Hate campaign against OFWs now circulating in Macau
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/03/2008 12:08 AM
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More than 20,000 Filipinos working in Macau worry about two things: losing their jobs and be the target of a hate campaign.
Overseas Filipino workers based in Macau said a hate campaign has started circulating in the form flyers that encourages locals to detest them.
The flyer branded Filipinos as “dogs” and “pigs” and want OFWs to “get back to your rubbish country, don’t make Macau dirty”.
For Candida Morillo, who has been working in a store in Macau for 14 years, believes the hate campaign could have been triggered by the economic slowdown where locals now see Filipino workers as their rivals when it comes to employment opportunities.
“Noong unang panahon okay na okay sa kanila ang mga Pilipino. Pero gawa na rin po ng kahirapan siguro nakakaramdam na rin sila ng kahirapan,” Morillo said.
Louie Crisostomo meanwhile said casino managements prefer employees who are Filipinos.
“Gaya ng sa mga hotel, yung mga nagagawa ng mga Pinoy sa cleaning hindi nagagawa ng mga local ditto, ng mga Chinese,” Crisostomo said.
The Philippine Labor Attaché in Macau said labor unions and even the government are the ones pushing casino managements to lay-off foreign workers, like the OFWs.
"Nagkakaroon nga sila ng protectionism doon. Nagkaroon ng parang isang union para sa mga locals na pinapirmahan doon sa mga employers ng mga hotels na ang priority mga locals nila,” said Assistant Labor Attache Nida Romulo.
This is one of the reasons why many Filipinos are losing their jobs at casinos in Macau.
“Marami po ang kinakabahan na baka masama sila sa mga matatanggal,” said Jackie Gonzales.
“Marami na pong nagtanggal, nagbabawas,” Christy Mendoza said. Report from Henry Omaga-Diaz, TV Patrol World
