Flag of South Korea (Edarabia.com)

The Philippine government's suspension of employment and deployment of seasonal workers to South Korea is justified as far as OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino is concerned. 

"The OFW Party List agrees with the moratorium imposed by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on the dispatch of seasonal workers to South Korea," read a statement from Magsino on Tuesday night, Jan. 16. 

Magsin, a member of the House minority bloc, earlier filed House Resolution (HR) No.1343, which sought an inquiry into the recruitment and deployment of Filipino Seasonal Agricultural Workers to South Korea under the "LGU-to-LGU" arrangement. 

The Seasonal Workers Program (SWP) allows Filipino workers a three-to-five-month stint in Korean farms under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between local government units (LGUs) of South Korea and the Philippines. 

Magsino said she had earlier received complaints regarding the SWP from Filipinos themselves. 

"During my visit to South Korea last June 2023, overseas Filipino workers (OFW) raised their concerns in our town-hall meeting about labor violations under the program, including inadequate meals, lodging violations, long working hours, and alleged mistreatment," she said. 

"And since the program stems mainly from LGU-to-LGU agreements, the implementation system does not go through the stringent screening of DMW," noted the lady solon. 

"Furthermore, while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and DMW have confirmed their knowledge of the existence of the SWP, and while Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has reported the participation of 46 Philippine LGUs in the program, there is no issued guidelines by any of the agencies concerned to govern the deployment of Filipino seasonal workers," said. 

This has led to the absence of any clear-cut delineation of functions and responsibilities among such workers, "which are critical to preclude and address abuses committed against the Filipino workers".

As a result of the town-hall meeting and subsequent discussions with the agencies, the OFW Party-list, the Philippine Embassy in the Republic of Korea, DMW, DILG, and DFA, have been reviewing the program for the purpose of ensuring stronger protection for Filipino workers under the SWP. 

"We believe the moratorium will allow DMW, DFA, and DILG to work on stronger mechanisms on the screening of employers, pre-deployment seminars on the rights of workers, establishing just and fair working conditions, and stringent monitoring of deployed workers," Magsino said.