evacuate the OFWs who remain there and ensure their safety and well-being," he reported.

Del Rosario said during the past eight years, 746 Filipino seafarers who fell victims to piracy had been released and repatriated through the joint efforts of the country's embassies abroad, manning agencies and the sailors' principals.

Last year, 122 Filipino victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment were assisted by the DFA, he said.

In 2011, a total of 28 OFWs facing the death penalty were provided legal assistance by the agency. Last year, at least 40 of 130 OFWs with death penalty cases were commuted to life or fixed imprisonment, he said.

To further intensify efforts to promote and protect the rights of Filipino migrant workers, the DFA head said the Philippines had adopted a new qualification framework containing sets of training regulations for Filipinos that prescribe competency standards for various qualifications.

"The country also ratified in August 2012 the International Labor Convention (ILO) No. 189 on decent work for household service workers," said Del Rosario, noting the Philippines was the "first Asian nation to commit itself to the respect and implementation of the new ILO labor standard that was adopted on June 16, 2011, during the ILO conference in Geneva."

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Department of Justice eyes International court for Sabah claim

The government is considering bringing the territorial claim of the Sultanate of Sulu over Sabah before an international tribunal even as the standoff between followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian authorities came to a bloody end yesterday.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed the Department of Justice (DOJ) is studying the option of bringing the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for resolution.

"That is among the options we are looking into. Of course there are international fora available so we're considering that," De Lima said.

De Lima admitted that the move needs "careful study."

De Lima also stressed that resolution of the issue would not be confined to the legal aspect alone.

"We have to consider standing policies of the administration, including foreign policies," she said.

The DOJ is currently weighing the legality of the claims of Kiram on Sabah. De Lima said it would take a few more days before the DOJ comes up with its legal opinion on the issue.

"At first I thought I could finish it in a few days, but it'a very complicated thing and we have to be very careful. There'a lot of research materials and documents we need to read. I'm already halfway done with the memorandum," she said.

De Lima said the Philippine government did its best to prevent a violent end to the standoff in Sabah.

She said the administration had exhausted all possible means to peacefully resolve the situation, including the use of backdoor channels.

University of the Philippines law professor Harry Roque said it would be "distressing" if the government would file criminal charges against the followers of the sultan who went to Sabah.

Roque said Philippine laws would not apply in the case.

"I can't see how anything that they've done in Sabah can be prosecuted here. I can't see how they can be charged with rebellion. Have they taken up arms against the Philippine government?" Roque asked.

Roque also proposed bringing the issue before the ICJ.

Diplomacy

Lawmakers called on the government to continue using diplomacy in dealing with the crisis in Sabah.

They also warned against issuing statements that might aggravate the situation.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago expressed support for President Aquino's move to take a sober and restrained action on the standoff so that the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not be affected.

"We do not want to aggravate our neighbors... who are offering their good offices to solve our Mindanao problem," Santiago said.

She said no state wants to stage a minor warfare with another country.

"From a cost-analysis point of view. It is just not worth the cost,"Santiago said.

Santiago supported moves to take the issue before the ICJ.

She said she understood President Aquino's moves in dealing with the issue.

"We do not even know whether the Sultan of Sabah is claiming it for the Philippines, if he intends to turn over ownership and governance to our national government, or whether he is claiming it for himself,"Santiago said.

Santiago said the claim should be clarified first.

"if he is claiming it only for himself, then he should be left to his resources and he should not galvanize our government into a military posture against the Malaysian government, which has been very friendly to our country," Santiago said.

She emphasized that there should be "no militaristic posturing on the part of the Philippine government."

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano also hailed President Aquino for his approach to the Sabah incident.

"The President is simply understanding the situation but that doesn't mean he is not supporting the Sultanate in its claim. He has more information than us and he is the one talking to the Malaysian government," Cayetano said.

Sen. Koko Pimentel said the sultanate should raise its claims to Sabah before an international tribunal.

Sen. Francis Escudero expressed the belief that the issue could have been a private affair for the Sultan of Sulu.

"It's private right and a private claim. He cannot say, however, that Sabah is part of the Philippines," Escudero noted.

He said the country'interest should be detached from the private claim of the Sulu sultanate since it may affect diplomatic relations with Malaysia.

Escudero expressed hope the issue will not be dragged into the political arena since the problem involves national interest.

The incident, however, opens opportunities for the government to ask Malaysian authorities about the condition of 800,000 Filipinos living there, Escudero said.

Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, said the administration should deal with the issue in a diplomatic manner.

"The first line of defense for Filipinos in the Sabah standoff is provided by the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs). Diplomacy should prevail as we seek to encourage and assure our Filipino brothers in the standoff that there is a peaceful way of resolving their claims," she said.

Legarda said violence should not have been the solution in dealing with the issue.

She also reiterated her appeal to all concerned to avoid statements and actions that will further inflame the already tense and delicate situation.

Former senator Richard Gordon described the situation in Sabah as "severely woeful, anti-Filipino, and subservient to Malaysia."

Gordon said a bloody encounter could have been avoided and should never have happened if foreign affairs officials had handled the situation well and properly advised the President.

Gordon said the DFA should be at the forefront of the matter and must never compromise the President of the Philippines by allowing him to make comments on such issues.

"Whoever is advising the President on foreign policy matters has done terribly wrong by our people and has put us on a slippery slope with regard to this conflict," Gordon said.

Former senator Ernesto Maceda said the violence in Sabah was "unfortunate."

Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile said the attack on the sultanate's followers in Sabah was "saddening."

He said the sultanate's followers in Sabah deserve the protection of the Philippine government.  –  Christina Mendez, Jose Rodel Clapano, Ding Cervantes. (http://bit.ly/XfB6we)

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