BABE'S EYE VIEW
By Babe Romualdez, The Philippine Star 11/13/2005Christmas is once again just around the corner and we expect a deluge of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) coming home for the holidays. There will be the inevitable welcome at the airport with NAIA people assisting the OFWs or maybe the usual presidential glory greeting "Hello, how are you?" at the NAIA. But what really is important to them is to come home to a peaceful country. All they look forward to is to be able to retire comfortably in their own country, one day.
Things are looking up with the exchange rate predicted to remain at the P54 to $1 level by the end of the year. The outlook for the peso has become much more positive. There is no question that the OFWs continue to be the saviors of this country’s economy for obvious reasons. In spite of all the political turmoil and trouble, the OFWs just continue to work and focus on making a living so they can send money to their families and give them a better life. So far, their remittances are expected to hit $10.3 billion by the end of the year. But in reality, the figures could be as much as $13 billion or even higher. An estimated $3 billion are also sent to unofficial or non-bank channels. Last year, it was estimated that OFWs accounted for $7.6 billion in remittances.
There are about 8 million Filipinos working in 192 countries with almost a million of them in Saudi. The other top host countries for our workers are Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Middle East, Singapore, Italy, and Brunei. But there is a big price to pay for the $13 billion in the sacrifices that these people have – social dislocation. We have heard many stories about a husband going berserk after coming home to find his wife going off with another man. On the other hand, husbands working abroad find another partner and leave their families hanging. Then there are those who work themselves to the bone in order to send their children to college. Sadly, they discover only later that their children have become drug addicts and criminals. Many workers miss out on the opportunity to see their children grow and, oftentimes, these kids become delinquents due to lack of parental guidance.
The Filipino family – the social fiber of this country – more often than not gets torn apart. A high price to pay for all the "money in China." But the worst part is the increasing number of sad stories especially in the Middle East where domestic helpers are not only treated like slaves but are beaten up, raped and even murdered. Many go abroad hoping to give a better life for their families, but in the end they come home catatonic due to the physical and mental abuse endured in the hands of these disgusting and abusive animals.
All the more reason why we should never have political appointees as diplomats in very important countries where most of our workers are stationed. Nowadays, the main function of Filipino diplomats is to protect these workers because they are the only ones OFWs can run to when they get in trouble. We simply must have career officers who are trained to help those whom we patronizingly hail as heroes. In reality, there are only a limited number of ambassadorial posts that political appointees should have. Most of these chief-of-mission posts, now more than ever, require a career officer who has some experience in dealing with OFWs. Glamour and prestige are no longer a consideration for ambassadorial posts. It is important that the practice of diplomatic political appointments must be stopped especially if these are just for the purpose of political payback.
It was the vision of the late Blas Ople, who was called "the father of the overseas employment," that made OFWs into what they are today. In 1974 when he was the Labor Secretary, he formed the Overseas Employment Development Board (OEDB) – precursor of the POEA – which implemented overseas employment as one of government’s priority programs. This far-seeing move brought in a lot of foreign exchange that helped shore up the country’s economy. In addition, Ople also envisioned technology transfer to the country through OFWs who would come home bringing with them new skills they learned abroad.
I recently visited Brunei where we have around 15,000 workers, 3,000 of which are professionals. Roughly 75 percent of the expatriates are Filipinos. The Sultan himself employs 1,000 OFWs in his palace. The people of Brunei don’t really have to work, because each family gets an annual subsidy of $100,000 from the government. Everything is free – hospitalization, social services – so they really have no motivation to work. They need Filipinos to keep things running. At the Empire Hotel, a top-of-the-line, six-star hotel owned by the Sultan where he hosts visiting heads of state, it is mostly the Filipinos who do the work. They are much appreciated by foreign guests because they are hardworking and extremely helpful. Being fellow Filipinos, you get to appreciate them even more.
With the sacrifices that OFWs make for their families and what they send back in dollars to keep the country afloat, the government should spend more time in listening to their problems and in trying to care for their needs. This is time better spent by the government rather than focusing on the angry, noisy rabble-rousers who continue to try tearing this country apart.
We should all take great pride in seeing Filipinos appreciated abroad. It is a fact – given the right kind of environment – Filipinos do well. Filipino workers are now considered to be one of the best, if not the best, in the world. As George W. Bush calls them, they are the "shining light of the world." We should be proud of the Great Filipino Worker. I salute them!