Metro Manila, Philippines – An advocacy group for overseas Filipino workers urged migrants worldwide on International Migrants Day, observed on Dec. 18, to withhold remittances in protest against what it described as widespread and systemic corruption in government.
The call for a Zero Remittance Day was initiated by Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot–Global, a coalition of overseas Filipino workers, professionals, women, youth and faith leaders. Migrante International is one of the coalition’s convening organizations.
Josie Pingkihan, deputy secretary general of Migrante International and a co-convener of the coalition, said migrant workers continue to make massive contributions to the Philippine economy while receiving little protection or benefit in return.
“Sa laki ng kontribusyon namin sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas na umabot sa 38 billion dollar last year, kabaliktaran ang kapalit. Inuuna ni BBM ang kanyang bulsa at kapit sa poder kaysa ipagtanggol ang ating karapatan,” Pingkihan said.
[Translation: Despite the enormous contribution we make to the Philippine economy, which reached $38 billion last year, what we receive in return is the opposite. President Marcos prioritizes his own pockets and grip on power instead of defending our rights.]
The global action marks the first call for a Zero Remittance Day by Migrante in 12 years. The group last launched a similar protest in 2013 against pork barrel abuses during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.
Participation in the Zero Remittance Day Laban sa Korapsyon was accompanied by protest actions in the Philippines led by Migrante Philippines and labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno at Mendiola in Manila, condemning alleged pork barrel insertions amid ongoing bicameral conference committee hearings in Congress.
Pingkihan said corruption remains entrenched despite changes in political leadership.
“Pabago-bago ang pangalan ng mga iskema, pero pork barrel at korapsyon ang nananaig pa rin sa gobyerno. Kaya namin ipinapamalas sa gobyernong Marcos ang aming galit: hindi kami magpapadala ni isang piso o dolyar dahil nanakawin lang ito ng mga korap,” she said.
[Translation: The names of the schemes may change, but pork barrel politics and corruption still dominate the government. This is how we show the Marcos government our anger: we will not send a single peso or dollar because it will only be stolen by the corrupt.]
Organizers said they expected broad participation in the Zero Remittance Day, led by overseas chapters in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. Other convening organizations under Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot–Global also pledged to withhold remittances.
Pingkihan said overseas Filipinos would continue to mobilize as long as what she described as attacks against migrant workers and the Filipino people persist.
“Ipapamalas namin kay BBM na hangga’t patuloy ang atake sa mga migrante at mamamayan, hangga’t nagpapatuloy ang rehimeng US-Marcos bilang ghost project sa taumbayan, hindi namin kayo tatantanan sa paglaban kasama ng mga Pilipino sa buong mundo,” she said.
[Translation: “We will show President Marcos that as long as attacks against migrants and the people continue, and as long as the US-Marcos regime remains a ‘ghost project’ imposed on the public, we will not stop fighting alongside Filipinos around the world.]
Migrante urged all overseas Filipino workers to participate in the Zero Remittance Day and called on migrant communities to sustain collective action beyond Dec. 18 by strengthening a global Filipino movement to hold corrupt officials accountable and push for meaningful change in the country.
