By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter
THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Tuesday advocated for a collaborative strategy to tackle the difficulties experienced by undocumented Filipinos in the US as concerns of mass deportations arise under President Donald J. Trump.
“We strongly support a unified and coherent approach, ranging from legal aid to reintegration services, not only to enable the government to efficiently manage these initiatives but also to empower our fellow citizens with a centralized hub for accessible and comprehensive services,” TUCP Vice-President Luis C. Corral stated.
The organization proposed the establishment of an inter-agency body to harmonize efforts among governmental institutions, civil society, and Filipino organizations in the US to assist approximately 370,000 undocumented Filipinos at risk of deportation.
The Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority are some of the government entities charged with overseeing this matter.
“The Philippine government will always be prepared to assist our citizens should the rumors of mass deportations by the new US administration materialize,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma informed BusinessWorld via a Viber message.
Mr. Corral mentioned that facilitating the reintegration of returning overseas Filipino workers would be beneficial not just through employment assistance but also through public employment initiatives.
Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance, noted that the strategy should encompass collaboration among the government, private sector, and civil society.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez and embassy personnel should orchestrate efforts to assist Filipinos in the US, he added.
Grassroots organizations may be better positioned to connect with the families of these undocumented Filipinos and could offer valuable insights on how to best facilitate their return to the Philippines, Mr. Cortez stated.
“In this respect, given that the primary reason for them to migrate abroad is to seek better job prospects, public-private partnerships and dialogues should be initiated at the earliest opportunity,” he mentioned.
Filipinos in the US contemplating repatriation may be incentivized to return sooner if employment opportunities are accessible upon their arrival, he highlighted.
Benjamin B. Velasco, an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Labor and Industrial Relations, asserted that the potential mass deportation contradicts Manila’s national interest as a labor-exporting nation.
“Deportation results only in family separation and human distress,” he remarked in a Facebook Messenger conversation. “Many undocumented Filipinos belong to mixed-status families.”
“To confront the ramifications of Trump 2.0, we must enhance public employment and formulate an industrial policy,” he expressed, emphasizing that the former should be an immediate reaction, while the latter requires a strategic approach.
Mr. Velasco suggested that the Philippine government begin by taking a more proactive stance in economic planning and development.
“We have allowed the private sector to dominate the economy, leading to ongoing unemployment, underemployment, and labor migration,” he stated. “A public sector-driven industrialization is essential to tackle the fundamental causes of underdevelopment.”
He mentioned that American labor unions, migrant groups, and civil society allies have resisted Mr. Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
“Undoubtedly, we are not confronting the likelihood of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Filipinos being forcibly repatriated here,” he said. “Nevertheless, we ought to pursue a course of public sector-driven development that generates decent employment and safeguards the environment, with or without Trump and others of his kind.”
Mr. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th US president on Jan. 20. One of his significant campaign pledges was to strengthen border security and deport undocumented immigrants.
He commenced his return to the White House with an extensive immigration crackdown, assigning the American military to assist in border security, enacting a broad prohibition on asylum, and taking measures to limit citizenship for children born in the US, as reported by Reuters on Tuesday.
The first American president to be found guilty of a felony, he proclaimed illegal immigration a national emergency. He directed the Pentagon, the main building of the United States Department of Defense, to aid in the construction of the border wall, detention facilities, and migrant transport, and authorized his Defense Secretary to deploy troops to the border if necessary.
