Transcript of interview with Sen. Cynthia Villar (Hearing on MIAA)

Q: You intend to challenge the MC 08 before the Supreme Court?

Villar: Mag-uusap kami ni Senator Koko, kasi siya ang lawyer sa aming dalawa. May two alternatives kami. Parang ang gusto niya Ombudsman. Not really to file a case against them later on, but for the Ombudsman to instruct them to correct what they have made na sa tingin namin is a mistake and it is against the law. So we will be talking about it with Senator Koko kasi siya ang lawyer, mas familiar siya kung ano ang liability for what they have done.

Q: But for now, iyung hindi nila pagsunod sa resolution, ano ang recourse?

Villar: We will file a case. I am talking with the Governance Commission on GOCC, kasi ang MIAA is GOCC. I am asking them to talk to MIAA why do we have to go thru this process? Kasi ang thinking ko, i-withdraw nila yung memorandum nila and then find a way na maso-solve nila yung pila without impinging on the rights of the OFW. Kasi dapat may common ground iyan. They decided to do this na hindi nila alam kung ilang OFW ang affected. We are asking POEA kung ano ang affected OFW, hindi nga nila mabigay yung figure. How can you decide on a policy na hindi mo alam ang number ng affected people sa policy mo? Kaya parang hindi nila tiningnan ang welfare ng OFW kasi hindi nila alam na ang OFW affected would be those buying online or buying abroad. Hindi nila alam ang percentage ng OFWs na buying online or abroad. So parang hindi pinag-aralan.

Q: Ano ang status ng nakolekta nila?

Villar: Iyon pa, sa susunod naming hearing, ano ang gagawin nila doon? Kasi ang projection ay 10 percent lang ng kinolektahan nila will refund. So may matitira sa kanila na 90 percent, which by computation namin roughly ay P1 billion. Bakit naman at the expense of the OFWs? Hindi ko kasi makita yung logic. Sila pinagpipilitan nila iyon so we have to go through this process na we will have to talk about it for the next several months until they decide to withdraw that MIAA order.

Q: Will it be earning interest? Saan po mapupunta yung hindi narefund?

Villar: Wala pa, hindi pa napapag-usapan kung saan. Sabi ko nga, illegal na kunin nila iyon kasi hindi kanila iyon.

Q: Nasa bangko po ba?

Villar: Hindi, nasa MIAA. Kasi iko-collect ng mga airline tapos babayaran nila ng 3.5 percent yung airline for collecting, ibibigay sa kanila. Hindi naman sa kanila iyon, dapat i-refund yun ng OFWs. But the process of refunding is very difficult, they project na baka 10 percent lang ang magrefund.

Q: Noong sinimulan ang implementation, ilan na po ang nag-refund?

Villar: 12,000 daw. Hindi nila alam yung base na pinanggalingan noon; 12,000 of what? How many? Hindi nila alam.

Q: For the meantime, they have been violating the Migrant Workers Act?

Villar: Iyon nga eh, kasi pinagpipilitan nilang hindi at kakampi nila yung Office of the Corporate Counsel. Iyon nga kine-question ni Sen. Koko, hindi niya maimagine why the Office of Corporate Counsel ay maga-agree that this is not a violation of the law.

Q: Wala bang pwedeng gawin dito ang DOTC?

Villar: Sila nga ang nagdecide. Ang chairman nito si Secretary Abaya. Sila yung board.

Q: Nakausap nyo na?

Villar: Oo, kinakausap namin, wala. Zero.

Q: Paano ninyo iko-contest yung claims nila na hindi sila nagba-violate ng law?

Villar: Either iquestion mo sa court. Nag-question na sila sa court, pina-inhibit nila yung judge. Kaya hindi ngayon makadecide yung judge kasi may inhibition pa sa judge. We can file another case on the part of our committee or we can ask the Ombudsman na pa-stop sila. May alternatives kasi. We have to talk about it kung ano ang mas strong na case.

Q: By judge, you mean RTC judge?

Villar: Nag-file ang mga OFW sa RTC (Pasay Branch 109). Pina-iinhibit pa ng corporate counsel yung judge dahil daw kampi sa OFW. Kaya lalong na-delay ang ruling. Iyon nga ang kine-question namin, panong kakampi sa OFW, eh class suit iyan, hindi naman iyan one particular person when you can ask the judge to inhibit. Ang maaapektuhan is a class na 12 million OFWs. Kaya nga parang delaying tactics on their part para hindi mag-rule ang judge.

Q: You gave emphasis kanina na parang pinag-iinteresan nila yung unrefunded?

Villar: Kasi hindi ko maintindihan why they have to collect. Why do you insist on collecting? Parang sinasabi nila, yung line daw. Ibig mong sabihin, just to solve the line, you do an illegal act? You solve the line, but don't disobey the law.

Q: Do you have suggestion po ba kung ano ang dapat na gawin nila?

Villar: Ang suggestion ko, gumawa ng program sa computer na automatic na hindi magbabayad yung OFW. Sinasabi nila mahirap daw yun. Sabi naman ng Microsoft, pwede naman. Willing naman ang POEA na magbayad at magshare ang DOLE. Ayaw nilang i-entertain iyon. Sabi ko suspend muna and then magpagawa ng computer program na automatic yung mga OFW can be exempted. Ayaw kami pakinggan doon.

Q: According to expert, gano katagal daw po yung development ng program?

Villar: Six months.

Q: Suspicious kayo sa resistance nila?

Villar: Hindi ko mai-imagine what's the reason. Kung ide-delay lang ng six months, tapos magpapagawa ng computer program para ma-solve yung problem, dapat iyon na lang gawin. Kaysa naga-argue kami nang naga-argue dito. For our part, hirap din kami, ang dami naming gagawin and we have to argue about this continuously sa hearing. Parang hindi maganda.

Q: Meron po bang figures na binigay kanina kung ilan yung unrefunded?

Villar: Ang figure nila kung ilan yung nagrefund. They don't know who are entitled to refund. Iyon ang problema namin, iyon ang tinatanong namin. They don't even have a figure kung sino yung affected. Nagdecide sila nang hindi nila alam ang figure on who are affected. They know sino ang nagrefund but kung sino yung hindi nagrefund, hindi nila alam until they file for a refund. 12,000 daw ang nagrefund since February.