Biz group urges vigilance against ‘illegal and forced’ Chinese labor

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) stressed the need to be vigilant, following reports on the alleged “illegal” Chinese labor in the Philippines.

MBCCI Executive Director Frank Carbon said that immigrants are not allowed to work here unless documented.

“They should register here first,” he added.

Carbon said undocumented foreign workers may have connections with concerned agencies.

“It could affect the Filipino workers who must be given priority to jobs in the country,” he added.

Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment (Pinoy Aksyon), an independent advocacy group and think-tank that seeks to provide platform for dialogue on governance, environment, consumer rights and sustainable development issues, has raised a concern over reports of “illegal and forced” Chinese labor in the country, especially in construction projects.

According to Pinoy Aksyon, they received reports that “forced labor” is being employed by Chinese companies with projects here in the Philippines, adding that allegedly, prisoners are sent here for involuntary labor.

If true, and left unchecked this could make the country complicit to this blatant violation of human rights laws and International Labor Organization conventions, the group said in a statement, adding that these workers do menial jobs in construction, not specialized technical work, a clear violation of the PH laws.

Pinoy Aksyon wrote Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Francis Pangilinan about the “incessant, unabated and illegal influx of Chinese laborers here in the country depriving Filipino workers of livelihood.”

The group requested Zubiri and Pangilinan to pass a Senate resolution asking for a Senate Investigation on what the group claimed to be a “grossly unfair, illegal and unjust practice.”

“We have been told by a group of Filipino contractors that thousands of Chinese workers are filling up what could have been jobs exclusively for Filipinos. And these Chinese workers enjoy better wages and perks than Filipino workers,” the group wrote.

Meanwhile, Carbon said that currently, they have not received a report on undocumented foreign workers in Bacolod and Negros Occidental.