Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No,_ 3

Introduced by REP. JUDY J. SYJUCO.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Constitution unequivocally affirms labor as a primary social economic
force and mandates the State to protect the rights of workers and promote their
welfare (Sec. 18, Art. Il). It is further provided that “The State shall afford full
protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote
full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all”

The Filipino migrant worker deserves utmost protection and assistance in
their place of work---in a foreign land with its own set of laws and policies. Dubbed
as the “bagong bayani", the Filipino migrant workers continued to play an
important role in Philippine economy for at least two reasons. First, the
deployment of Filipinos to work in various countries of destinations eases the
pressure on the domestic labor market, brought about by high labor force growth.
Second and more significantly, the foreign exchange being remitted into the
Philippine economy by OFWs through the years have continued to be an important
factor in sustaining the economic growth of the country.

From 1995 to 1998, the total deployment of OFWs has been increasing at
an annual average of two percent, or a yearly average of 704,381 workers. The
tally of deployment on the top five work destinations in the second quarter of 1999
of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed Saudi
Arabia still on top with 111,378 Filipino workers received and the United Arab
Emirates with 20,176

Most of our land-based OFWs still go to the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia
as the major destination since 1995. As of December 2001, there are 897,000
Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia while 128,604 Filipino workers are deployed in the
United Arab Emirates who ranks No. 4 in the top five work destinations

We have witnessed in various reports that our migrant workers in the
Middle East countries are often caught in crisis and incriminating situation.
According to Migrante international, a former Protestant Cavite choirboy, Wilfredo
C. Bautista, 35 years old, and three other OFWs may be beheaded in Taif, Saudi
Arabia any day from now. In a factsheet provided to Migrante International by the
Southern Luzon Jurisdictional Convention of the United Church of Christ in the
Philippines (SLJC-UCCP), Bautista, along with fellow OFWs Sergio Aldana,


Antonio Alvesa and Miguel Fernandez were imprisoned to death by the Taif Grand
Court for allegedly killing Jaime de la Cruz, a fellow OFW.

‘As documented by Migrante International, at present, there are 44 OFWs in
various Saudi jails facing the possibility of beheading unless the Philippine
government intervenes.

This proposed measure seeks to provide remedy to the plight of our migrant
workers by establishing a Legal Attache Office in every Middle East country
particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Hence, in view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly
sought.

ia

JUDY J. SYJUCO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill No. 737

Introduced by REP. JUDY J. SYJUCO.

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A LEGAL ATTACHE OFFICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
COUNTRIES AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO, 8042
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “MIGRANT WORKERS AND OVERSEAS
FILIPINOS ACT OF 1995” AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy — It is the policy of the State to afford full
protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote
full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all. Towards this
end, the State shall provide appropriate and adequate legal services to Filipino
migrant workers.

SECTION 2. A new section is hereby inserted under Title V of Republic Act
No. 8042 otherwise known as the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of
1995" to be read as follows:

V. THE LEGAL ASSISTANT FOR MIGRANT WORKERS AFFAIRS

Section 25. OFFICE OF THE LEGAL ATTACHE - A LEGAL
ATTACHE OFFICE SHALL BE ESTABLISHED IN EVERY COUNTRY IN
THE MIDDLE EAST TO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO
FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS IN NEED OF LEGAL AID AND/OR IN
CRISIS OR DIFFICULT SITUATION.

Section 26. Legal Assistance Fund. - XXX
SECTION 3. Appropriation. The amount needed to carry out the provisions
of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated in the General Appropriations
Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication

in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. The publication shall not be
later than seven (7) days after approval hereof.

Approved,