Labor group protests presence of Chinese workers

BACOLOD City – The Kilusang Mayo Uno-Negros (KMU) headed by Noli Rosales slammed the presence of Chinese workers in the country during Labor Day protests here on May 1, 2019.

According to Rosales, 139,000 Chinese nationals are employed in the Philippines, with around 119,000 working for “Build, Build, Build” projects of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The local KMU leader accused the Duterte administration of giving priority to the Chinese, claiming they are receiving more salary and benefits, unlike the Filipino workers who are only “given less to no benefits.”

Rosales also said that the presence of foreign workers in Western Visayas, especially in Boracay island, is becoming alarming and they are accusing the Department of Labor and Employment-Region 6 (DOLE-6) of hiding the complete details as to how many foreign workers are in the region.

“We asked DOLE-6 on Tuesday of the records of Chinese workers in the region and they cannot show any data, which means the present administration is covering up their presence,” Rosales said.

He further added they are worried Chinese-nationals would replace farm workers in Negros Occidental.

Based on data released by the Bureau of Immigration, they have issued 185,000 special work permits from January to November of 2018, with 64,087 permits given to Chinese nationals.

Aside from the KMU several other groups and government officials have also voiced their concern over the number of Chinese workers in the country.