Continuing commitment for migrants and families
For more than 15 years now, the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) remains just as firmly committed to continue policy advocacy and facilitate assistance to distressed migrants. Although based in Metro Manila, this NGO has helped Filipino migrants from various parts of the Philippines and even those in other countries. Their committed engagement has not waned through the years.
It is the vision of CMA to “promote the rights of overseas Filipinos, land or sea-based migrant workers, Filipino immigrants and their families. The center helps to improve the economic, social and political conditions of migrant Filipino families everywhere through policy advocacy, information dissemination, networking, capability building and direct assistance. CMA’s vision is of a society where justice, good governance, equal opportunity and gender equality prevails. It is one where migrants enjoy equal rights and protection regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, occupation or residency status.”
Led by indefatigable executive director, Ms. Ellene Sana, and ably assisted by very active Angie and Dez and OWWA partners, CMA conducted training on Migrant Rights, Migration Governance and Case Management in Poro, Cebu Province, last November 9 and 10. Attended by about 60 former migrants and families, the two-day event had discussions and group activities related to international and Philippine labor migration-situation and key issues including social costs of migration.
You may be interested to know these details about our OFWs. Do you know that there are about 6,000 Overseas Filipino workers who leave per day? If a Filipino household has about five members, then each day, about 1,200 households are affected by migration! If there are an estimated total of 8 million to 10 million Filipino migrants, multiply that by five members per migrant household, can you imagine about 40 million to 50 million Filipinos affected by migration?
Many OFWs leave for a year or longer, with only some allowed to take a leave to return home yearly. According to the CMA training participants in Poro, some of them were allowed to have a leave only every two years. They would stay for about two weeks with their family.
Can you imagine how little precious time migrants are able to spend with their family members? Are distance and separation worth the remittances from the migrants? Social costs, especially the impact of migration on children and families, have to be seriously weighed and considered not only by the migrants and their families but by our whole society as well!
Still, our people are just as committed to provide better life for their family members. Though mindful of the pains and costs of migration, they hurdle years abroad so they can provide education, housing, and other benefits for their loved ones.
During the Poro training, a number of migrant returnees still looked forward to getting more benefits and assistance from government. This brought out the sad reality that migration, after all, may not be a sustainable household alternative for all.
There are successful migrants who are able to sustainably and comfortably provide for their household years. However, there seems to be more returning migrants with insufficient savings resulting to forced migration for other household members. Despite many years (20 or more) abroad, migrants return home only to send off and witness another family member leave to earn money abroad. And the cycle of migration seems endless, the migration chain unbroken across generations. Families are never complete most of the time. Roles within the families shift, values change, and the challenges related to migration continue, many distressed needing assistance.
Thank God for reliable, committed partners, like CMA, who are there for our migrants, especially the distressed among them.
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