Filipino domestic workers nationwide will demonstrate their oneness as a voting force during their annual celebration of the Araw ng Kasambahay this Sunday, 29 April 2007, to muster strong political commitment for the passage of their Magna Carta.
In Metro Manila, at least 3,000 kasambahays, employers, community leaders and parents will gather at the Quezon Memorial Circle Peace Bell area from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Some national and local candidates are expected to join the celebration.
This year’s campaign, with the theme “Boto ng Kasambahay, Kaunlarang Abot-Kamay” (Domestic workers’ vote, a fight for development), aims to convince the silent sector to exercise its right to vote in the coming May 14 elections.
“This huge sector still remains an untapped political force. It is only by coming out with a united voice that their clamor to end the neglect of their contributions to nation-building becomes heard, especially during the elections,” says Visayan Forum President Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda.
“We are calling on all employers to allow their kasambahays to go out even for a couple of hours on May 14 so that they could express their voice through the ballot,” Oebanda added.
There are an estimated 1.2 million domestic workers in the country, most of whom have actively participated in the past baranggay elections according to Visayan Forum.
In solidarity with domestic workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has issued a memorandum circular to all Philippine embassies to observe the Araw ng Kasambahay. Likewise, Sec. Arturo Brion of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued a memorandum circular calling on the staff of all its bureaus and regional offices to participate in the celebration through its Gender and Development (GAD) budget allocation.
Simultaneous Araw ng Kasambahay celebrations will be held in the cities of Batangas, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo,
Davao and Dumaguete which will also feature a Kasambahay Voter’s Education Program, broad media and advocacy campaigns and service fairs.
To cap this year’s celebration, Visayan Forum will launch the first ever Gawad Employers ng Kasambahay. Pro-kasambahay candidates are enjoined to take part in this nationwide search which will culminate in December.
The festivities at the Quezon Memorial Circle will start with the celebration of the Holy Mass at 1 p.m., followed by solidarity messages from Visayan Forum’s partners at 2 p.m. and a Kasambahay Voter’s Education Program at 3 p.m.
Service booths of such government agencies as the Quezon City-Public Employment Service Office (PESO), DOLE, DFA, Department of Education (DepEd), the Social Security System (SSS) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will be open the whole afternoon to offer assistance to walk-in domestic workers.
The Araw ng Kasambahay 2007 celebration is co-organized by Visayan Forum and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples (CBCP-ECMI), Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development (BBC), DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA), DOLE, Philippine Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN), National Commission for the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), Quezon City-PESO, the Religious of Mary Immaculate (RMI) sisters, Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Manggagawang Pantahanan sa Pilipinas (SUMAPI) and Bantay Bata sa Komunidad (BBK).
