ARROYO SENDS LABOR CHIEF TO APPEAL 'JAPAYUKI' POLICY
TOKYO, JAPAN, February 18, 2005 (STAR) By Marichu Villanueva — Where the diplomacy of man failed, the persuasive power of a woman bore fruit.And this was what President Arroyo was able to achieve after she quietly dispatched to Tokyo Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas last Tuesday in a bid to convince the Japanese government to go slow in the implementation of its new immigration rule that is feared to put an end to the chief source of livelihood for some 80,000 Filipinos, mostly women working here as overseas performing artists (OPAs).
In a meeting with the chief enforcer of Japan’s disputed anti-trafficking legislation, Sto. Tomas succeeded to a certain degree in getting a firm commitment not to have the present level of Filipino OPAs to Japan drastically cut as feared.
Sto. Tomas’ "fruitful" talks with new lady Japanese Minister of Justice Nouno Chieko, who is her former Harvard classmate, was revealed yesterday by Okiharu Yasuoka, a member of the House of Representatives in the Japanese Diet (parliament).
Starting March 15, Chieko’s office is set to enforce the new immigration rule of Japan, which would effectively restrict the entry of OPAs from the Philippines as a way of curbing human trafficking in their country.
"I understand your President formed a task force against human trafficking led by Secretary Sto. Tomas. So, I would like the Philippine government to enhance this task force to make the process of issuing (entertainers’) visas more fair," said Yasuoka, former minister of justice, during a meeting with the Philippine delegation led by Commission on Overseas Filipinos (CFO) chairman Dante Ang and House assistant majority leader, Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas.
Another positive development came from the Philippine delegation’s visit to Tokyo that bolsters Manila’s argument against the new rigid visa rules.
A high-ranking member of the Japanese Diet admitted yesterday they had been "misled" when they were made to believe that the massive deployment of Filipino OPAs annually has turned into a "hotbed of human trafficking" in Japan as mentioned by the US State Department in a report released last year.
"We have to review this because apparently we at the Japanese Diet have been given a very misleading report by the Ministry of Justice," said Yutaka Kobayashi, a member of the 242-man San-giin, the House of Councilors or the smaller house of the Japanese Diet in a meeting with Ang and his group.
Kobayashi, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, said they were made to understand that the human trafficking problem in the Philippines stemmed from the employment of Filipino women entertainers in Japan who were then forced into prostitution.
"There is a misunderstanding. The Ministry of Justice put this on the record. They hid the numbers," Kobayashi rued.
This was based on the US State Department report last year that listed the Philippines and Japan among 42 countries on the watch list of its Human Trafficking in Persons Report 2004. The State Department pointed out that many of the Filipino artists entering Japan with "artist" visas are a source of human trafficking.
Kobayashi advised Manila to raise this issue before Japan’s Ministry of Justice.
"You have to protest very strongly about this to the Ministry of Justice in using this report by the US State Department and how they came to this conclusion about the human trafficking in the Philippines," Kobayashi said.
Ang flew here as a member of the newly created presidential task force against human trafficking headed by Sto. Tomas. The Philippine delegation came upon the invitation of Zengeiren, or the Association of All Japanese Promoters Recruiting Foreign Entertainers, and the Rengokai, or the United Organization of Overseas Agencies of Japan.
Kobayashi reassured the new Japanese immigration rule is just an ordinance of the Ministry of Justice that can still be reversed by them at the Diet by legislation.
"This is not an official law. In other words, we can take it back. Legislation is more powerful than this ordinance," Kobayashi said.
"But... to change this law would take time. It is now (up to) the Ministry of Justice to implement this (new immigration rule)," he pointed out.
Kobayashi said he would take up this matter with his LDP colleagues when they meet today at the Diet.
The President had asked Sto. Tomas to personally handle the concerns of Filipino entertainers after several previous attempts failed to secure a positive response from the Japanese government.
Filipino OPAs, recruiters and promoters were joined by Filipino diplomats and congressmen in asking for a transition period to allow the workers to adjust to the new rules under its amended anti-trafficking legislation.
And with its nearing implementation, many Filipino OPAs in Japan have reportedly gone into hiding for fear of being sent back home.
Local recruitment agencies claimed yesterday that an alarming number of Filipino entertainers were running away amid "misinformation" about the controversial legislation.
"And fear of not being able to return to Japan at the end of their six-month contract is driving Filipino entertainers to run away and opting to join unlicensed nightclubs," said a local recruiter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the recruiter, an average of three Filipino OPAs each month have abandoned their legitimate jobs.
"Many of them think they would have difficulty complying with the requirements so they opted to run away instead of returning home and eventually end up jobless," the recruiter said.
In his meeting with Ang, Yasuoka said Sto. Tomas also met with him and told him about her encouraging discussion with Chieko.
Yasuoka himself is regarded here as one of the most powerful members of the 480-member Shugiin, which is the bigger chamber of the Japanese Diet.
In a press briefing after their meeting with Yasuoka, Ang disclosed that Sto. Tomas also informed him of the firm assurance she had secured from Chieko.
"Secretary Sto. Tomas said she was told the present number of OPAs would be maintained even if the Japanese government imposes the new regulation," Ang said. — With Mayen Jaymalin
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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