A sweet victory for Filipina nannies and to every foreign worker in Canada. One year after the death of Juan Tejada, she was vindicated for her passionate advocacy of the so-called Juan Tejada law seeking an exemption to taking a second medical test as a pre-requisite to becoming a permanent resident here in Canada.
And Juana must be smiling in the heavens as the Federal government notably Minister Jason Kenny finally revealed significant changes to the live in caregivers program (LCP) and made the proposed Juana Tejada law a reality and a landmark in the Filipino community’s fight for caregivers’ rights and protection.
This and other changes to the live in caregiver program was announced December 12 which states among others that henceforth, there will be no longer a second medical tests for caregivers to qualify as permanent residents .
It will be recalled that Tejada failed that second medical test when she was diagnosed with cancer, a condition she developed while working as a caregiver .
In announcing changes to the caregivers program, Kenney said “our government fully supports the Juana Tejada law . We propose to implement this change in her honour to ensure that this painful experience is no longer repeated”.
The significant changes mentioned by Kenney also stipulates that a caregiver will now be able to apply for permanent status after 3,900 work hours or the equivalent of over two years as against the current requirement that a caregiver has to complete two years of work within a span of 36 months or three years equivalent.
Not to be outdone, the province of Ontario, where a huge number of Filipino caregivers are situated, had similarly passed a law called the Employment Protection For Foreign Nationals Act last December 9 .
The new law has these salient features:
-recruiters are prohibited from charging fees to caregivers, either directly or indirectly
-prohibiting the practice of confiscating a caregiver’s personal documents such as passport or work permit
-prohibiting reprisals against caregivers in exercising their rights under the law
-allow live in caregivers to make a complaint of up to a two-year period under the Employment standards Act.
*******
JUBILATION AND CELEBRATION: A day after receiving the good news,
Filipino caregivers trooped to the Assumption church along Bathurst in a gathering to savor their well earned and hard fought victory.
Philippine Ambassador gave eight caregivers awards to Canada Jose Brillantes for their role in pushing much-needed reforms to the caregivers program in the same mold as the late Juana Tejada.
They were : Magdalene Gordo, Joeline Maluto, Richelin Tongson,Grace Gallego,Maribel Beato,Ester Catacutan,Katherine Manuel and Marilyn Perlas Rivera.
The Philippine diplomatic officials, who came in full force, also held a dialogue with a group of Filipino contract workers , most of who are women toiling in a farm near Windsor . A team from the Philippine Labor Office has promised to travel to the work site to confer with employers of the Filipina farm workers in January of next year.
Among the awardees, Richelin Tongson and Magdalena Gordo were best known for their tireless campaign against exploitation and abuse when they exposed the alleged abuses and exploitation of a high Canadian government official who employed them. The case in now the subject of an inquiry.
******
A HEROINE: Aptly, the Philippine government should consider Juana Tejada as one of its heroes in the mold of CNN 2009 Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida.
Her single-minded advocacy to seek justice and protection for her fellow Filipina caregiver workers while dying of a deadly disease is perhaps much greater that the ring triumphs of Manny Pacquiao in the sense that a small and unknown Filipina has fought a well entrenched system that is the Canadian federal and provincial governments. With this landmark decision and eventual victory, Tejada thus swung open wide the door for opportunities to other Filipina nannies and other foreign workers in the same situation, whose only motivation is to give their families a better life in this compassionate country called Canada.
This writer therefore propose that Juan Tejada be declared not only as a heroine here in Canada and the Philippines but hailed as a symbol of
the foreign workers’ struggle for fair play and protection against exploitation
and abuse. What a fitting Christmas gift that Juana has given to Filipina caregivers ! Merry Christmas Juana Tejadas of the world !
******
TIDBITS/AROUND TOWN: The Philippine Press Club of Ontario (PPCO)
has raised during its annual holiday gathering a total of $750.00 as its donation to the families of the 30 newsmen who perished in the Maguindanao massacre of November. Our representative, Ricky Caluen, has traveled to Mindanao to personally deliver the aid.
Our birthday celebrants this December include my sis in law Thelma Soriano, Jaden Soriano , Jesse de La Cruz, Vivian Solis Sarmiento,
My sis Jocelyn “Shoda“ Soriano, Ira Soriano and Jan Asensi.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS !
