A dead Angle of Labor Export: A Critical Study on the Plight of Filipino Migrant Workers

Abstract

Migration for work has historically been a common demographic response to various domestic problems (i.e. economic, political and socio-cultural) of able-bodied people from poor areas across the globe. In the light of severe economic problems in the 1970s and 1980s that has confronted the world, this economic exodus has taken place on a vast scale in Asia—promoted by governments for whom the labor trade has generated foreign currency and reduced the social pressures caused by unemployment. Then on, millions of skilled and semi-skilled workers across the globe have traveled to the developed and capital-rich economies, giving years of their lives in exchange for a wage which they hope will give them and their families economic security. In the Philippines, social inequality is a stark reality. While a few rich live in. luxury, the greater number of the populace live in misery and want. The Philippine economy has failed to fully utilize its abundant human and natural resources. To wit, the country’s total labor force increased from 33.4 million in 2001 to 33.7 million in 2002, with only 30.2 million Filipinos- employed. Official unemployment in 2002 stood at 10.2 % of the labor force or over 3.4 million Filipinos. On the other hand, underemployment (as percent of the employed) stood at 15.3 percent. Consequently, the Philippines has been. dubbed as the “Sick Man of Asia” because of its poor labor absorptive capacity, rapid population growth, low domestic wages, and slow productivity and income growth. The government attempted to increase the employment rate. Unfortunately, it did not materialized. So, to contain this- high level of unemployment and the accompanying national crisis, the government embarked on a de facto policy of labor export. Since then, tens of thousands of Filipino men and women leave the country every year to work in other countries. They are scattered around the world—in Hong Kong and Singapore, in the Middle East, Western Europe, or in the United States. Migrant workers from the Philippines usually came from the middle and lower economic strata and are deprived of opportunities to earn a decent income. These Filipinos look for overseas job to provide basic necessities for themselves and their families. Like all other migrant workers from other countries; they left their homeland to find relief from domestic problems. Their desire is to make sufficient money to save themselves and their families from indigence and lack of opportunity that for centuries. have characterized much of human existence in the Philippines. Overseas Filipinos, whether professional or otherwise, encounter problems; which. arise out of labor migration. Most of them must to content with the terrifying demons of loneliness and unfamiliarity with alien language, culture and people. While abroad, they suffer from difficulties like homesickness, racial discrimination and other psychological problems. Many- of the migrant workers also suffer from exploitation and physical harm, low or non-payment of wages, poor working and living conditions, high cost of living in the host country, among other forms of labor abuse. Others have been kept as prisoners. Migrant women suffer from sexual abuse and harassment. Their situation as being migrants has placed them in a vulnerable position: where they become victims. of labor and employment related abuses. Sadly, apart from the set of problems mentioned above are the issues- and problems arising from the neglect or deprivation of protection by the Philippine government. The quality of service offered by the embassies. and consulates abroad is far from desirable. To top it all, the national government issues policies that are harmful to the overall interests of migrant workers: forced remittance, onerous taxes, high passport and service fees. The government makes so many exactions from the migrant workers. These exactions include the high processing fees under the POEA, the contributions to the OWWA, payments for mandatory insurance and repatriation bond (MIRB) fees, mandatory medicare program. and- the Artist Record Book (ARB), among other sorts of taxes and special levies. It is ironic that OFWs left the homeland to find relief from domestic problems, only to be confronted by another set of problems akin to labor migration. Yet, despite all the risks involved in labor migration, migrant workers persist. The sufficiently large numbers. of Filipino leaving the country proved that Filipinos’ drive for betterment and improvement cannot be halted. As a consequence of the vast scale of this economic exodus; with. Filipino workers and professionals moving to other lands, the Philippines has become a main source area for international migrants. It has become one of the leading suppliers. of labor, surpassing its giant neighbors in the East including Pakistan, India and China. Filipinos are found virtually in every country, working as nurses and- doctors, in-ships-involved in international navigation as seamen, in the hotels and restaurants as waiters/waitresses, as entertainers, and in homes as domestic helpers. All of them have been driven by the society to seek employment to uncertain shores abroad because this is not available at home. They do so at the cost of separating themselves from their immediate families. And though it was perceived as a temporary situation, the phenomenon. of labor migration continues to this day. Whether and when it will end is tied with the country’s economic performance. In the meantime; the government has. to continue to support overseas-employment until the economy reaches a level of growth that can absorb all workers. Nonetheless, as the government moves for increased OFW deployment, the national government must exert efforts to strengthen mechanisms for the protection. of our OFWs because of the government. wall take into considerations the billions of dollars contributed by Filipinos overseas—that has kept the country's faltering economy afloat for decades now—< certainly, Filipinos abroad deserve better services from the Philippine authority.