ConGen cites surge in OFW numbers
JOSE MARCELO HONG KONG
Consul general Al Vicente is hopeful a Philippine
consulate will soon rise in Macau to better address
the needs of a rapidly growing number of Filipinos
that have descended on Asia’s gambling Mecca.
The Hong Kong post currently has jurisdiction over
Macau, but Vicente is the first to acknowledge that
the rising number of Filipinos either working or
looking for jobs in the former Portuguese colony
has necessitated the creation of a full consulate.
“We’re all for it,” said Vicente, who for years now
has been batting for a Philippine consulate in the
enclave. “And I’m hopeful our officials will soon find
a way to make it happen.”
The Philippine government has in fact committed to
putting up a Macau consulate during high-level
talks with Chinese officials, who not only are
receptive to the plan but have been pushing for its
implementation.
However, it has not been easy for the Department
of Foreign Affairs to convince legislators to
appropriate a budget for a consulate in Macau,
which could easily run in the millions of pesos
annually.
The latest estimate by the Macau government
placed the number of Filipino migrant workers in
the territory at 10,000 – a figure that swells when
undocumented Filipinos, lured to Macau by job
opportunities spawned by its thriving gaming
business, are included.
At the moment, the Philippine government’s only
presence in Macau is a labor extension office
manned by assistant labor attaché Carlos Sta Ana,
complemented by consular missions held once a
month.
Anything beyond that the consulate cannot commit,
Vicente said, with its staff stretched thin attending to
the needs of the almost 150,000 Filipino migrant
workers in Hong Kong.
“Mr Sta Ana is a one-man team over there,” Vicente
said. “But he’s finding it harder and harder trying to
address the problems of our kababayans.”
His view was seconded by new labor attaché Romy
Salud, who needed only a one-week working stay
in the territory to be convinced of the pressing need
for a separate consulate in Macau.
“I think it’s high time we have a consulate there,”
said Salud, noting that most of the problems
brought before him were distress cases that could
be better addressed by a full-staff consulate.
“Hindi mga labor-related issues,” he said. “What
the Filipinos in Macau need is an Assistance to
Nationals section like the one we have here in
Hong Kong.”
The availability of cheap flights to Macau and
immigration laws that allow tourists to apply for
working visas once they land jobs have
encouraged a steady stream of Filipinos to try their
luck in the territory.
“They go there to find jobs so they can convert their
tourist visas into working visas,” Vicente said.
“But once they are there, we all know that a lot of
things can happen.”
While legislators debate whether a consulate in
Macau is necessary, more and more Filipinos are
rolling the dice of life in Asia’s gambling capital,
with a lot of them ending up losing their shirts.
Salud pointed to one case where four Filipinos
from northern Luzon paid P25,000 each to a
recruiter who promised them high-paying jobs in
Macau – only to desert them after a few days.
After a few weeks wandering around looking for
opportunities that never came, seeking shelter in
homes of kindhearted Filipino residents in Macau,
they left with nothing to bring home but dirty clothes
– and memories of a nightmare experience.
“All I could do was file an illegal recruitment report
and send it to Manila to warn authorities there,”
said Salud.
“The worst part was, I was told that four more
people were set to be brought in by the same
recruiter the very next week.”
JOSE MARCELO HONG KONG
Consul general Al Vicente is hopeful a Philippine
consulate will soon rise in Macau to better address
the needs of a rapidly growing number of Filipinos
that have descended on Asia’s gambling Mecca.
The Hong Kong post currently has jurisdiction over
Macau, but Vicente is the first to acknowledge that
the rising number of Filipinos either working or
looking for jobs in the former Portuguese colony
has necessitated the creation of a full consulate.
“We’re all for it,” said Vicente, who for years now
has been batting for a Philippine consulate in the
enclave. “And I’m hopeful our officials will soon find
a way to make it happen.”
The Philippine government has in fact committed to
putting up a Macau consulate during high-level
talks with Chinese officials, who not only are
receptive to the plan but have been pushing for its
implementation.
However, it has not been easy for the Department
of Foreign Affairs to convince legislators to
appropriate a budget for a consulate in Macau,
which could easily run in the millions of pesos
annually.
The latest estimate by the Macau government
placed the number of Filipino migrant workers in
the territory at 10,000 – a figure that swells when
undocumented Filipinos, lured to Macau by job
opportunities spawned by its thriving gaming
business, are included.
At the moment, the Philippine government’s only
presence in Macau is a labor extension office
manned by assistant labor attaché Carlos Sta Ana,
complemented by consular missions held once a
month.
Anything beyond that the consulate cannot commit,
Vicente said, with its staff stretched thin attending to
the needs of the almost 150,000 Filipino migrant
workers in Hong Kong.
“Mr Sta Ana is a one-man team over there,” Vicente
said. “But he’s finding it harder and harder trying to
address the problems of our kababayans.”
His view was seconded by new labor attaché Romy
Salud, who needed only a one-week working stay
in the territory to be convinced of the pressing need
for a separate consulate in Macau.
“I think it’s high time we have a consulate there,”
said Salud, noting that most of the problems
brought before him were distress cases that could
be better addressed by a full-staff consulate.
“Hindi mga labor-related issues,” he said. “What
the Filipinos in Macau need is an Assistance to
Nationals section like the one we have here in
Hong Kong.”
The availability of cheap flights to Macau and
immigration laws that allow tourists to apply for
working visas once they land jobs have
encouraged a steady stream of Filipinos to try their
luck in the territory.
“They go there to find jobs so they can convert their
tourist visas into working visas,” Vicente said.
“But once they are there, we all know that a lot of
things can happen.”
While legislators debate whether a consulate in
Macau is necessary, more and more Filipinos are
rolling the dice of life in Asia’s gambling capital,
with a lot of them ending up losing their shirts.
Salud pointed to one case where four Filipinos
from northern Luzon paid P25,000 each to a
recruiter who promised them high-paying jobs in
Macau – only to desert them after a few days.
After a few weeks wandering around looking for
opportunities that never came, seeking shelter in
homes of kindhearted Filipino residents in Macau,
they left with nothing to bring home but dirty clothes
– and memories of a nightmare experience.
“All I could do was file an illegal recruitment report
and send it to Manila to warn authorities there,”
said Salud.
“The worst part was, I was told that four more
people were set to be brought in by the same
recruiter the very next week.”
They go there to find
jobs so they can
convert their tourist
visas into working
visas ... But once
they are there, we
all know that a lot of
things can happen
jobs so they can
convert their tourist
visas into working
visas ... But once
they are there, we
all know that a lot of
things can happen
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