Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) have been called the “new heroes” of the Philippines, leaving their homes in search for better paying jobs abroad and keeping our economy afloat.

But behind the rosy picture of Filipino families living in financial stability, is the picture of the Filipino migrant in another country, lonely, often discriminated upon, and whose rights are oftentimes violated. Stories of sexual and physical assaults against domestic helpers, the inhumane treatment of Filipino deportees, and unfair labour policies against migrants have abounded through the years. Some OFWs even meet their deaths abroad, and come home to the Philippines in boxes.

In spite of these horror stories, and in view of the increasing difficulty to find productive employment in the Philippines, Filipinos continue to take their chances abroad. As of 2005, there are approximately 8 million Filipinos already in 126 countries, sending home remittances of up to US$12 billion in 2005 alone, according to World Bank estimates.

Contributing to development

The remittances of OFWs were credited to have brought the peso to a new high, and used by the government to prove that the economy is strengthening under the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, reactions to the seemingly “healthy economy” varied. Some Filipinos see the strong peso as a sign of economic growth, while economists say that it is meaningless if it does not translate to “lower prices of goods and services, more capital raised, and more affordable loans for businesses and consumers” (Cabacungan, 2006).

Aside from remittances sent through banks and other informal channels, OFWs also send home donations in cash and kind, and other assistance in the form of knowledge and expertise in certain fields. According to the Economic Resource Center for Overseas Filipinos, out of some 12,000 Filipino organisations, around 4,000 are actively giving something back to their hometowns.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas, which mobilizes and monitors donations from Filipinos abroad, has recorded about 1.3 billion pesos worth of donations from overseas Filipinos residing in North America, Oceania and Europe. Jeremiah Opiniano, executive director of Institute of Migration and Development Issues, likewise gives examples of “Diasphora philanthropy”—from raising money for medical equipment to funding capacity building and microfinance programs for farmers and women.

What about the government?

This raises the question of how the Philippine government treats Filipino migrant workers, given their importance to the Philippine economy. Politically, they are more empowered, in the sense that they can also vote even when they are abroad, through the recently passed Republic Act 9189 (Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003). But bills currently being lobbied to respect and protect Filipino migrants’ rights remain woefully inadequate, as migrant workers are subject to the laws and policies of the countries receiving them.

The inclusion of OFWs in the country’s national development agenda is currently being discussed. Business magnate Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said that the Philippine expertise in labour export is the country’s niche in the globalised world, and hence, should be given full support.

But according to Prof. Manny Esguerra, an economist at the University of the Philippines, it makes no difference if the Philippine government puts the OFWs in the national development agenda. “…the government should be doing this anyway,” he says. “It is their job to support the OFWs.”

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) agrees. ECOP president Donald Dee said the government should focus on strengthening the Philippine economy rather than thinking of other ways to maximise OFW remittances. He added, “We have to review our experience with globalisation because the developed countries still call the shots…We export the people and when the host country doesn’t want them anymore, they’ll send them back to us.”

Indeed, developed countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) continue to control the kinds of workers accepted into their countries through the Mode 4 framework of the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS). Mode 4 is “not about labour migration… (but about) the movement of natural persons among professionals, highly-skilled workers, and those occupying managerial positions.” It does not benefit the huge number of semi-skilled Filipino workers worldwide, from construction and factory workers, to entertainers, caregivers, and domestic helpers.

Center for Migrants Advocacy executive director Ellen Sana also criticised the way WTO treats migrants. “WTO commodifies human beings,” she says. “They’re not even talking about the rights of the workers, just the services they provide.”

Joel Lasam of Jubilee South adds that GATS does not recognise the importance of semi-skilled and unskilled work, but “reflects an existing structural and institutional bias” against these kinds of labour. At the end of the day, it is the government’s responsibility to address the root cause of overseas migration and provide migrant workers and their families real, substantial protection—decent jobs at home.

Sources:

“Asian Migrant Yearbook 2002-2003,” Asian Migrant Centre.

“Call for inclusion of OFWs in development agenda sparks discussion” by Villy G. Cabuag and Jeremaiah M. Opiniano, posted 25 June 2003 at posted 02 January 2006 at <http://www.cyberdyaryo.com/features/f2003_0625_03.html>.

“Diaspora philanthropy: The other face of the OFW phenomenon,” by Leila Rispens-Noel, posted 02 January 2006 at <http://www.mindanews.com/2006/01/02nws-migrants.htm>.

“‘Strong peso no big deal’: Roxas hits ‘headline stats’ as meaningless if people don’t benefit” by Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., in The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 08 January 2006.