Giving to OFWs what is due them

The needs of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), currently still hovering at around 10 million even during the pandemic, require more focused attention from our government, and having its own specialized department should facilitate this.

For too long, the national government has been skirting the moral debate that accuses it of institutionalizing labor exportation to compensate for an inability to create domestic jobs for its own people. This process of separating parents from children purportedly has stained the social fabric of our precious family life.

Yet, after more than five decades of encouraging our countrymen to take on jobs abroad, having a built-up army of OFWs now demands some specialized attention from the bureaucracy – starting with the formulation of long-term policies and going about with the business of providing day-to-day support.

In many aspects, the national government has failed our OFWs despite them being hailed as saviors of the country for the billions of dollars they have sent home annually in recent years, providing much needed money to support family needs.

Two years ago, remittances by overseas Filipinos were an all-time high of $33.5 billion. Last year, 2020, with the job losses caused by the global recession, Filipinos abroad are still expected to continue sending home to their kin about the same amount.

Coming this year, buoyed by the rollout of vaccines against the coronavirus, furloughed Filipinos with jobs abroad are foreseen to return to work, thereby contributing to once again increasing remittance levels.

Worker protection

Problems continue to fester in the area of worker protection, especially in countries that are governed by Muslim laws and where a sizeable number of OFWs are found. It remains a fact that labor statutes in some Middle East countries have been oppressive of migrant workers’ basic rights.

While the issue carries legal challenges that may take years to correct, the disjointed legal support from the Philippine government gives rise to abuses that could have been mitigated early had there been a more focused and institutionalized response.

The cost of recruitment, likewise, continues to be high. Many overseas workers have had to raise money through borrowings or by pawning or selling assets to be able to hurdle job placement fees both by local and overseas recruiters.

In recent years, the emergence of undocumented children of OFWs born outside of the Philippines has surfaced. Without legal recognition of birth, many are now young adults who have survived without going through any formal education.

Also in the area of policy is the matter of forced repatriation, an issue that regularly surfaces when countries where there a sizeable number of OFWs go to war or come up with more stringent local labor protection policies. Often, what is needed is support to return home, and to find temporary work while waiting for a new overseas job.

The concept of reintegration has not proven sustainable since most OFWs that are forced to return home would likely seek new jobs abroad considering the significant salary disparity between local and foreign employment.

Personal finance management is also a notable concern, with very few OFWs or their families in the Philippines able to put away or allocate savings as a cushion for the time when the income opportunity is disrupted temporarily or permanently.

Better system

The government needs a better system to deal with its growing number of OFWs who have through the decades been able to improve the lives of their families through continued remittances. Undeniably, these selfless individuals have helped keep the Philippine economy afloat through the toughest times.

An integration of relevant and current overseas employment agencies like the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs under the Department of Foreign Affairs, and Philippine overseas labor offices (POLOs) will need to be considered in the interest of rationalizing and right-sizing the overall national bureaucracy.

It must not, however, be at the expense of empowering the newly organized department to be more responsive to the current and future needs of OFWs. The new department must be given a clear slate to organize itself as an integrated body.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which has traditionally taken on the brunt of responsibility over OFWs, can now focus on strengthening the local labor force, majority of which are employed by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Reality

Discussions abound on how much remittances by Filipinos abroad would amount to in 2020 and the next couple of years, a recognition of how these dollar inflows affect the country’s ability to surmount the debilitating economic effect of the pandemic.

Until the country achieves its aspired level of economic growth, which should generate enough quality job opportunities for Filipinos domestically, we have to live with the reality that our countrymen will continue to seek work abroad.

For that matter, millions of Filipino families will continue to depend on remittances to pay for better homes, the continuing education of their children, improved lifestyles, and generally, a better life for still more years to come – and that is an immutable fact.

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