An advocacy group and think tank has branded as "immoral" and "illegal" the hiring of Chinese workers for two bridge projects currently underway in the city of Manila.
In a letter sent to Manila Mayor Isko Domagoso, the group Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment (Pinoy Aksyon) described the practice as stomping on Filipino interests.
“Pinoy Aksyon would like to bring up with you what we thought is immoral and illegal practice of hiring foreign nationals in some public works projects depriving Filipino workers of jobs,” said BenCyrus Ellorin, the group's chairperson.
During the Senate hearing held last Wednesday for the Department of Public Works and Highways budget, Undersecretary for Public Works Emil Sadain admitted that both the Estrella-Pantaleon bridge and Binondo-Intramuros bridge projects have employed Chinese workers.
Chinese workers make up 45 percent of the workers of the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge project, while 31 percent make up the Chinese workers taking part in the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge project, according to Sadain.
“We would like to enjoin you (Domagoso) take decisive action on this blatant trampling of Filipino interests right in your beloved city, like what you did in the issue of a beauty product which was labelled as made in Binondo, Province of China. We are, by the way, extremely grateful for your patriotic act,” added Ellorin.
Ellorin was refering to Domagoso's closure of a Binondo product distributor last August that was caught selling products with the label “Made in Manila, province of China.”
“Equally alarming are reports reaching us that ‘forced labor’ is being employed by Chinese companies with projects here in the Philippines.
Allegedly, prisoners are sent here for involuntary labor,” said Ellorin.
“If true, and left unchecked this could make the country complicit to this blatant violation of human rights laws and International Labor Organization conventions,” he added.
The Duterte administration's “Build Build Build” project is expected to bring jobs to Filipinos.
However, recent data shows that unemployment has risen by 10 percent.
Last July 2019, unemployment was at 5.4 percent. The figure has now skyrocketed to 17.7 percent this July.
Even the most recent survey from the Social Weather Station states that seven million Filipinos have said that they are experiencing hunger, the group said.
Ellorin says that all these figures make it important for the country's economy to be stable so that jobs can be generated and economic activity can be spurred among the general public.
“We know you are very concerned with this dire situation and would support any moves to spur economic activity and create jobs,” he said.
“The Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration is one of the major job generators. There is however a sore finger in terms of employment generated by the build build build program,” added Ellorin.
He also pointed out that these Chinese workers are working as ordinary laborers and not in specialized technical work, which is a violation of the country's laws.
“We are confident you will take the cudgels of the poor Filipino workers,” Ellorin said in his letter to Moreno.