Sulyap Vol 3 Issue 1 2010

8/14/2019 Sulyap Vol 3 Issue 1 2010

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Feature: Hello World!

Editorial: We Can Be Our Own Hero

Column: EPS Minimum Wage for 2010

Column: Writing as a Tool of Empowerment

Literary: Taking Care of Our Wealth

hhhhOt er Stories: Travel Advisory for OFWsVolume 3 Issue 1 2010 www.sulyapinoy.org NOT FOR SALE

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OFW-KOREA-2006-001

by Edward Castro

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: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo together with the 2009 Bagaong Bayani Awardees. Recana (left side PGMA) along withtwo other recipients were chosen under the Community and Social Services category. This year isthe 20th year that the Bagong Bayani Foundation Inc. has recognized exemplary heroism ofOFWs in their respective communities scattered around the globe.

q J Jby A uilino uanites r.

Manila - - The Bagong Bayani Foundation Inc. (BBFI) recently held thisyears' Bagong Bayani Awards where one factory worker from South Korea

was chosen and received recognition in Malacanan Ceremonial Hall lastDecember 4, 2009.Witnessed by Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Mr. Rebenson'Reeve' Recana, 41, and a factory worker of Woojin Alpha Co. Ltd. in Goesan-Gun, Chungbuk-do, South Korea was chosen as one of the 15 recipients of thisyears' prestigious awards ceremony.POEA Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque, Labor Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili, OWWA Administrator Carmilita Dimzon, BBFI officials, the other OFWrecipients from other countries with their families and friends also came andgraced the event.In her message, Mrs. Arroyo said that this years' awardees embody the new spiritof the world-class OFWs: respectable, professional, highly competent, adaptable,and multi-skilled. More importantly, these outstanding Filipino workers exempli-fied the best of Filipino values and the culture of excellence that they shown in

the workplace, making them the most preferred choice of foreign employers allover the world, Mrs. Arroyo added.Since it's organization in 1989, BBFI has continuously recognized the high stan-dards of competency, responsibility, efficiency and integrity of Overseas FilipinoWorkers all over the world and their role in fostering goodwill amongst the diversepeople of the world.This year, the BBFI in partnership with the Philippine Overseas Employment

Administration and Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration, once again paidtribute to deserving OFWs not only for their globally acknowledged work ethics,dedication and loyalty, but also for their contributions to the socio-economic de-velopment of their respective communities and the Philippine nation as a whole.Meanwhile, during his acceptance speech held at Hyewhadong Catholic Church

last December 27, Mr. Recana told the churchgoers about his heartfelt gratitudeto those who inspired him to come up with socio-civic programs that aimed tofoster unity among the various Filipino communities in South Korea, which leadhim in the selection and became one of the recipient of the said award.He likewise said that receiving the award would be much joyful for him if there willbe no more cases of maltreatment such as physical and verbal abuses, preju-dices, cases of unpaid salaries and benefits, and workers living and working inuncomfortable, accident prone situations.He vowed to continuously work to make sure these predicaments of OFWs in

"South Korea are brought into light. The Bagong Bayani 2009 Award should notbe considered as a recognition of my accomplishments, but rather a manifesta-tion that we - the OFWs are missionaries, ambassadors of good will and above

"all, servants of God, Recana added.Recana co-founded the HFCC Labor Relations Committee, which eventuallygave birth to the organization of the Filipino EPS Workers Association (FEWA).He is also the forerunner of SULYAPINOY newsletter and forum website, GawadFr. Glenn Giovanni Jaron Bayaning Pilipino Awards, and an active volunteer ofthe Hyewhadong Filipino Catholic Community, and to the Philippine Embassy.

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South Korea November 29,2009 was the kicked - off of the signaturecampaign organized and carried out by various Filipino Community Organi-

zations in Seoul and nearby provinces in order to petition to prolong the tour ofduty of Labor Attache Atty. Delmer R. Cruz of Philippine Overseas Labor office(POLO) for another term.

Different Filipino communities and groups received confirmed reports that the term ofLabatt Cruz will end on January 28, 2010.

According to the three (3) page petition furnished to SULYAPINOY and Filipino EPS(Employment Permit System) Workers Association (FEWA) states: We, The petition-

ers ,were collectively impressed by the outstanding performance of Labor AttacheCruzs duties for the welfare of Filipino migrant workers in South Korea. Thus, we feelcompelled and motivated to move for the extension of his term.

The aggrandizement of OFWs on Labatt Cruzs termination of tour of duty haveemerged because they eminently believed that before the end of his term , he accom-plished the following: He Resolved a selected Korean labor- related problems; hebridged the gap and improved the relationship between the Filipino overseas workersand the Philippine Embassy; he established better working relationship with the KoreanMinistry of Labor, Ministry of Justice, National Labor Consultation Center, Law Enforce-ment, and other related government offices, The petition explained.

The group also underscore the future plan of Labatt Cruz such as the Korean Lan-guage Test. This plan has not yet implemented as it is still in the process of negotia-tion. He also plans to create an effective policy against the trafficking of Filipino women

in marriage agencies, and among others.

The signature runs until last week of December 2009, and they are planning to handover the petition letter to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)) SecretaryMarianito D. Roque on last week of January 2010 . With the aegis of the OFWs here inSouth Korea , they were expecting that the head executive of DOLE will be pressingthe issue, sensitive enough and have the empathy to address the petition raised byFilipino migrants in South Korea.


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FEATURE

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AsSouth Korea gets more and more globalized, we see more foreigners coming in. We have more opportunities tointeract and learn from other people.

In this section, lets take a look at people from other nationalities, learn from their culture, and compare them with our own!^Hopefully, we will learn that we are all not so different after all.

ChristmasBy: Matome Stephen Ramoelo(((( ))))South Africa

Dubbed the Rainbow Nation, the Republic of South

Africa is perched at the southernmost part of thebeautiful African continent. It is the economic power-house that inspires the rest of the continent. Its richtapestry of cultures, languages and places continues tofascinate all who visit its beautiful shores. It is indeed,the Rainbow Nation - a melting pot of different colorsunder the warm sun. Christmas is celebrated in accor-

dance with the different cultures and beliefs.

And there is one common theme that runs through thenation: family. It is one of the few times in the yearwhen families get together to celebrate. Christmascomes at the end of the year. Everybody longs to behome, with family and loved ones. They travel fromafar, with hope in their hearts and smiles on their faces.Christmas traditions differ in this melting pot of culturesand tongues. Little children are excited to see distantcousins after such a long time. Aunts coo over cutenieces and nephews. Teens cajole their uncles forsome extra money for candy. On Christmas Day itself,there is a big feast.

A big lunch served to unite the family. The womenwake up early to prepare the food, while the men chatoutside around the barbecue. The children wake up toclean the house and yard, and the smaller ones runerrands all morning. In days past, this day would be theonly time that children received new clothes. Theywould be so proud to show them off to their friends.These 'Christmas clothes' would be cherished for yearsto come. For some, the children will wake up early tofind presents under the Christmas tree. For others,they wake up at the crack of dawn to clean and pre-pare. Once the food is prepared, those of a religiousinclination will head to church to give thanks. Otherswill remain at home to swap stories and catch up. Thelunch is a boisterous affair, the menu varying accordingto each family's culture, means and region. With radi-ant smiles, each family member is reminded of howfortunate they are to have each other.

And that, is the story of a Christmas in South Africa

But in the Land Down Under, a White Christmasreally was just a dream, because, unlike the northernpart of the world, Christmas is not in the wintertime,but in the summertime. There are no white, snowydays of winter, but instead only the dry blazing heatof summer. And the only snowmen to be found arethe ones made out of Styrofoam, decorating storewindows.

However, now that I live in Korea, I no longer have todream of a White Christmas: it's practically rightthere on my doorstep. While it only snows occasion-

ally within Seoul itself, an endless winter wonderlandof thick white snow is just a short drive away. In themountains around Seoul and outside of Seoul,there's plenty of snow just waiting to be shaped intocheerful figures straight out of Raymond Briggs'classic picture book The Snowman.

Although the celebration of Christmas is one of thoseimported Western traditions that has taken firm rootin Korea, and Christmas Day is even a public holidayhere, of course as you would expect in East Asia,there are numerous, very distinct differences be-tween Christmastime in Korea and Christmastime in

Australia.

For one thing, the presence of Christmas seems tobe much longer and much stronger in Australia - infact, it is inescapable and often stressful. There isconsiderable pressure to buy presents and to do alot of shopping and spending, malls becomecrowded, and it feels like a very hectic time. Prepara-tions seem to start ridiculously early and retail pro-motion starts to gather speed from October. Storesput up decorations, start their sales campaigns andplace their Christmas ads much earlier than in Ko-rea. Television networks start an endless bombard-ment of the airwaves with Christmas episodes andChristmas or Nativity specials, culminating in classicChristmas movie marathons on Christmas Day itself.However it all comes to a crashing halt right afterChristmas Day, and people start taking down theirdecorations, whereas in Korea I've often seen treesstill up in February!

But perhaps one of the biggest differences lies in theway people celebrate Christmas. In Australia, theoffice Christmas party is a common thing and thereare many more Christmas parties and events leadingup to the day itself, which is usually spent with thefamily, exchanging and opening gifts and eatingChristmas lunch or dinner. But since Koreans do thewhole family get-together thing at Chuseok, theyseemed to have decided that Christmas should bespent doing something else, and so Christmas Dayhas become a romantic, couple-oriented time orsimply just a day out. Korean couples go out to

restaurants and eat fancy meals, go to the movies ordo some other typical date activity. Nowadays, theymight buy chocolates and drink wine and eat caketogether. Meanwhile, Korean children will often goout with friends rather than stay at home or spendtime with their family.

Probably what expats living abroad miss the most atChristmas or any other time of the year, are the familiarand favorite foods from back home. Personally, while Ican definitely do without the commercial overkill backin Australia, I do miss the special Christmas foods,which would actually taste better in Korea because it'swinter here. In fact, it's perfect weather to enjoy thetraditional rich, English-style foods that Australianshave been used to eating since their colonial days,such as legs of glazed ham; baked or roasted chickenand other meats, served with stuffing and gravy; boiled,steamed or baked Christmas cakes made with lots of

dried fruit, spices and often including rum or liqueurand nothing at all like the fluffy cream-type cakes soldas Christmas cakes in Korea; mince pies, which aresmall pies made with similar ingredients to Christmascake; and shortbread, butter or gingerbread cookies.

Some good cold additions to Christmas in Australia aretrifle, a dessert made of layers of cake, fruit, cream,

jelly etc.; and lamingtons, a uniquely Australian dessertmade of pieces of cake, as well as of a cold, cold beer,of course, or two to wash down all that Christmasexcess and cool down in the summer heat.

Finally, one of the most important differences as far asthe celebration of Christmas here is that there is no

tradition or expectation to give gifts. In Korea, peoplemight give Christmas cards - and they seem to be onsale everywhere - but they do not often give or receivegifts, and there is really nowhere near the same retailrush to promote goods as gifts, in the same way asthere is in the West. Children in Korea do not makeChristmas wish lists the way that children in Australiamight. And although the figure of Santa Claus can beseen everywhere in Korea and people know that Santabrings presents to children, Korean children do notseem to expect to find gifts from Santa piled under thetree on Christmas Day.

On the other hand, the idea of giving at Christmastimeseems to have crossed over into Korean culture, andcharity work and fundraising are becoming much morewidespread and visible in Korea with every year, evenif it is nowhere as big as it as in Western countries. The

" "Salvation Army's soldiers with their red donationbuckets are as familiar a sight in f ront of Seoul City Hallas they are in Martin Place, Sydney.

In that regard, one of the most significant messages ofChristmas - the idea of giving and charity, goodwilltowards others and peace on Earth - appears to beequally appreciated and celebrated here in Korea as itis in Australia, or anywhere else. While the differencesare many between Christmas in Australia and Christ-mas in Korea, experiencing those differences gives younot only a new appreciation for the traditions backhome, but more importantly, for that common ground:

the essence and spirit of this holiday.

Christmas - '''' ''''whether it s white or not, it s themessage that matters

(((( ))))By: Sarah Yi Korea, Australia

Im dreaming of a White Christmas, Just likethe ones I used to know.

These lines are from perhaps one of the mostpopular songs about Christmas. I'm sure that you

"can at least hum along to the chorus of White"Christmas. Growing up in Australia, every year

when Christmas rolled around, I would hear the" "music of White Christmas being played on TV and

radio and in all the stores. Naturally, I learned someof the words and I sang along like everybody else.


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INFORMATION ON THE MINIMUM WAGES FOR THE YEAR 2010 (2009 )

Period of application: Jan. 1 2010 ~Dec. 31 2010

~: 2010.1.1 2010.12.31

Minimum wage ( )

Hourly wage rate : 4,110 won, daily wage rate( on a 8-hour basis): 32,880 won

4,110

,

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) 32,880

In the case of40 hours per week(209 hours per month) the monthly wage will amount 858,990

won.

40 ( 209 ) 858,990

In the case of44 hours per week(226 hours per month) the monthly wage will amount 928,990

won.

44 ( 226 ) 928,990

Target of application : every business or workplace employing workers

:

Workers whose minimum wage can be reduced

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%Apprentices: his/her minimum wage may be reduced as much as 10 up to 3 months(hourlywage rate : 3,699 won)

: 3 %10 ( 3,699 )- Surveillance or intermittent workers( when approved by Minister of Labor): Minimum wage can

be reduced as much

%as 20 (hourly pay: 3,288 won). ( %): 20

( 3,288 )

Workers who are not applied the minimum wage

- A person who has remarkably low abilities to work due to a mental or physical handicap (when

approved by the Minister of Labor).

, ( )

- An employee who works for the workplace which employ only relatives living together or domes-

tic workers.

-

A sailor who is subject to the seamen law or an owner of ship employing sailor.

Liability of the employer

Liable to pay above the minimum wage to the employee.

-

An employer shall pay the workers at least the minimum wage rate or more. And no employer

may lower the previouswage level on the ground of the minimum wage.

-

- If a labor contract provides for a wage that is less than the minimum wage rate, it shall be

considered to stipulate that

the same wage as the minimum wage rate shall be paid.-

,

Obligation of notice of the minimum wage to the worker

- An employer shall inform the workers of minimum wage rate, wages not included in the mini-

mum wage, effective date, and workers being excluded from the minimum wage Act.

,

,

,

In the cases of the following, a contractor shall take responsibility for violating Minimum Wage

Act jointly with the subcontractor.

- As for determining the unit labor cost lower than the minimum wage at the time of the signing

of the contract;

- As for lowering the unit labor cost to below the minimum wage in the middle of the contract

period.

FEATURE

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by Vice Consul Arnel Talisayon

What is music or painting to some is the written word for others:in prose, one is able to find refuge, create, inspire, reach out

and establish meaningful human connections.

The Filipino Community in South Korea knows the power of the writtenword only too well. Sulyapinoy, for one, has become a veritable vehi-cle for uniting Filipinos all over South Koreaworkers or otherwiseby mere virtue of its regular publication. Each print of Sulyapinoy is awellspring of important and relevant updates; a testament to the highlevel of social consciousness among Filipinos; and a foray into theimaginative minds of its writers and contributors. I am not aware ofany other migrant group that has established a similar channel forgathering and disseminating information.

My romantic tryst with the written word started in high school. As acontributor for the Science Section of our school paper, I discovered avenue for sharing my interests and experimenting with the ability oflanguage to sway, provoke and move.

Sway, for the secret of persuasion lies in the depth of analysis offeredby the writer. For instance, the success of a significant issue, such asthe national elections in 2010, relies in large part on the facility ofopinion-makers to draw or repel a crowd. Sulyapinoy, along with otherpublications and online portals by Filipino organizations in SouthKorea , therefore plays a big role in educating people and enablingthem to make their votes count.

Provoke, because there are times when people languish in a state ofcomplacency. Progress is possible only if we dream of better things,see the bigger picture and work towards higher objectives. When thesacrifices of our soldiers who fought for liberty in the Korean Warsadly begin to slip away from our collective memories, it is the duty ofthose who wield pens and keyboards to challenge the current genera-tion into remembering and paying homage to their heroism and brav-

ery. With words, a population can be pushed into temporarily settingaside the daily goal of making money in order to learn from the experi-ences of those whose valiant actions have now allowed us the free-dom to pursue individual ambitions.

And move, since the strength of an artfully crafted phrase can open auniverse of emotions that range from sadness and anger to love andjubilation.

Filipino organizations in South Korea can still make the most of thewritten language. The Hyehwadong Catholic Community shows anexample: the community is publishing Migrante Rx, a collection ofpoems culled from the weekly release of its newsletter Sambayanan.These poems tug at the heart, talk about OFWs and, perhaps mostimportantly, provide an outlet for the writers to express themselvesand motivate others.

The Filipino Community in Suwon recently held an essay-writingcontest for foreign workers under the theme Ill Be Home for Christ-mas. Cyril Arguilles, a native of Bacolod , won for his 1,200-wordreflection on his journey as an OFW. Being a migrant with a familyback home has never been easy, he wrote, narrating the pangs ofseparation he felt from being physically far from his family.

In April this year, he broke his shoulders and found challenges in therigorous jobs expected of EPS workers. While pining for home, hedreaded the thought of returning with a broken bone and a brokendream.

Yet, through the pain, the economic uncertainty and the solitude in thehospital, he persevered. Drawing courage from his wife and children,he found a new job and did not lose sight of his dream of reuniting

with his family. For me, he wrote, I [would] rather have a brokenbone than a broken family. Because to be a family, he emphasized, isto be simply happy.

I encourage Filipinos all over South Korea to keep the tradition of thewritten word alive and burning in our midst, to develop programs thatencourage the use and development of this skill, and to continueempowering with the simple glide of a pen or stroke of a keyboard.


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LITERARY

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Para sa SulyapinoyAmie Sison

Sulyapinoy atin munang sulyapanBalikan ang dalawang taonng nakaraanNa tumutulong para sa mga kababayanBalita at impormasyon na dapat malaman.

Mga tao sa likod ng mahal na dyaryoNapalitan na at nagkaroon ng pagbabagoNgunit sa pangalan ng Sulyapinoy mananatili itoHanggat may kababayan na handang sumalo.

Hindi biro ang magbigay ng sakripisyoLalo na kung panahon ang pag uusapan ditoParehong manggagawa na nagbabanat ng butoWalang kapalit at serbisyong totoo.

Ako man ay humahanga sa SulyapinoyKaya talento ay aking itutuloyHanggat kaya, tuloy ang panaghoyPara sa FEWA, mga OFW, kapwa Pinoy.

Mga pagsubok ay kinayang lahatDahil sa isang layunin nauugnay lahatMga pinuno ng FEWA, ako'y nagpapasalamatSa patuloy na pagtulong ng buo at tapat.

Kakaibang Bagong BayaniKakaibang Bagong BayaniKakaibang Bagong BayaniKakaibang Bagong Bayani

Rodney QuemanRodney QuemanRodney QuemanRodney Queman

Nilisan ang bansa kapalit ng won

Bansang hanguk saram naging destinasyon

Ang sariling anak, sumikap at nag-ipon

Upang ang pamilya sa Pinas buwan buwan may pen-

syon.

Gurong naghahangad ng Euro ang kita

Nag-domestic helper sa Cyprus, kontinenteng Europa

Four years nagtiis at nagtiyaga para magpakadalubhasa

Sa ibang lahi lang pala nagpaalila.

Dating chief engineer sa sariling nasyon

Sa abroad nag-apply: ordinaryong laborer

Noo'y naka-jacket sa lamig ng aircon

Sa init ng araw ay sunog na ngayon.

Nagtiis maglayo yaong bagong kasal

Upang pag-ipunan ang magandang kinabukasan

Masakit na birong pag-uwi ng bahay

Nangulilang kabiyak, may iba nang mahal.

Sila ang Overseas Filipino Workers natin

Matiyaga, masipag, marangal at mapangarapin

Kahit may panganib, ayaw pa din magpapigil

Legal man o ilegal, bansa'y pilit lilisanin.

Gobyernong kailangan ang foreign currency

Passport, POEA at maraming extrang fee

Saludung-saludo, labis-labis ang papuri

Sa OFWs kakaibang Bagong Bayani.

S a K a n y a n g P a g s i l a n g

S a K a n y a n g P a g s i l a n g S a K a n y a n g P a g s i l a n g

S a K a n y a n g P a g s i l a n g

Amie Sison

wMatatapos na ang siyam na bu anwAng ara na aming pinakaaabangan

Sa pagdating ng anghel ng kaligayahanPara sa pamilya mabubuo ng pagmamaha-

lan.

wAra na lamang ang aming bibilanginPara sa mga kasagutan ng mga panalangin

Maayos na kalusugan sapat na sa aminSa sanggol na magpupuno ng pangarap

namin.

wsa ara ng Pasko siya ay isisilangDi ba't kay saya ng buong sanlibutan

Ngunit kung hindi magkaroon ng katuparan

wMahalaga pa rin ara ng iyong kapangana-kan.

Handang handa na si Mommy at DaddyExcited na rin pamilya at kaibigan namin

Handang mag alay ng oras at panalanginPara sa sanggol sa pagmamahal bubuhayin.

Taking Care Of Our Wealthby: Annabelle Lopez

Many of us try to do much work. But take care of yourself, no matter how busy you are.

If your pattern is to focus on golden eggs and neglect the goose, soon you won't be able to produce any golden eggs. If anyone asked me what I" "would want most in the world, I would say Health . Health is the essential element of our life. If I can't get out of bed half of the time, What's the use of

having money? To see other people eat, drink, play and be merry would be a terrible pain for me. No wonder people says that health is above wealth.Then how can we stay healthy?

It's important to eat nutritious meals, exercise and get enough sleep if you want to keep your health.

I am not a mountaineer, but I love to hike and be outdoors, because it's good exercise. It was a little cold that day, So climbing the mountain was muchmore difficult than I had imagined. It took me about two hours to reach the top. But the sweeping beautiful view made the hard climbing worthwhile.

That night we cooked out, and then shared a small cabin with other climbers. We awoke the next morning to a magical sunrise, which made me under-" "stand why Korea is often called Land of the morning Calm. I had enough sleep and the food was delicious. It was a perfect day. If we could spare

" "some time drinking Soju every day off, I guess we could give time for exercise too.

We work hard everyday, we try our best to satisfy our employers, But let us not forget to take care of ourselves too. We say, "I "want to be rich But wedon't realize we are already rich enough.

We have the most valuable riches in the world. Why do we think that we are not rich? It's because we don't know that the true riches are health, family

and friends, not jewels and gold. If we understand this and cherish our riches, we can live a happy life feeling satisfied. But if we don't, we cannot livehappily at all.

Love your health, family and friends and cherish the love. That's all we can do to live a happy life.


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OTHER/ STORIES

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Thhe Philippine Embassy in Seoul is advising Filipinos in Korea to be alert against the use offake Philippine Immigration exit stamp on their Philippine passports to expedite travel to

Korea. Some unscrupulous individuals entice travelers to apply through them for a fee with apromise to facilitate their entry to Korea through the use of fake exit immigration stamps.

Ambassador Cruz appealed to the Filipino community to be cautious and avoid dealing withfixers before leaving the country. It is important that Filipino travelers should be aware that underKorean Immigration Laws, the penalty for this kind of immigration fraud is immediate deportationand ban from traveling to Korea for a period of five (5 ) years.

The Embassy has recommended a thorough investigation of this form of Immigration fraud to thePhilippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

O( )n behalf of the Hyehwadong Filipino Catholic Community HFCC , I would like to express

our best wishes for the editorial board and staff, as well as for the supporters and readers ofY YSUL APINO on its 2nd v ! vanni ersary. Congratulations May you ha e more meaningful and fruit-

vful years of ser ice for the Filipino communities in Korea.

Y Y vSULA APINO newsletter and website empowered the Filipino workers by pro iding updated andvaccessible information needed to sol e their problems and to guide them through the difficult pe-

vriod of stay in Korea. It has also become a enue for interaction and sharing of ideas and experi-v v jences for mutual support and de elopment. Moreo er, in relation to the ma or issues affecting

Y Y vthe migrant workers, SULA APINO has pro en to be a powerful instrument in inspiring and

consolidating the Filipino communities to uphold their rights and well-being.

Congratulations to Mr Rebenson Reeve Recana, Bagong Bayani 2009 awardee. He is one of thefounders and pillars of FEWA. Together with the FEWA past and present officers, the conceptuali-zation, launching, and sustenance of SULAYAPINOYare part ofReev es wonderful contributions

v ! !to our communities in Korea. Thank you Ree e We are so proud of you Keep up the goodvexample of ser ice.

Y Y vMay the Lord send more blessings upon all the SULA APINO personnel as you ad ance yourbest plans and efforts in informing, empowering, uniting and inspiring the Filipinos in Korea by

Y !regular publications. Happy New ear to all

(Sgd) Fr Alvin B. Parantar, MSPChaplain, Hyehwadong Filipino Catholic Community (HFCC)

Seoul, Korea. The Korea International Labor Foundation( Koilaf) is a non profit organization established jointly by

tripartite bodies represented by Labor, Management, and Govern-ment to strengthen cooperation between Korea and internationalsociety through the establishment of democratic and independentdomestic, independent domestics and international labor relations,

and an active international exchange in the area of labor releasesits information regarding the increase of minimum wages per hourto 4,110 won this year 2010.

Amidst the waged tug of war last year of June 29, 2009 betweenthe Minimum Wage Council and representatives of Unions andEmployers, the council of the members cast a voting scheme onthe mediation proposal of the minimum wage for this year 2010.

The issues such as low-income workers right to survive andshortage of wage payment capacity of smaller businesses werediscussed.

The Koilaf published the news information dated last June 30, 2009together with Ministry of Labor stating about the increase of theminimum wage for this year 2010 as effective this month January1, 2010 until December 2010. The minimum wage is set at 4,110won (monthly 858,900 won based on a 40-hour workweek system),

%up 2.75 rate.

The information of the Minimum Wages per hour for the year 2010as follows;

Period of Application: January 01 December 31, 2010Minimum Wage: Hourly wage rate :4,110 won, daily wage rate ( on a 8-hour basis);

Rate will be 32,00 won

In the case of 40 hours per week 9 209 hours per month, themonthly wage amount will be 858, 990 won.

In case of 44 hours per week ( 226 hours per month) the monthlywage amount will be 929, 890 won.

Workers who are not applied the minimum wage are as follows;

1) a person who has remarkably low abilities to work due to amental or personally handicapped ( when approved byMinistry of Labor).

2) An employee who works for the workplace which employ onlyrelatives together or domestic workers.3) A sailor who is subject to the seamen law or an owner of shipemploying sailors.

Liability of Employer are as follows;1. liable to pay above the minimum wage to the employee.

- An employer shall pay the workers at least the minimum wagerate or more. An employer may lower the previous wage level onthe ground of the minimum wage.

- If a labor contract provides for a wage that is less than the mini-mum wage shall be considered to stipulate that the same was asthe minimum wage rate.

2. Obligation of notice of the minimum wage to the worker are asfollows;- An employer shall inform the workers of minimum wagerate, wages not included the minimum wage, effective date, andworkers being excluded from the Minimum Wage act.

According to the revision bill from the Minimum Wage Council, theMinistry of Labor, the minimum wage security level will be morelowered than the current one including: the introduction of region-ally different minimum wages; the extension of the probationperiod of probational workers (which the minimum wage is reduced

%as much as 10 per month) ; the reduction of the minimum wagefor senior workers aged 60 and over; and the counting the cost offood and accommodation provided by employers in the minimumwage.

Until now, food and accommodation fees have not been allowed tobe deducted from the minimum wage and employees have been

guaranteed full minimum wage.

For more information and updates on Labor Law ( EmploymentLaw, Labor Insurance, Labor Standards) visit the site of KoreaInternational Labour Foundation (Koilaf ) site; http://www.koilaf.org/KFeng/engMain/main.php. Also the site of Ministryof Labor (MOL); http://www.molab.go.kr/english/dont_miss/faq_view.jsp?idx=138.


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Fax#: 723-5781 or 724-0636Seil Tour System offers very reasonable prices whichSeil Tour System offers very reasonable prices whichSeil Tour System offers very reasonable prices whichSeil Tour System offers very reasonable prices whichare amazingly cheaper than other agencies you canare amazingly cheaper than other agencies you canare amazingly cheaper than other agencies you canare amazingly cheaper than other agencies you can

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INCHEON - MANILA- INCHEON ROUTEINCHEON - CEBU - INCHEON ROUTEPUSAN - MANILA- PUSAN ROUTE

We may deliver your ticket thru mail. Please send

your payment through our bank account

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Other Services Offered:We can book you worldwidewww.seiltour.co.kr / www.itms.co.kr

PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR THE 6th KOREANLANGUAGE TEST IN EARLY 2010

In cooperation with the Human Resources Development Service (HRD Korea), the Philip-pine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is calling on workers wishing to work inSouth Korea to prepare early for the processing of application under the Korean EmploymentPermit System (EPS).

Passing a Korean Language Test (KLT) is an important step before applicants can qualifyto be included in the L ist of Jobseekers from which Korean employers can electronicallyselect workers to be offered jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors under theforeign labor quota for 2010.

Applicants are advised to deal only with the POEA and to follow the prescribed proceduresto be announced. This includes ensuring that they are registered with the electronic man-power registry of the POEA (www.poea.gov.ph) on or before the deadline of 15 January 2009.

Previously registered applicants should keep their account active and updated which meansthat they should have visited their account for the last three (3) months or less.

In order to qualify, the applicant should also comply with the following requirements:1. 18 to 38 years old2. At least high school graduate3. Passport is valid for at least 6 months4. Has no criminal/imprisonment record5. Not restricted to travel to Korea due to past immigration violation

$6. Payment pf KLT fee of Php850 or US 17 payable to HRD Korea7. Submission of 2x2 ID p ictures with name tag (2 pieces).

The application period for the EPS-KLT is on January 25 to 29 while selected registrationvenues in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will be announced later. The examination is tar-geted either on the last Sunday of February or first Sunday o f March 2010.

The EPS-KLT will cover 50 items divided into reading (40 minutes) and listening (30 min-utes) to be taken from the pool of questions in the EPS-KLT Reviewer of HRD Korea. Eachcorrect answer is equivalent to 4 points. An applicant needs at least 80 points and above topass the EPS-KLT.

No formal Korean language training is required and the EPS-KLT Reviewer with answerkeys is downloadable from the POEA website. The last EPS-KLT was conducted on 6 May

$2007 with Php1500 or US 30 as the test fee.


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Documents

Sulyap Vol 3 Issue 1 2010