Taipei Times: As far as I understand it, there are more than 100,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan.
Rudolfo Sabulao: Yes, about 86,000 are documented, while about 2,600 are undocumented. The rest are Filipinos who have married Taiwanese nationals.
TT: And they work in a variety of sectors?
Sabulao: Yes, about 63,000 work in factories and about 25,000 in social services, such as caretakers and caregivers.
The rest are in the construction industry as semi-skilled workers and professionals. Others are fishermen and nursing aides, or work in nursing homes.
TT: What role does MECO play in trying to improve the working conditions of Filipino workers in Taiwan?
Sabulao: MECO is the representative office of the Republic of the Philippines here in Taiwan ... It is part of our foreign policy to promote and secure the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, including Filipino nationals who have married Taiwanese nationals. MECO is at the forefront of all these activities. It links up with the concerned agencies of the host government to ensure that Filipino nationals in Taiwan are safe and protected.
TT: If a local worker has a complaint about his or her working conditions and comes to MECO, what is the process?
Sabulao: We raise the matter with the Labor Bureau, as the Labor Bureau of the location where the worker is employed has jurisdiction over the workplace. It has an inspection mechanism to attend to problems in the workplace, such as violations of labor standards and violations pertaining to working conditions. So they inspect to validate the complaint.
If that condition exists, then the investigation is done and appropriate penalties are imposed upon those who are accountable for the violation.
The enforcement of the law is done by the local government units. So we coordinate closely with the local government.
TT: What advice would you have for Filipino workers coming to Taiwan?
Sabulao: These are the cardinal requirements: Observe the laws, do not break a contract, do not run away from the workplace. Otherwise you will lose your status. So if there are problems, we advise them to work it out first with their employers and their brokers, or call us.
TT: As far as the Taiwanese authorities go, is there any particular situation that MECO feels should be the object of closer scrutiny?
Sabulao: Yes. First is the need to address the policy of some employers not to give migrant workers a single day off during the month. So we’re asking the Council of Labor Affairs [CLA]: “Give the workers a rest day,” at least one day so they can make remittances and get full rest.
Under Taiwanese labor laws, [migrant] workers are supposed to have at least one day off per week.
What employers do is give “overtime pay” to employees who have to work on Sundays, but that is not enough. They are human beings and they need to rest, at least once a month.
TT: So there are some employers who are basically not giving these workers any days off?
Sabulao: Yes, and we have already informed the CLA about it.
A second item that needs attention is that employers should not take custody or take possession of a migrant worker’s passport.
Passports are supposed to be handled by the national — in this case by Filipino nationals.
Actually, passports are owned by the government. It is the Filipino national who has the privilege to possess the passport, which has been granted by and issued by the government.
Even under Taiwanese law, it is a violation to hold people’s passports. As foreign nationals, we are directed to bring with us our passports every time we leave, every time we travel in this country.
TT: But what can Filipino workers do if their employer tells them they have to turn over their passport?
Sabulao: Just inform MECO.
Right now, we are finalizing an agreement with the CLA whereby employers who are found to be keeping passports may be blacklisted by the Philippine government, which could mean that they would be barred from hiring Filipinos.
This is one of the major areas. Under this particular agreement, we would also inform the CLA so that it could carry out its own investigation and, if necessary, impose the appropriate penalties under Taiwanese laws.
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
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