 |
| Former congresswoman Liza Masa talks about Philippine migration with a panel from UNISON and CHRP |
The long-standing debate on Philippine labor export policy
was reignited at a trade union forum on overseas Filipino workers (OFW)
as former congresswoman Liza Maza told UK-based Filipinos that migration
is a not a solution to the country’s socioeconomic problems.
Maza, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives between
2001 and 2010, spoke on “Labor Migration and Development: The Philippine
Experience” at the UNISON Center in London, a discussion hosted by
public sector trade union UNISON, in association with Kanlungan Filipino
Alliance and Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines.
“Labor export as a policy is not a sustainable development policy. It
does not address the problem of hunger and poverty in the Philippines,”
she told ABS-CBN News at the event.
“Migration is actually not bad, if it’s freely chosen as an option.
It's freedom of movement: you can go anywhere you want to work. The
problem with most Filipinos is that labor migration has been forced upon
them as a consequence of the lack of opportunities in their own
country.”
She added that mass labor migration is causing an adverse effect on
the local infrastructure, draining away sufficient supply of skilled
workers from public services like healthcare and education, which
consequently remains underdeveloped.
Talented Filipino professionals are also lured away too easily by
better prospects abroad, depriving local industries of their potential
and valuable contributions.
Labor export as policy
As of 2010, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas estimates
approximately 9.4 million Filipinos living and working abroad, with a
further 3,800 workers leaving the country each day according to
Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW).
With an estimated 250,000 Filipinos, the UK is among the top
destinations for migration alongside USA, Saudi Arabia, Canada, United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Kuwait.
Most employment destinations, however, have been hit badly by the
global recession, leaving OFWs and other migrants in a more precarious
situation than ever before.
On top of this, the Philippine government has taken measures to
reduce its spending by slashing the budget of the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA), the agency responsible for the welfare of overseas
Filipinos.
In 2011, DFA had an annual budget of P10.9 billion, less than P1.7
billion to the previous year’s budget of P12.6 billion. It also
announced the termination of 12 diplomatic posts by the end of 2012,
affecting embassies and consulates from Russia to Venezuela.
“Many countries have been suffering from the economic crisis in the
last few years, which led to budget cuts and austerity measures. This
leaves the marginalized and the poor in vulnerable positions, including
Filipino migrants,” said Maza, who was touring Europe for a networking
mission on behalf of the International Women’s Alliance.
The former congresswoman for the Gabriela Women’s Party insisted that
mass migration is not a viable answer to socioeconomic problems in the
Philippines, blaming a succession of governments for using labor export
as a policy to generate income and to alleviate levels of unemployment
and poverty.
She also smashed the idea of migrant workers as “heroes”, an
association often used to praise OFWs, which she claimed as propaganda
used by the government to facilitate labor export policies and create a
culture of migration.
“If they want to solve the country’s economic problems, they must first find a solution to poverty and hunger,” she said.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, labor export as a
government policy started in the Philippines during the Marcos era, when
the dictatorship saw an opportunity in the 1970s to combat high levels
of unemployment by facilitating the exodus of the unused Filipino
workforce abroad.
A public agency later known as the Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration (POEA) was created to act as a regulated channel for the
provision of Filipino contract workers to foreign employers. Private
recruitment agencies were also licensed by the government to facilitate
this system.
This labor policy has been adopted by successive administrations ever
since and has remained relatively similar with some developments along
the way, including better provision of assistance and ensuring the
welfare of OFWs.
The face of the Filipino migrant worker has also evolved throughout
the years. Domestic workers, hospitality staff and construction workers
have now been joined by skilled professionals in various sectors like
healthcare, management, and education.
The migrant life
For the most part, the Philippine labor export policy has worked
wonders for the local economy. In 2009, $20 billion in remittances kept
the local economy stable amid the global financial crisis.
In 2011, foreign exchange remittances increased even further at $23
billion, generating approximately 12% of the country’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP).
But at what cost?
At the UNISON forum, OFWs and their supporters shared stories of
hardships and triumphs. They worried over the effects of recent changes
in visa regulations in the UK, affecting many of their friends who are
either students or living with dependents.
They are also concerned about the recession, on how the budget cuts
and austerity measures are creating an air of insecurity over their jobs
and income, as well as resentment of unemployed British workers towards
foreign workers.
They raised the issue of discrimination, of inequality, of poor
working conditions, and of negative portrayal of immigrants in the
media, among other things.
Yet many of them are also grateful for the opportunities, choices,
and freedom afforded to them by their host country, and criticized the
lack of such benefits in the Philippines.
They highlighted misconception in the homeland about life abroad, the
perceived notion of an easy life, endless employment and boundless
money jarring with the hard realities of being a migrant.
They were concerned at the lack of economic development and political
stability in the Philippines, making it almost impossible for them to
return home should they wish to do so.
“I’m in favor of migration. It’s an important contribution to
Britain’s economic, social and cultural life. But I don’t think people
should be forced into migration through economic or political
circumstances,” said Nick Sigler from International Relations at UNISON.
“We’re not saying no to migration. What we are saying is that
migration has to be a choice and not forced. And in order to reduce the
levels of migration, particularly from the Philippines, economic
development, fairness in terms of the economic system and changes in the
political attitude are extremely important.”
Daisy Brett-Holt, a UK-based Filipino social campaigner, added: “If
the system is already good, the country will become rich and we won’t
have to leave our country. We can go out to invest or become tourists.
Of course not all of us will stay in the Philippines. As Filipinos, we
love to migrate. We are, by nature, migrants.”
For Maza, there is one thing most migrant Filipinos would want more
than anything: “I think that most Filipinos, given the chance and the
right opportunities, would simply want to go home.”
Standing up for their rights
Globalization has made migration both a necessity and a choice for
workers around the world, promoting healthy competition, international
development, and easier mobility in social, economic and geographical
terms.
In the near future, at least, OFWs are here to stay. At the union
forum in London, they demonstrated passion on important issues that
matter to them in both the host nation and in their native country.
Yet according to UNISON, the majority of Filipino workers are still
disengaged with activities of trade and labor unions in the UK.
Furthermore, after working on some missions in the Philippines, the
group also observed that the country has comparably low levels of union
activity, making it easier for employers and companies to exploit their
workers.
“All workers, wherever they come from, need to be treated fairly.
Otherwise what happens is bosses exploit the gaps between workers. We
want to make sure Filipinos in this country receive the level of pay
they’re entitled to, treated fairly with dignity and respect, but also
aren’t exploited because of the work permit regulations they have to
comply with,” said Greg Thomson from Strategic Unit at UNISON.
He encouraged OFWs to consider joining unions, including the Filipino
Activist Network, created by UNISON members in 2011, to uphold their
rights as legitimate workers in Britain.
“It shows Filipinos are engaging with society, standing up for their
rights, and speaking up for themselves. And as you heard from this
evening, they also want to say something about what’s going on in the
Philippines.”
No comments:
Post a Comment