Migrante Canada Denounces the Misuse of Zero Remittance Day By Duterte Loyalists
- migrantecanada
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
March 25, 2025
TORONTO, Canada.-- Zero Remittance Day (ZRD) has long been a powerful tool for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and migrants’ organizations to assert their collective strength and demand justice, better working conditions, and systemic change. "Zero Remittance Day" means no remittances from OFWs will be made on that day to their families back in the Philippines.
In particular, the Maisug Croatia group has called for a “zero remittance week” from 28 March to 4 April to coincide with Rodrigo Duterte’s 80th birthday.
Migrante Canada calls out the deliberate distortion of ZRD (or week) by Duterte’s camp and his supporters by using it as a weapon to pressure the Philippine government to bring Rodrigo Duterte home. The former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity last March 11 and is detained at the ICC detention facility.
“Instead of using ZRD to demand justice and accountability for migrant workers, Duterte’s loyalists are twisting it to shield a mass murderer from facing the consequences of his brutal crimes,” said Hannah Sabit, Campaigns and Communications Officer of Migrante Canada. “The use of the ZRD in this way is a betrayal of the struggles of OFWs. A number of OFWs are aligning themselves with the same regime that orchestrated the bloody war on drugs, silenced activists, and neglected migrants.”
It is disheartening that some of our fellow Filipinos have been misled by these calls, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen political education, awareness, and organizing among OFWs and the broader Filipino community.
“We must reclaim ZRD for its rightful purpose, which is to push for justice, workers’ rights, and systemic change, and one of the many ways of making the voice of the migrant sector heard. It must never be used to defend tyrants,” Sabit added. “Our fight is not to protect a fascist murderer. Our fight is to ensure that our sacrifices as migrants contribute to real change for our people.”
Migrante Canada calls on all OFWs to reject the manipulation of ZRD and stand firmly for truth and justice. It calls for OFWs and overseas Filipinos to collectively stand firm and ensure that Rodrigo Duterte is held accountable and punished for his crimes against humanity at the trial at the ICC. ###
For media inquiries, contact:
Hannah Sabit, Campaigns and Communications Officer, migrantecanada@gmail.com
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