Recruitment, deployment issues and challenges to be discussed in ADD II

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday expressed confidence that issues and challenges involving the recruitment and deployment of contract workers to the Gulf Cooperation Council and other migrant worker destinations in Asian countries will be identified and discussed extensively at the Abu Dhabi Dialogue II (ADD II) meetings to enable participating governments to forge unilateral, bilateral, and regional actions that will improve the contract employment cycle.

“The Abu Dhabi Dialogue provides an opportunity for governments in countries sending and receiving contract workers to discuss and deal collaboratively with problems in the contract worker system. The Abu Dhabi Dialogue II in Manila will be such an opportunity,” Baldoz said on the eve of the event.

The ADD, an important dialogue of 11 countries—namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam—of migrant worker origin that are members of the Colombo Process and nine countries of migrant worker destination—namely, Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—is to convene from April 17 to 19 at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila.

DOLE Undersecretary Danilo P. Cruz, the top labor and employment official who is overseeing the preparation and conduct of the dialogue, said Malaysia and Singapore will also participate in the ADD II as observers.

“Most of the participating senior officials in the Abu Dhabi Dialogue II have arrived,” Usec. Cruz confirmed.

The event consists of a two-day 2^nd Senior Officials Meeting on April 17–18 and the 2^nd Ministerial Consultation on April 19. These meetings will bring together the Colombo Process countries after almost four years to continue the dialogue and to review the initiatives and partnerships under the ADD I, which was held in 2008.

“The goal of the discussions during the 2^nd Senior Officials Meeting is to identify problems and the steps that governments can take unilaterally, bilaterally, and regionally to resolve these issues in order to enhance the potential for international contract labor mobility and expand human development for workers and economic benefits for employers and the countries of origin [COO] and destinations,” Baldoz said.

At the 2^nd Senior Officials Meeting, representatives and delegates of participating countries of origin and destination will deliberate on the issues laid out in the Technical Report of the 2012 Regional Collaboration Framework.

This report is framed by the four major phases of contract labor mobility that have been identified during the ADD I, namely, preemployment in countries of destination (CODs) and predeparture recruitment and orientation in COOs; employment and residence in CODs; preparation in CODs for return and reintegration in COOs; and return and reintegration of workers in COOs.

Participating countries in ADD II will focus on the problems and issues that arise in the contract employment cycle; options to resolve the issues and problems; and the potential for governmental action, as contained in the report, which also outlines concrete proposals and major enhancement programs that could help countries improve their existing system of administering overseas employment.

Aside from these, the report presents sets of best practices and menu-tested solutions for problems encountered at each stage of the temporary employment cycle, lessons that could help in the design and refinement of preparation to return programs of contract workers.

Officially known as the Ministerial Consultation on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin and Destination in Asia, the ADD is focused on developing four key, action-oriented partnerships on worker migration: (1) knowledge sharing on market trends, skills profiles, workers and remittances policies and flows, and their relationship to development; (2) building capacity for effective matching of labor supply and demand; (3) preventing illegal recruitment and promoting welfare and protection measures; and (4) developing a framework for a comprehensive approach to managing the entire cycle of temporary contractual work that fosters the mutual interest of COOs and CODs.

Scarborough Shoal Issue, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Official Statement

As of last night, the following observations were made:

• that the number of white Chinese civilian ships had been reduced to one; and

• all the Chinese fishing vessels had left the lagoon.

Ambassador Ma Keqing and I had been trying to reach an understanding on the Chinese fishing vessels along the path of our providing a gesture of goodwill in the spirit of the Years of Friendly Exchanges launched in Beijing last April 11 and previously in Manila on March 20.

I had stated that we would be willing to allow the Chinese boats to return to China following the confiscation of their harvest of endangered species by our authorities. There was no clear agreement as Ambassador Ma had asserted that Chinese fishing vessels would be subject to inspection by their own authorities.

We had later learned that the Chinese fishing vessels had left the lagoon, a development which we had been working towards except for our not being able to confiscate their illegal harvest pursuant to the Fisheries Code, which was regrettable.

Somewhat later, the second white Chinese civilian ship had decided to leave the area so that only one white Chinese ship remained.

The meeting with Ambassador Ma last night resulted in a stalemate as we had demanded of one another that the other nation’s ship be first to leave the area.

We will continue to monitor the situation in coordination with concerned agencies.

Government widens doors to civic, public engagement

As part of its drive for participatory governance and increased civil society engagement, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will participate in the 2^nd Annual Open Government Partnership (OGP) Conference from April 17 to 18 in Brasilia, Brazil.

“The OGP Conference gives us an avenue for exchanging key ideas that go beyond participatory leadership. It’s also about affirming our commitment to transparent, accountable, and effective governance, the very same brand of leadership that can pave the way for genuine socioeconomic growth in the Philippines,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.

Eight delegates from the DBM and two from the World Bank will be joining hundreds of other representatives from 50 countries in the OGP Conference. These include President Rousseff of Brazil, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of the United States of America.

“The conference will allow us not only to learn from our peers around the world; it also gives us the opportunity to share our best practices in accountable governance to an international audience, as well as our own blueprint for creating wider spaces for civic and public participation from a uniquely Filipino perspective,” Abad said.

Departing from the common format in global meetings, the 2^nd Annual OGP Conference will not focus on keynote speeches delivered by country leaders. Instead, heads of government will share the stage with civil society organizations and members of the private sector as equal partners in the openness initiative. Participants will be tasked to recognize new commitments to participatory and accountable leadership, as well as challenge the Philippines to fulfill its promises.

“The government can no longer claim that it knows how to solve national problems better than anyone else. In fact, our partners in the private sector and civil society are well positioned to offer valuable insights on governance, especially with respect to stimulating sustained economic growth, [and] fighting corruption and poverty,” Abad said.

The OGP is a multilateral initiative that secures commitments from participating countries to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and tap innovative technologies to strengthen governance.

The initiative is managed by a steering committee of governments and civil society organizations. The Philippines is one of eight founding governments for the initiative, together with Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States. Since its inception in September 2011, 43 more governments have joined the OGP and affirmed their commitment to transparent, accountable, and participatory governance.

“We live in unprecedented times, where information travels faster than it ever has, and data [are] shared at a prodigious rate. The government is under closer scrutiny by the public, and we are increasingly being held accountable for our actions. We need to keep up by opening ourselves further to the people whose lives are directly affected by the very reforms we’re pushing,” Abad said.

http://www.gov.ph/2012/04/15/govt-widens-doors-to-civic-public-engagement/