OFW FORUM
Jun Concepcion
In spite of the massive financial contribution of overseas Filipinos to the country’s economy, this incontrovertible fact is seldom acknowledged in major speeches.
The magnitude of their contribution is amply shown in key statistics in 2021. Their total US$31.4 billion foreign exchange remittances to the country last year represented more than half of the US$55 billion foreign exchange revenue derived that same year from the export of machinery, equipment, commodities, notably copper, fruits and other foodstuff. Without a shadow of any doubt, overseas Filipinos are one of the most vital and critical pillars of the country’s economy.
To his credit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. duly acknowledged overseas Filipinos and their vital contributions during his first State of the Nation address last July 25.
He spoke about his administration’s plan to provide better welfare to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), specifically by streamlining and cutting short the time that it takes for their working papers to be processed by different government agencies.
He said he has directed the newly-established Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to pursue automated services to ensure the immediate delivery of assistance to OFWs. He added that he has asked the DMW to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the digital processing of OFWs' documents.
"We shall automate the verification of contracts and issue secure Overseas Employment Certifications (OEC) that you can keep on your smart phone. I call on the DMW and the DICT to make this a top priority," the President said.
His acknowledgement must have elated many OFWs who voted for him. Unfortunately, his pronouncement on OFW affairs inevitably raises more questions than answers.
Are hassles or difficulties in the processing of employment contracts the most serious and most pressing problems that bedevil many OFWs, especially those across the Middle East? Aren’t the physical, sexual and other abuses, punctuated by occasional deaths under suspicious circumstances, as well as the constant pleas for immediate repatriation home of battered Filipino women, far more immediate and more serious and therefore requiring the highest priority and attention?
Abuses of Filipino women in the Middle East have been going on for years and they are well documented.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the agency charged principally with assisting distressed OFWs, is likely compiling hundreds, maybe even thousands, of OFW horror stories every month. Any talk about improving the general welfare of OFWs should start with OWWA and whatever recommendations it can make, not with the almost inconsequential automation of processing of employment contracts.
One of the most disturbing questions in OFW welfare is this: Did the incumbent officials at OWWA and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, as well as newly-appointed DMW Secretary Susan Ople, single out the continuing physical, sexual and other abuses in different parts of the Middle East as the most pressing and most serious problem that plagues OFWs in that region?
Since all three agencies are likely being deluged by constant pleas for assistance and repatriation by distressed OFWs, did they highlight this fact to President BBM?
Was the President grossly misinformed about modern-day atrocities that are inflicted on Filipino women in different countries in the Middle East?
In the interest of transparency and proper comprehension of the overall state of affairs of OFWs in the Middle East, will OWWA, POEA and the DMW care to disclose data on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis the number of OFWs with complaints of having been subjected to physical, sexual and other atrocities?
In the absence of this vital piece of information, many first-time OFWs are lured into grabbing jobs as domestics in the Middle East, especially those offered on a “fly-now-pay-later” basis. Many of those who rush to get jobs in the Middle East without conducting proper research on work conditions in their countries of destination end up seeking repatriation after months of abuses by wayward employers.
How will the cycle of abuses and violence on Filipino women be curtailed significantly? The answer lies with incumbent and newly-appointed labor officials coming up with a holistic and comprehensive strategy to combat in a non-confrontational manner the well-entrenched Kafala system in the Middle East.
If they’re unable to come up with a coherent, holistic and comprehensive strategy and plan of action, they can easily tap a network of OFW rights advocates for inputs.
With President Marcos’ overwhelming mandate in last May’s election, there is no reason why his administration can’t reform the country’s manpower export strategy to bolster overall OFW welfare.