225 Filipinos repatriated from Ukraine

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 225 Filipinos have been repatriated from Ukraine following the Russian invasion that began on Feb. 24, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Some 52 seafarers of MV Star Laura, MV Rio Grande and MV Bonita arrived in Manila and Clark airports on Saturday night.

The DFA said more seafarers from Ukraine will arrive in Manila following the Alert Level 4 declaration that prompted mandatory repatriation.

Alert Level 4 was declared in Ukraine due to the deteriorating security situation that threatens the safety of Filipinos there.

The DFA noted the possible establishment of humanitarian corridors that would allow evacuees to exit through the country’s borders with Moldova and Romania.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said it continues to remain in constant contact with embassies of foreign states whose citizens remain in conflict zones, and provides them with maximum assistance for the evacuation of their citizens.

Former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario proposed to the government to begin to call around 5,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Russia and surrounding areas to come home, noting that the downfall of the Russian ruble is now making the remittances of these OFWs worthless.

“Worse, the deteriorating economic condition of Russia, as a result of the West’s sanctions, is putting the lives of these OFWs in harm’s way,” Del Rosario said in a statement.

The Philippines’ former top diplomat urged the government to take concrete actions in joining the international community in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He warned that a successful Russian invasion of Ukraine will “further embolden China to likewise use force to seize the West Philippine Sea from the Philippines.”

“The Philippines must take concrete actions in joining the international community in condemning Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and making Russian President Vladimir Putin and his supporters understand the real consequences in committing such an illegal and despicable act,” Del Rosario said.

“The international community must unequivocally show Russia and China that such illegal and despicable actions will warrant the most severe punishment the world is able to impose,” he added.

The Philippines, Del Rosario said, must also be ready to take concrete actions in containing the spillover effects from this disastrous conflict and that the country should now take even more seriously the development and extraction of energy from Reed Bank and other energy sources.

Del Rosario explained that the looming energy crisis has been exacerbated not only by fast depleting reserves of the Malampaya gas field, but also because of the inevitable global energy shortage resulting from the West’s sanctions on Russia.

He said the Philippine economic managers should prepare actions to alleviate the impact of the sanctions on Russia and look for opportunities especially relating to the mass migration of businesses out of Ukraine and Russia.

Strategy on tapping ‘huge talent pool’

Meanwhile, Sen. Joel Villanueva said yesterday that the government should have a national strategy on how to tap the “huge talent pool” made up of hundreds of thousands of OFWs who have returned home for good during the pandemic.

Villanueva, who chairs the Senate committee on labor and employment, issued the statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported the number of registered OFWs shrank by 18.6 percent in 2020 as compared to the year before.

“This is the brain gain we should be exploiting. There is a social dividend waiting to be earned from this reverse diaspora,” Villanueva said. “I view their return as an enhancement of our labor pool. They’re bringing with them skills they have acquired abroad. Our society must benefit from their experience, and government must show the way.”

The reelectionist senator said “manpower and mentorship” that returned OFWs can provide is needed for post-COVID economic recovery.

One area is construction, both private and public, he said, noting the “Build, Build, Build” program has been hobbled by the lack of skilled technicians.

Villanueva said returning information and communications technology professionals could also help push the economy toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution future.

The education sector will also benefit if these OFWs will be hired to teach and impart real world knowhow, Villanueva said. “The OFWs can be agents of upskilling.”

He also proposed that if the national government is having a hard time filling technical positions in its 250,000 job vacancies, “then perhaps it should launch a job fair or hiring roadshow to lure qualified OFWs.”

According to the PSA, the ranks of OFWs dropped from 2.18 million in 2019 to 1.77 million in 2020. The net drop of 405,000 is almost half of the 897,000 OFWs government repatriated since the onset of the pandemic until Dec. 31, 2021.

Villanueva said there are many laws which mandate government to reintegrate these workers to the economic fabric of the nation.

He said Section 17 of the Department of Migrant Workers Act mandates a “full-cycle national reintegration program.”

The law explicitly calls for the “transfer of technology from skilled or professional OFWs.”

Another law is Republic Act 11230, which institutes a Philippine Labor Force Competencies Competitiveness Program, popularly known as the Tulong-Trabaho Act.

To boost labor skills, the Tulong-Trabaho Act resulted in the adoption of a broad Philippine Skills Framework which “seeks to equip Filipino workers with skills mastery and lifelong learning.” – Paolo Romero