The logic of Catch-22 was absurdly brilliant. From Joseph Heller’s novel explaining the concept:
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to, he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
“That’s some catch, that Catch-22.”
I remembered this after I read about the group Migrante complaining angrily about the proposal of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to subject all departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to a psychiatric test. Migrante of course put its detraction in quite a different way. My own reaction was to see in it a reverse of Catch-22:
An alliance of Filipino migrant workers rejected Monday a proposal by a foreign affairs official to impose mandatory psychiatric tests for Filipinas seeking domestic jobs overseas.
Migrante International said conducting psychiatric tests on Filipinos who work overseas as domestic helpers will not protect them from maltreatment and abuse from their foreign employers.
Two Norwegian officials stressed the importance of protecting human rights of immigrants in Norway.
Speaking before the Pulong ng Bayan at the Philippine Embassy in Oslo Saturday, Astrid Helle Ajamay of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Norway is supporting initiatives on human rights protection of immigrants.
MANILA, Philippines - Migrante International on Saturday urged the government to tap the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) fund to rescue distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In a statement, the progressive migrant Filipino group Migrante rescuing OFWs would be easier if the government uses the trust fund for that purpose.
“There is the almost P10 billion OWWA trust fund pooled from every OFWs intended for that purpose, aside from the fund allocated by the government to the DFA/ATN for the repatriation of stranded OFWs," said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator.
MANILA, Philippines - A migrant workers advocacy group on Wednesday said that the exorbitant fees being collected from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) will not go to the national budget but to the pockets of corrupt politicians.
Migrante International chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado told GMANews.TV in an interview that the government is intensifying its collection tactics to earn more from our workers overseas.
A human rights group warned Friday in their annual report that the year 2006 is the 'worst' for human rights in the country. The group Karapatan said that 185 activists have been killed in the last 11 months, a record since the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in 1986. (Philippine Star, Dec. 1, 2006)
