Senate allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as opposition senators on Monday, rejected his view that the government should accommodate illegal Chinese workers as a way of protecting hundreds of thousands of undocumented Filipino workers in China.
Senators Panfilo Lacson and Joel Villanueva said that even though there are many Filipinos working illegally in China and other countries, Philippine laws must be strictly enforced.
READ: Duterte: Let Chinese nationals work in PH
“First of all, we have immigration laws to obey and adhere to. No exception please—Chinese, Japanese, Americans, even from planet Mars,” Lacson said.
“Whatever the President says, I would rather that we give premium to Filipino workers by deporting foreign nationals illegally working here, and worse, taking away scarce job opportunities from our own countrymen,” he added.
Villanueva, also a member of the majority bloc in the Senate, said “If you are illegal, you have no right and you are not protected by laws. So the bottom line is enforcement of laws to protect workers’ rights and our Filipino first policy.”
“This is a matter of enforcing our own rules and regulations, not just for the protection of jobs for Filipinos but also the protection of the rights of the workers regardless of nationality,” he added.
Instead of turning a blind eye to illegal workers here, the government should help Filipino workers abroad become legal workers, he said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said, “deportation is a consequence if laws are violated by foreigners.”
Opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan said Labor and Immigration officials who allowed the entry of 40,000 illegal Chinese workers should be fired and charged criminally.
“Uphold the rule of law and without fanfare deport these illegals,” he said.
He said the administration should not be afraid of China.
“What it should fear is the anger of millions of our people who remain jobless while we give special treatment to these Chinese illegals,” he said.
The senator also pointed out that the government has been silent about the smuggling of illegal drugs from China, and the “illegal invasion of our seas.”
Earlier, President Duterte said he would tolerate the influx of Chinese workers amid criticism that they were taking jobs from Filipinos.
The Philippine consulate-general in Hong Kong estimated that there are 200,000 Filipinos who have been working as domestics in China since 2016.
Sulong Dignidad party-list took strong exception to the President’s statement.
“The pronouncements made by the president are not only demeaning but also an affront to the dignity of Filipino workers,” said Sulong Dignidad president Rico Paolo Quicho.
Quicho said rather than worrying about the welfare of Chinese workers, the President should instead worry about providing decent jobs for Filipinos.
The labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines on Monday said they welcome Chinese workers in the country but maintained that jobs must be kept to Filipinos.
READ: BI agents arrest 30 illegal Chinese workers
TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said they are not against the entry of foreign workers in the country but of the adverse impact on Filipino workers who are being deprived of potential employment and livelihood opportunities.
“Our laws and regulations policies are clear: all jobs including skills and professions must be given to Filipino workers and professionals. However, If there are specialization and skills unavailable in the labor market, these should be given to foreign workers who must apply for Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and work permits from the Bureau of Immigration (BI),” he said.
The TUCP said the AEP and work permit issued by DOLE and BI must be enforced with routine coordination, monitoring and implemented free from corruption.
“There is no coordination between the DOLE and BI. And this is where the problem thrives. Each agency issues permits allowing foreigners to stay and work here using different criteria,” Mendoza said. With Vito Barcelo
READ: ‘Chinese workers must follow PH rules’