Daily TribuneThe Philippines cannot forever rely on job placements abroad, while in the interim looking to send more skilled and highly skilled workers in place of household service workers who have, traditionally, formed the bulk of deployments.
Overseas Filipino workers have always been considered the country's new heroes on account of the billions of US dollars they remit each year to the Philippines, thereby propping the economy and providing their respective families the purchasing power to live life with relative ease.
As OFWs represent about 10 percent of the Philippine population, there's nearly a Filipino working abroad for each family, whether as land-based OFWs or as seafarers.
OFW remittances had tracked an upward direction in the last 10 years, save for a slight dip in 2020, undoubtedly due to the lockdowns imposed by many nations to contain the spread of Covid-19.
In 2012, OFWs remitted through formal and informal channels $21.3 billion. In 2013, they sent home $22.9 billion, in 2014 $24.6 billion, in 2015 $25.6 billion, in 2016 $26.9 billion, in 2017 $28 billion, and in 2018 $28.9 billion.
For 2019, Filipinos working abroad infused $30.1 billion into the economy as they and their families continued to be primary demand drivers of big-ticket industries like vehicle manufacturers and property developers.
The housing market had always looked up to OFW families as valued customers for their mid and upper-level offerings, including upscale condominiums and gated communities within or in the outskirts of Metro Manila.
But then Covid-19 had to throw a monkeywrench on all economic activities starting in 2020, with the OFW sector among those affected as new deployments abroad came to a near standstill as nations shut down borders.
It comes then as a surprise that OFW remittances in 2020, while it dipped vis-a-vis the 2019 figure, remained strong at $29.9 billion, in most likelihood buoyed by the money sent home by OFWs who were trapped by the lockdowns in their respective host countries.
For 2021, as the world rolled out in earnest Covid-19 vaccinations and the medical sector got to gain experience in handling the virus, OFW remittances climbed anew to $31.4 billion, up not only against 2020's $29.9 billion but also against the pre-pandemic 2019 remittances of $30.1 billion.
These are the numbers that clearly were used by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in gushing about how OFWs managed to continue steadying the economy at the height of the pandemic with the money sent to their loved ones.
Mr. Marcos, in his message during Go Negosyo's Kabayan Awards 2022 held in Pasay City, said: "Your contributions to the Philippine economy and labor force, in general, are crucial elements to our trajectory toward lasting prosperity."
"During our country's most trying times, you remained a solid foundation of our economy, ensuring the generation of remittances to support your loved ones and keep our country afloat," the President exclaimed. "For all this, I thank you."
But Marcos correctly pointed out that the Philippines cannot forever rely on job placements abroad, while in the interim looking to send more skilled and highly skilled workers in place of household service workers who have, traditionally, formed the bulk of deployments.
For both objectives, especially that of creating more local jobs, Marcos lauded efforts of the private sector like those of Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion to upgrade the skills of OFWs so they can aspire for higher-tier jobs abroad to eventually start their own businesses in the Philippines.
"As President, I assure you that the national government will continuously work to ensure the welfare and competitiveness of our OFWs during my administration," Marcos said in his speech read by Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
"We aim to make entrepreneurship an avenue where we can help OFWs and their families generate additional income to support their needs. We hope that through entrepreneurship, our OFWs will now have the option to come back home with the ultimate goal of making working abroad a choice rather than a necessity."
Yes, let's give our OFWs the choice of having better jobs abroad or becoming employers themselves as entrepreneurs under a reverse migration utopia.
