ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo (Facebook)

House Deputy Majority Leader ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo wants the salaries of Filipino seafarers and other professionals working abroad to be at par with those earned by other nationalities. 

As such, Tulfo asked the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Sunday, Nov. 3 to implement measures that would ensure that Filipinos would sign contracts from foreign employers that would give them this treatment. 

“For a long time my office has been receiving these kinds of complaints but our kababayans (countrymen) are helpless because we Filipinos are not choosy,” noted Tulfo, a senatorial aspirant. 

“I encourage the DMW to make sure that our kababayans are not be at a disadvantage when it comes to salaries and benefits,” he added. 

ACT-CIS Rep. Edvic Yap also suggested that the DMW should talk to the manning, placement, and recruitment agencies regarding this matter. 

“This is not only happening to our seafarers but also to land-based contract workers such as engineers, accountants, draftsmen and others. It seems Filipinos are receiving a smaller salary compared to other nationalities, particularly the Europeans and Americans,” said Yap. 

Tulfo said it's "high time we do something about this because we do not complain when it comes to salaries especially when our kababayans are based abroad". 

Filipino seafarers are reportedly receiving a smaller salary compared to their European counterparts. It was reported that a seafarer even went to court in The Netherlands and demanded the same salary as the European seafarers. 

Tulfo, along with fellow party-list nominee Yap, is scheduled to meet with officials from the DMW this week to discuss this issue.