Since the mid-1970s, the number of Filipinos going abroad for employment has been steadily increasing. By the 1990s, official statistics from POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) place actual departures at over 700,000 ¹and still increasing. Today, the number of overseas Filipinos is estimated at nearly seven million, spread in 181 countries and destinations worldwide. They now constitute about 10% of our population or nearly 20% of our productive age population². Of these, some 4.2 million are classified as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)³ who work on fixed contract terms of six months to two years.

Our experience of migration has been primarily shaped by the demand for a flexible international labor pool as a result of the globalization of the world economy it is also driven by increasing poverty and unemployment at home as well as by an aggresive labor export policy of the Philippine government.

Along with this increase in migration is the dramatic rise of abuses committed against our compatriots abroad. Consider the following:

• At least two dead remains of OFWs are repatriated daily. Excluding undocumented workers, this translates to 700 lives lost annually (source: OWWA Public Information Office, August 21, 1998). In 1996, the House of Representatives Special Committee on OCWs documented at least 150 deaths occurring under suspicious circumstances.
• Every other day, an overseas worker comes home with mental disorder and at least daily for having physical disabilities. The National Mental Hospital in their Annual Report cited that in 1994, some 200 OFWs were confined at the institution and that OFWs have become the single biggest group treated for mental disorder.
• Statistics culled from POEA reveal that an average of 13, 196 complaints were maltreatment, contract violation or substitution, non-payment of salaries, underpayment, physical abuse, rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking⁴.
• Even today, thousands of Filipinos are languishing in jails abroad for various offenses. In a speech delivered by Secretary Siazon last March 11, 1998 at UP Manila, he cited that since 1992, the Department of Foreign Affairs has handled 109,500 individual cases of repatriation, legal assistance, Gulf War claims and other consular services or an average of 21,900 cases per year for a five-year period, 1992-1997.

Notwithstanding the risks entailed, the exodus of Filipinos for overseas work is expected to continue for sometime due to job scarcity and continuing poverty at our domestic scene. For the last two decades, the overseas placement has outpaced new job generation in the country.

With the economic downturn which the Asian countries, including the Philippines, is experiencing, income remittances from abroad could be critical in averting a potential economic collapse. In fact, judicious utilization of these funds can be the cutting edge in the recovery process.

Consider the following:
In 1996 and 1997, based on the data cited by the Bangko Sentral last March 19, 1998 in Asian Migration News and Business World, Filipino migrants remitted some $5 billion in foreign currency⁵. This amount is about 18% of our Gross National Product⁶. This easily doubles if remittances through non-banking or informal channels are factored in. Dollar inflows coming from earnings of OFWs are net dollar inflow compared with inflows from export of goods whose impact would be negligible due to effect of importation. For more than a decade now, income remittances from overseas have kept the Philippine economy afloat. If these were used to fund our local economic programs, we could easily increase our agricultural productivity and generate local employment.

The acute regional economic crisis we are currently experiencing hits them in two ways: one, their host government, is also suffering from the same economic crisis which projects a grim situation of lay-offs, and whom we do not have strong bilateral labor agreements and thus offers no protection to them, and second, with the local economic crisis, they would face massive unemployment upon their return.

But probably more important is the fact that out there is a vast reservoir of human resources which can be tapped for national development, particularly in such areas as education, governance, diplomacy, business, agriculture and science.

A significant percentage, if not the majority, or our medical and health professionals are abroad. Thousands of Filipino educators and scientist are teaching or doing research in prestigious universities abroad. We lack teachers for our schools, yet hundreds of them leave the country everyday to serve as domestic helpers to foreign employers. We now feel the scarcity of computer specialists because most of them are working overseas. Most of our highly-skilled technical and agricultural workers in the rural areas are working overseas. They could be instrumental in pursuing rural development which this government has envisioned. And there are thousands of Filipinos serving the United Nations, international development agencies and foreign diplomatic missions.

The plight of OFWs also covers the issue of our diplomatic relations with their host governments. Despite the enactment of RA 8042 (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995), our government has no bilateral labor agreements with their host countries and therefore, the limitations in the applicability of the said Act. This is the root cause of abuses committed against our compatriots abroad. Despite our policy pronouncement that "The protection of the Filipino migrant workers and the promotion of their welfare, in particular, and the protection of the dignity and fundamental rights and freedoms of the Filipino citizen abroad, in general, shall be the highest priority concerns of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts" (RA 8042, Art. VI, Sec. 27). Until today, Mr. Speaker, this pronouncement remains hollow, no substance, no teeth, no assurance in protecting their welfare.

Filipinos everywhere maintain a strong affinity to our motherland. They maintain constant touch with relatives and friends and keenly follow developments at home. They have a high propensity for self-organization. They tend to cluster close to each other and engage in cooperative ventures and mutual self-help programs. For our part, let us provide them with channels by which they can participate meaningfully in national development and political processes at home.

Our brothers and sisters abroad deserve our attention and assistance. They have been called modern-day heroes. Unfortunately, the acknowledgment to their important role and contribution to our country virtually stops at that. Let us not look at the problems and needs of our overseas workers as an added burden or cost that can only derail national programs. Let us not evaluate their contribution only in terms of the incomes remitted from abroad. Rather, we should consider the vast potential of the migrant sector in national development.

In response to these realities of our migrants' experience and in recognition of their potentials and capacities, the creation of a regular committee for Overseas Filipinos and Migrant Workers would provide them the proper channel to continue to participate in our development programs.

I believe this Congress can do a lot to improve the situation of overseas Filipinos and harness their vast potentials. I believe this Congress should afford them with adequate channels by which they can be heard. I believe this Congress should forge links and partnerships with them for their active participation in legislative processes.

Let us not reduce the OFWs' case into mere statistics only. This august body, by creating the regular committee, could resolve with immediacy and efficiency the issues and problems confronting our fellow Filipinos abroad. The proposed committee could help the House in conducting studies and investigations, in policy formulation and in drawing specific legislative action. The House, through the committee, could help strengthen diplomatic relations with their host countries towards attaining greater security for them and protection of their freedom and dignity as Filipino. Lastly, the committee could actively tap the vast potentials of our skilled workers abroad and further motivate them to continue participating in national development. Our positive and timely action on this pressing matter would once again show that we can achieve our common purpose much more easily and effectively by continuing to work together.

Footnotes:

1. Based on POEA data and on an interview with Administrator Joson, overseas deployment is at 747,649 in 181 destinations abroad. This figure represents a 13% increase from the previous year. (also cited in Philippine Star, April 13, 1998)
   
   
2. The estimated population for 1997 is 71.175 million (National Statistics Office, 1995 census). Thus, the 7 million overseas Filipinos constitute about 10% of the estimated population for 1997. The labor force as of 1997 is placed at 32 million. Thus, the 7 million overseas Filipinos (discounting minors) is about one-fifth or 20% of the 32 million labor force.
   
   
3. POEA placed the number of documented OCWs at 2.4 million and estimates the number of undocumented overseas workers at 1.8 million or a total of 4.2 million overseas contract workers.
   
   
4. Legal and Welfare Cases Handled by POEA (1984-1995)
   
   

   Year	Illegal Recruitment Cases	Legal Cases	Recruitment Regulation Cases	Welfare Cases	Average Total
   1984	1,781	2,694		1,856	6,221
   1985	1,231	2,427	2,156	5,742	11,916
   1986	1,452	1,759	2,600	8,427	14,238
   1987	1,725	1,811	2,180	13,404	19,180
   1988	1,184	2,169	1,711	8,625	13,689
   1989	1,295	2,149	1,090	7,308	11,842
   1990	847	3,020	721	6,074	10,662
   1991	712	2,564	1,137	5,386	9,799
   1992	797	3,727	862	5,715	11,101
   1993	770	6,140	1,390	5,810	14,110
   1994	650	9,993		6,431	17,074
   1995	439	10,311		6,637	17,387
   Average Per Year	1,069	4,064	1,579	6,785	13,196

   
   
   
5. OCW Remittances (source: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)
   
   

   Year	OCW Remittances (in $M)
   1985	687.20
   1986	680.44
   1987	794.94
   1988	856.81
   1989	973.02
   1990	1,181.07
   1991	1,500.29
   1992	2,202.38
   1993	2,229.68
   1994	2,630.11
   1995	4,930.00

   
   
   
6. GNP at current prices for 1995 is P1,967 billion (Philippine Statistical Yearbook, 1996). Allowing for a 4% average growth for 1996 and 1997, the estimated GNP for 1997 is P2,127 billion. With remittance from formal and non-formal channels estimated at US $ 10 billion (or double the US $ 5 billion remitted through banking channels ) or P 420 billion at the current exchange rate, total remittance is about 18.8% of the 1997 (GNP (Human Development Report, UNDP, 1997).