Commentary
Groups swap thoughts on Pinoys in Lebanon
by ISAGANI DELA PAZ

MANILA--AS STORIES in this packet were being processed, messages from several groups were also being swapped online after Economic Resource Center for Overseas Filipinos (Ercof) president Ildefonso Bagasao forwarded a message that stemmed from one of the largest Filipino associations in the United States.

In his message that has spurred a thread, Bagasao said he decided to circulate his Los Angeles, USA-based cousin Paula Bagasao's message “because it gives us some first hand information on the conditions of Filipinos who have sought refuge in Fr. [Agustin] Advincula's church and how we may be able to help.”

“This is something we do not find in our local newspapers, which has decided to highlight the bickering and buck-passing among government officials.”

Bagasao's cousin Paula forwarded a message dated July 29, 2006, from Doy Heredia of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa), an association of 500 Filipino groups and networks in the US.

Heredia, on the other hand, cited the electronic mail from Arlene Machetta, the group's Southwest Region chair with the subject “NaFFAA Appeal - Help Filipinos Stranded in Lebanon”. Machetta, in turn, also cited a message, dated July 28, 2006, from a certain Arsenio R. Martin, a doctor.

Gardens
A CHECK with Naffaa confirmed the messages originated from their office wherein Martin quoted the priest as saying “there are almost 700 people in his convent: they are sleeping on their Convent Hall floor and some are sleeping outside in their 'gardens or landscape' ground.”

After 200 Filipinos left their convent another 200 came in so the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Convent is constantly supporting around 700 people every day.

“He said that a fellow priest from Australia sent him US$230 and he used that solely for water supply [for] drinking and for sanitary purposes,” Martin's email went.

Martin added that Advincula also echoed a concern on the delay of our kababayan (compatriots) to reach the Philippines.
“The 'bottleneck' is in Damascus, Syria because of the more than 200 Filipinos that left Beirut, only few flew back home because of the availability of Airplane seat and the chartered plane by the Philippine government can not coupe [sic] with this exodus,” Martin added.

There is the Monastery that can house them temporarily in Syria but this is 100 [kilometers] away from the airport, he said.
Martin said that Advincula is requesting for “monetary donation” and that he has pledged US$200 to the priest.

Origins
LEBANON is no stranger to migration, with remittances of Lebanese migrants contributing 13.8 percent to its gross domestic product in 2004.

Remittances in the Philippines, to note, were at 8.9 percent of GDP that year, according to figures of the Danish Institute for Development Studies.

According to a paper of the United Nations Population Fund, migrations began in reference to the Orontes, a small river in eastern Lebanon near Baalbeck that, according to a Reuters news, is reportedly controlled by Hezbollah and where Israeli forces recently landed.

The UNFPA paper, presented in Marrakech, Morocco, during the UNFPA expert group meeting last year, cited that the beginning of migrations began 2,000 years ago, to a Roman Emperor complaint that the Tiber River in Rome was overflowing with the Orontes, “in reference to the large numbers of Phoenicians migrating to Rome.”

The total population of Lebanon is 3.5 million, whereas its diaspora population is 14 million, the UNFPA paper said.
Citing a World Bank study, the UNFPA paper added that “the steady and decisive flow of remittances meant that the Lebanese government did not face any major economic crisis even after accumulating huge trade deficits over a prolonged period.”

This experience the UNFPA said Lebanon shared with India, China, and Bangladesh.

“The Bangladeshi community of the United Kingdom and USA took active part in the War of Independence of Bangladesh through international campaigns, fund raising and fighting at the front.”

Money
BAGASAO said that Advincula has reportedly asked government “Where is the OFW money,” apparently in view of the difficulties in resources that his Convent in Beirut, Lebanon is experiencing. (See main story.)

Bagasao has said in a television talk show July 29 that the answer to that question could be found in the Commission on Audit, starting from the year 1999.

He claimed that nongovernment organizations “including Ercof, had also unearthed evidences showing how many fingers had dipped into the OFW trust fund”.

“The corpus of the fund sourced from the US$25 contributions of processed OFWs, and the corpus of the fund stands at P8 billion,” Bagasao added.

Citing government officials, Bagasao said this money is invested in the Development Bank of the Philippines “and the Land Banks [sic]”.

“Although this fund is supposed to be a trust fund for us for OFWs in distress, the record states that 60% of the interest gained from these investments are used to pay for salaries and allowances of the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration, and only 40% goes to OFW needs.”

“OWWA has the obligation not only to fund the evacuation, but also implement programs to provide livelihood and employment to the returnees,” Bagasao added.

But he said he has digressed much.

As of this writing, the Philippine Senate is investigating the use of OWWA's funds but President Macapagal-Arroyo invoked Executive Order 464 and did not allow OWWA officials, led by Administrator Marianito Roque, to attend a July 31 Senate hearing.

“In the meantime, there are 30,000 workers to be evacuated from Lebanon,” Bagasao wrote.

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