Michael Beltran is a freelance journalist from the Philippines. 

His journalistic lens is shaped by extensive contact with marginalized folk in his home country. As a freelancer, his work dips into a broad range of issues, from economic trends, to global conflicts, migration and displacement, to human rights and on occasion, the local music scene. He has also authored a book on revolutionary Filipino exiles in the Netherlands, set to come out in late 2023. 

Michael Beltran

Basic information

Name
Michael Beltran
Title
Journalist
Expertise
Human rights, human trafficking
Country
Philippines
City
Manila
Website
Instagram
Links

Supported projects

Filipino, Turkish and Bangladeshi workers exploited in Antwerp port

  • Exploitation
  • Migration

ANTWERP - In the summer of 2022, 174 Filipino, Turkish and Bangladeshi workers were discovered to be working illegally at Antwerp port in Belgium. It was the biggest number of modern slaves discovered in the country. Newspapers called it an ‘unprecedented case.’ This story looks at the ordeal of exploited workers, the routes of trafficking between Asia into Belgium which many have fallen victim to. 

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Brooms, brushes and a call for justice

  • Human Rights
  • Migration
  • Trafficking

AMSTERDAM - There is an invisible workforce keeping homes in the Netherlands spotless. Filipino cleaners run about Dutch cities each day, their packs filled with dozens of jingling keys. They are part of a community of thousands of undocumented migrants who clean homes in the Netherlands. They're indispensable but kept unseen.

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