28/12/2025
Balita! Balita!
Filipinos mark Global day of migrant workers in various countries
December 19, 2025
Various Migrante chapters marked the International Day of Migrant Workers on December 18. They also declared the day as "Zero Remittance Day against corruption." A zero remittance day is a day when migrants collectively withhold sending money to the Philippines.
According to Migrante International, the zero remittance day is a protest by migrants against widespread corruption in the Philippines. It said migrants and their families continue to suffer despite the great sacrifices they make and the huge amounts they send to the country. Overseas Filipinos sent $38.34 billion in remittances in 2024. In 2025, the Philippine government earned ₱168.08 million from the 8,000 migrants leaving the country daily. Despite the migrants' contributions to the national economy, the government neglects them in times of crisis abroad. Embassy, consulate, and DMW services remain inefficient. Worse, a few individuals pocket the migrants' funds that should be used for their protection and family support.
"It is time to hold the King and Queen of corruption accountable. Let us make the Marcos government answer for killing us through corruption. We are far from our homeland but our collective action is a powerful force," the group declared.
Participating in the zero remittance campaign are Migrante chapters in Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, South Korea, Germany, the Middle East, and the USA.
Some Migrante chapters also held protests to condemn the abuse and discrimination they experience as migrant workers in their countries of work or residence.
In Aotearoa, Migrante protested in front of the Minister of Immigration office together with the Union of Network of Migrants New Zealand, Migrant Action Trust, Migrant Workers Association, Migrant Rights Network, United Filipino Bus Drivers in New Zealand, and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Aotearoa. They called to abolish the system tying migrants' work visas to their employers and to end the abuse of migrants.
In the US, the Tanggol Migrante Movement (TMM) protested at the Philippine Consulate in Chicago calling for the release of Filipino immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They also demanded accountability from ATN officers, and consulate and embassy officials for their neglect and indifference to the detained Filipinos' condition.
In Adelanto, California, TMM, International League of People’s Struggle, Bayan-Southern California, International Migrants Alliance, Kabataan Alliance, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, and Defend Migrants Alliance joined a large protest in the city to condemn the violent persecution of migrants and immigrants in the country.
In Washington, TMM held a protest outside the North West Detention Center with the theme "Free our Families." The group also launched an online press conference to formally announce the establishment of Families of Filipinos in Detention, an organization of relatives, friends, and former ICE detainees.
In the Philippines, Migrante Philippines members from its chapters in Quezon City, North Caloocan, San Jose Del Monte (Bulacan), Nueva Ecija, Ilocos, Pangasinan, Isabela, Laguna, Rizal, Tanay, Central Visayas, Davao, and SOCCSKSARGEN protested in Mendiola. The Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines, Samahan ng mga DH sa Gitnang Silangan, and Kilusang Mayo Uno also joined the protest.
