The money we earn as OFWs comes with a steep price.
I chanced upon this article from
philstar.com and I'm posting an excerpt here.
Brain drain
Sahlee Reyes, Las Piñas City: It has practically depleted our country of better hands and intellectual minds to work on our health, infrastructure, legal problems, etc. and has contributed to a rise in dysfunctional families.
Eddie Yap, Kabankalan City: The steep price we have to pay is that our country is drained of more talented, skilled and professional workers. The additional revenue our country is earning from these unsung heroes is so valuable that we are left with no choice but to encourage them to go.
Romeo Coloma, Ilocos Norte: Before, when we talked about OFWs, we referred to laborers seeking better jobs abroad. But now, even doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, etc. are joining the exodus just to have better jobs abroad, leaving their loved ones behind. It’s such a great sacrifice. Why don’t these many corrupt government officials in our country join the exodus? Definitely, this will lessen our problem of graft and corruption.
Medel Verzosa, Ilocos Sur: The OFW phenomenon has constructed a house, not a home, in which material things abound but the feeling of tenderness is lacking.
Dysfunctional families
Dennis Acop, Baguio City: Ever heard of the social costs of the OFW phenomenon? The Filipino family is the ultimate casualty. A husband or wife tearfully leaves his or her partner and their children in order to work overseas and earn a living for the overall benefit of the family. However, the loneliness of living away alone, strong and timely temptation, as well as one’s weaknesses eventually take their toll on the isolated parent. Soon, marital infidelity breaks up the family which originally had the purest of intentions. The children also become casualties. As the Special Forces saying goes, “Never mind the weather for as long as we’re together.” I think the saying is right. It is probably better for a family to suffer in relative poverty together in the Philippines than destroy itself.
C.B. Fundales, Bulacan: The OFW phenomenon diminishes the traditional shared moments of family members. It changes our values and outlook for the quality of life as a family. It makes us trade loneliness for income, emotional security for financial security, and memorably rich family time for a materially rewarding endeavor. It aggravates the social costs of having a separated family. It causes infidelity, broken homes, neglect in parental guidance and other family difficulties.
Juvenile delinquency
Ignacio Anacta, Metro Manila: Many Filipino children born in the eighties and up to now either have a single parent or none at all in their growing years! These children will develop a sense of negligence, or suffer from only getting half the parental love. Even though they eat properly, study in decent schools, and have the usual gadgets, they still they need the complete love and care of both parents. And when the OFW decides not to leave anymore, he or she has difficulty “going back to normal” in his or her own country! This is the biggest price we have had to pay for this OFW phenomenon.
Bigger risks abroad
C.B. Manalastas, Manila: The problems of OFWs are many: Our seamen risk suffering in the hands of illegal recruiters, maltreatment, the possibility of being taken hostage, underpayment, broken families, insanity, etc.
Ed Gulmatico, Yemen: An OFW faces the following risks: (1) Leaving a permanent job only to lose your new one eventually; (2) alienating your kids and the possibility of them going astray due to the absence of parental guidance, love, care; (3) marital problems due to unfilled longing and temptations; (4) extreme loneliness especially when you are situated in a deserted place and there are no other Filipinos around; (5) physical or verbal abuse from employers (6) hostile attitudes from co-Filipinos or local populations; (7) desperation, especially if your family never appreciates you or gives you credit for all your sacrifices; and last but not least, (8) being an OFW right after graduation and staying as an OFW until retirement age.
Ella Arenas, Pangasinan: It’s the cruelty, injustice and, in extreme cases, death that they sometimes experience in the hands of employers. This may be unpleasant, but sometimes we have to take a risk and make sacrifices.
A nation of servants
Leonard Villa, Batac City: The Philippines has been labeled a nation of servants because of the millions of OFWs. It hurts, but it’s one of the highest prices we have to pay.
Ishmael Calata, Parañaque City: To answer this question, we need to state that many of our OFWs have earned for our country accolades abroad because of their excellent achievements in many fields. We have heard of beautiful stories about our domestic helpers, too. We are proud of all of them! But there is a price we have had to pay, and it comes in many forms: 1. We have to contend with the brain drain that it has caused; 2. Women who had to leave their families to work as domestic helpers are being abused by employers and some, because of many reasons, have been sentenced to jail or to death; and 3. In some instances, some complications in marital relations have arisen. We are even vilified by many foreign scoundrels, like that journalist from Hong Kong! It’s time our leaders did something about our economy so that we need not send our people out there just because they help buoy our economy from economic disaster.
Elpidio Que, Vigan City: The OFW phenomenon is what’s saving our corruption-ridden nation from going into total destruction. The hard-earned dollars of our OFWs keep our pauperized nation breathing and kicking. I do not see any price we have to pay for this except our being branded as ‘a nation of servants’.
Joel Caluag, Bulacan: We cried when that Chinaman called us “a nation of servants”. They just don’t say it to our face, but that’s how the international community views us.
Mario Tejada, Ilocos Norte: As a nation and people, we have been at the receiving end of some racist and disparaging comments because of our sending large numbers of OFWs, particularly domestic helpers, to other countries. How high a price -national honor for what we believe is an honest and honorable way of earning our keep!
Social costs
Robert Young Jr., San Juan: OFWs are faced with a cruel choice raise the family in grinding poverty or offer them a bright future by leaving for work abroad. But working abroad comes with a price; the biggest being changes in family structure. The OFW phenomenon has brought more and more single-parent families, mostly father-headed, because seven out of 10 OFWs are women. We often romanticize OFWs for their contribution to our economy without realizing its social costs.
C.K. Yeo, Iloilo City: Two common types of factors motivate OFWs to go abroad: the “push factor”, which are poverty, unemployment and lack of economic opportunities in the country; and, the “pull factor” of immediate employment and higher wages abroad. Our economy benefits from remittances of overseas workers which accounts for 10 percent of GNP but there are inevitable social costs, such as dysfunctional families, and psychological costs and exploitation and abuse of OFWs abroad.
Rey Ibalan, Antipolo City: While OFWs brings in tremendous dollars to sustain our economy, it also create miseries and a lot of broken families.
Heroes?
Imee Aglibot, Rizal: Nothing. OFWs have been in and out of the country for so long, from way back, during the pineapple and apple boom years. Then came the nurses, lawyers, teachers, accountants, therapists, and so on and so forth. Now, domestic helpers, caregivers, and hospitality workers abound in all parts of the globe. What about our beautiful Japayukis and talented performers and artists making a name for themselves every now and then? The price? We benefit from their remittances and pride they give us from being world-class workers!
Felix Ramento, Manila: The role of OFWs in nation-building is now a sacred part of history. Proclaimed as our modern-day heroes, OFWs make sacrifices that are priceless.
