Rome, Italy May 25, 2015
Definitions
An Overseas Filipino
is a person of Filipino origin
who lives outside of thePhilippines. This term applies to Filipinos who
are abroad indefinitely as citizens or as permanent residents of a different
country and to those Filipino citizens abroad for a limited, definite period,
such as on a work contract or as students. It can also include seamen and
others who work outside the Philippines but are neither permanent nor temporary
residents of another country. As a result of this migration,
many countries have substantial Filipino communities.
Overseas Filipinos are known by a
variety of terms with slightly different and sometimes overlapping meanings.Overseas
Contract Workers, also known as OCWs, are Filipinos working
abroad that are expected to return permanently either upon the expiration of a
work contract or upon retirement. Balikbayans are
Filipinos who have become citizens of another country and have returned to the
Philippines for temporary visits. Global Filipino is a
term of more recent vintage that is less widely used. Overseas Filipino
Investor or OFIs are those Filipino expatriates who
contribute to the economy through remittances,
buying properties and creating businesses. This was coined by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the 14th President of the Philippines.
Population
In 2013, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO)
estimated that approximately 10.2 million Filipinos worked or resided abroad.[1] In the census year of 2010, about 9.3
percent of Filipinos worked or resided abroad.
More than a million Filipinos
every year leave to work abroad through overseas employment agencies, and other
programs, including government-sponsored initiatives. Overseas Filipinos often
work as doctors, physical therapists, nurses, accountants, IT professionals,
engineers, architects, entertainers, technicians, teachers, military
servicemen, seafarers, students and fast food workers. Also, many overseas workers are women applying as domestic helpers
and caregivers. Others emigrate and become permanent residents of other countries.
The exodus includes a number of
skilled workers taking on unskilled work overseas, resulting in what has been
referred to as a brain drain, affecting the health and education
sectors. For example, doctors have retrained to become nurses.
Economic impact
In 2012, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP),
the central bank of the Philippines, expects
official remittances coursed through banks and agents to grow 5%
over 2011 to US$21 billion, but official remittances are only a fraction of all
remittances. Remittances by unofficial, including illegal, channels are estimated
by the Asian Bankers Association to be 30 to 40% higher than the official BSP
figure. In 2011, remittances were US$20.117 billion.
Philippines is the fourth largest
recipient of official remittances after China, India, and Mexico. OFW remittances represent 13.5% of the country's GDP, the largest in proportion to the
domestic economy among the four countries. OFW remittances is also credited for the Philippines' recent economic
growth resulting to investment status upgrades from credit ratings agencies
such as Fitch and S&P.
In 2012, approximately 80% of the
remittances came from only 7 countries—United States and Canada, the United
Kingdom, UAE and Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Japan.
Contributions
Employment conditions
Employment conditions abroad are
relevant to the individual worker and their families as well as for the sending
country and its economic growth and well being. Poor working conditions
for Filipinos hired
abroad include long hours, low wages and few chances to visit family. Women
often face disadvantages in their employment conditions as they tend to work in
the elder/child care and domestic. These occupations are considered low skilled
and require little education and training, thereby regularly facing poor
working conditions. Women facing just working conditions are more likely to
provide their children with adequate nutrition, better education and sufficient
health. There is a strong correlation between women's
rights and the overall well being of children. It is therefore
a central question to promote women's
rights in order to promote children's capabilities.
Government policy
Philippine Labor Migration Policy has
historically focused on removing barriers for migrant
workers to increase accessibility for
employment abroad. Working conditions among Filipinos employed
abroad varies depending on whether the host country acknowledges and
enforces International labor standards. The standards
are set by the ILO,
which is an UN agency
that 185 of the 193 UN members
are part of. Labor standards vary greatly depending on host country regulations
and enforcement. One of the main reasons for the large differences in labor
standards is due to the fact that ILO only can register
complaints and not impose sanctions on governments.
Emigration policies tend to
differ within countries depending on if the occupation is mainly dominated by
men or women. Occupations dominated by men tend to be driven by economic
incentives whereas emigration policies aimed at women traditional tend to be
value driven, adhering to traditional family roles that favors men's wage work.
As women regularly are seen as symbols of national pride and dignity
governments tend to have more protective policies in sectors dominated by
women. These policies risk to increase gender
inequality in the Philippines and thereby this public policy work
against women joining the workforce.[
The Philippine government has
recently opened up their public policy to promote women working abroad since
the world's demand for domestic
workers and healthcare workers has increased. This has led to
the government reporting a recent increase in women emigrating from the
Philippines. A healthcare problem arises as migrating women from the Philippines and
other developing countries often create a nursing
shortage in the home country. Nurse to patient ratio is down to
1 nurse to between 40 and 60 patients, in the 1990s the ratio was 1 nurse to
between 15 and 20 patients. It seems inevitable that the healthcare sector
losses experienced nurses as the emigration is increasing. The Japan-Philippines
Economic Partnership Agreement is seen as a failure by most
since only 7% of applicants or 200 nurses a year has been accepted on average.
Mainly due to resistance by domestic stakeholders and failed program
implementation. The result is a "lose-lose" outcome where Philippine
workers fail to leverage their skills and a worldwide shortage persists.Despite
the fact that Japan has an aging population and many Filipinos want to work in
Japan a solution has not yet been found. The Japanese Nursing Association supports
"equal or better" working conditions and salaries for Filipino
nurses. Yagi propose more flexible wages to make Filipinos more attractive on
the Japanese job market.
Results from a focus group in
the Philippines shows
that the positive impacts from migration of nurses is attributed to the
individual migrant and his/her family, while the negative impacts are
attributed to the Filipino healthcare system and society in general. In order
to fill the nursing shortage in the Philippines suggestions that OFWs return to
train local nurses has been made by several NGO’s and training will be
needed in order for the Philippines to make up for all nurses migrating abroad.
Host country policies
Wealthier households derive a
larger share of their income from abroad. This might suggest that government
policies in host countries favor capital-intensive activities. Even though work
migration is mainly a low and middle class activity the high-income households
are able to derive a larger share of their income from abroad due to favorable
investment policies. Despite work migration being dominated by workers from low
and middle income households it is still wealthier households that derive the
largest portion of their income from abroad. These favorable investment
policy's causes an increase in income inequalities and does not promote
domestic investments that can lead to increased standard of living. This inequality threatens
to halt the economic development as investments are needed in the Philippines
and not abroad in order to increase growth and well-being. A correlation
between successful contribution to the home country's economy and amounted
total savings upon the migrants return has been found, therefore it is
important to decrease income inequalities while attracting capital from abroad
to the Philippines.
Many host governments of OFWs
have protective policies and barriers making it difficult to enter the job
market. Japan has been known for rigorous testing of Filipinos in a way that
make them look reluctant to hold up their part of the Japan-Philippines
Economic Partnership Agreement and solely enjoy the benefit of
affordable manufacturing in the Philippines, not accepting and educating OFWs.
Unions and advocacy groups
Filipino
migrant workers in Hong Kong.
Multiple NGOs such as UNIFEM, UNESCO and Institute for Global Labour and Human
Rights are actively working to improve employment conditions
globally. The ILO is
a UN agency
that deals with unfair working conditions and promote decent work for all no
matter if it is domestically or abroad. Established in 1981 the Mission for
Migrant Workers (MFMW) is the longest existing independent service provider for
migrants in Asia. By providing legal help, counseling,
and a place to meet the MFMW helps migrant workers in Hong Kong.
International migration will not
become perfectly mobile as long as autonomous countries create barriers to
entry. These barriers are normally applied on certain sectors or
restrictions aimed at workers from specific countries or regions. The WTOis an organization that
works to decrease restrictions worldwide and promote free trade.
The WTO has divided the masses of emigrating workers as some promote fair
working conditions and strong labor rights. This group of workers argue that
removal of international barriers and restrictions will enable equality and
free choice no matter where you work or live. Others criticize the WTO for creating a
dual international labor market that favors those with highly skilled jobs
while low skilled jobs are highly immobile due to public policy and often faces
restricted international movement as a result. The restrictions vary depending
on level of education, host country and home country.
Family
Work migration is increasing on a
global scale and especially among women; it is especially sectors such as care
and domestic work that have seen a rapid increase of women emigrating. The
Philippines is leading this development but it is worrisome that as many as 60%
of OFWs are temporary workers. Temporary jobs tend to be excluded from basic
labor rights such as overtime pay, regular breaks or restricted working hours.
Temporary workers can easily be fired and replaced which is the major reason
foreign firms often prefer migrant workers. This temporariness causes an
additional stress for the family. Many children of migrant workers has grown up
not knowing both of their parents. Many children of longterm absent parents
does not feel affection towards them, or might not even recognize them. Many
relationships are broken as one parent emigrates which causes a larger
proportion of children growing up with divorced or unhappy parents. "In
the case of the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the strategy is predicted
on calling upon women to take the lead in the development agenda, engendering
responsibility for generating the means to fund investments in this
development".
Remittances are
money that are sent home from abroad by the migrant worker. These remittances
earned by overseas Filipinos are indisputably positive for individual families
and the governments balance of payments as well as the GDP. However it has been
found that remittances are primarily used for costs of living such us food and
education. Remittances fill the function of covering short term costs but wages
are not sufficient to enable savings and investments. It has yet to be proven
that remittances can be translated into value adding activities such as
start-ups and investments. For the economy to thrive it is fundamental that the
value adding activities are creating a long-term sustainable growth in order to
improve healthcare, education, infrastructure and government programs.
Migration is often explained
through push and pull factors with
remittances pulling skilled workers from the Philippines to move abroad if they
are well educated and want better pay in order to escape poverty and help the
family. However, push and pull factors rarely include social
stigmas, family expectations, gender roles or
personal preferences. Leaving the family behind can become a burden for many
educated women or men whose parents, partner and extended family expect them to
work abroad.
There is some evidence that women
migrating from the Philippines send back more money in relative and sometimes
absolute terms than the Filipino men. This is often explained by the women’s
great commitment to the family and good abilities to save income. The
Philippines government has recognized this recent trend and has therefore
targeted sectors traditionally employing women such as childcare, domestic
work, healthcare, service jobs and eldercare.
It has been emphasized by
the World Bank that
the Philippines has the largest portion of remittances in relation to GDP in the world. It
is pointed out that remittances alone cannot keep the Philippines economy
afloat and sustainable long term growth must come from domestic investment and
growth
There is some evidence that women
in so-called "major sending countries" (e.g. Philippines and Sri Lanka)
have higher autonomy and decision-making power within their households than
those in "non-sending countries". This suggests that women to a
larger extent are making economic decisions in the household. More than
economic decisions ought to be measured until conclusions can be drawn from
positive or negative effects of more women migrating for wage work and its
impact on the family. However, this recent trend will empower women while
broadening views and hopefully engage workers in defending their rights.Philippines.".
Return migration
Returning migrant
workers are often argued to have a positive effect on the home
economy since they are assumed to gain skills and return with a new
perspective.Deskilling has caused many Filipino workers to return
less skilled after being assigned simple tasks abroad, this behavior creates
discouragement for foreign workers to climb the occupational ladder. Deskilling of
labor is especially prevalent among women who often have few and low skill
employment options, such as domestic work and child or elder care. Other
occupations that recently has seen an increase in deskilling are
doctors, teachers and assembly line workers.
To underline what a common
problem this deskilling is returning migrant workers are calling for
returnee integration programs, which suggests that they do not feel prepared to
be re integrated in the domestic workforce.
As the Philippines among other
countries who train and export labor repeatedly has faced failures in
protecting labor rights the deskilling of
labor has increased on a global scale. A strong worldwide demand for healthcare
workers causes many Filipinos to emigrate without ever getting hired or
become deskilling while possibly raising their salary. The
result is a no-win situation for the sending and
receiving country. The receiving countries lose as skilled workers are not
fully utilizing their skills while the home country simultaneously experience a
shortage of workers in emigrating prone sectors.
Countries with Filipino populations
Lucky Plaza
mall in Orchard Road hosts products and services that cater for Overseas
Filipinos in Singapore.
Australia: In 2010, there were approximately 177,400 people in Australia who
were born in the Philippines.
Brazil: As of 2008, there were 379 Filipinos in Brazil. They consist primarily of
Catholic missionaries and migrant workers in the telecommunications and oil
sectors. There are also a few former seafarers who settled in port cities, and
an increasing number of Filipinas who lived in Japan and
married Brazilians who were living there.[27] Since 2008, 33 overseas Filipino workers (11 men, 22 women) have been
detained in jails in Brazil on charges of drug trafficking, primarily for
attempting to bring in cocaine through airports.
Canada: Only a small population of Filipinos resided in Canada until
the late 20th century. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has
estimated that as of 2009 there were over 640,000 Canadians of Filipino
origin.[29] Due to Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between Western Canada and the Philippines;
contracts in Atlantic Canada; consistent hiring of workers
in Central Canada; and increased activity in Northern
Canada, it is estimated that there will be some 500,000 Filipinos in
Canada as of 2010. As of December 2008, the Philippines overtook China as
Canada's leading source of immigrants.
France: There are approximately 55,000 Filipinos in France, making it the 3rd
country in Europe for Filipinos, after the UK and Italy. 10% of Filipinos
living in France have married French citizens. By 2000, 5,823 French citizens
had been born in the Philippines, including both French nationals and
naturalized Filipinos. Only one school in France, the EFI Langue Institut
Linguistique Européen in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, offers classes focusing in part
on the Filipino language. 16% of Filipinos in France are between 16 and 25
years of age, 50% are between 26 and 35, 29% are between 36 and 45, and 6% are
older than 46. Every year since 1980, a major cultural festival embracing the
Filipino culture has been held in Paris, called the "Pista sa Paris,"
unique in Continental Europe. The event is sponsored by the Philippine embassy
in Paris, and features singers, dancers, and Filipino cuisine.
Germany: There are more than 65,000 Filipinos in Germany.
By 2008, another 30,000 had naturalized as German citizens. Roughly 1,300 Filipinos
acquire German citizenship each year.
Hong Kong: There are approximately 140,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, of whom most are
domestic helpers (30,000 of them being members of the Filipino Migrant Workers
Union). Filipino maids are known by the locals as amahs, or more
often feiyungs (less politely, bun mui or bun
bun), and face discrimination and maltreatment from the locals. A Hong Kong
work visa requires some amount of higher education; and in some cases Filipino
women with college degrees and perfect command of English are
willing to work as maids and nannies for a salary higher than they could make
at home in professions.[
India: Approximately 1,000 Filipinos reside in India. However,
government's official figures show some 500 Filipinos.
Indonesia: There are about 8,000 Filipinos reside in Indonesia.
Most Filipinos live in Jakarta and work in the education and training,
industrial, trading, mining and excavation, construction and building, banking
and finance and transportation sectors. But the trend is changing. It appears
that in today’s Jakarta, Filipinos now have a wider range of jobs, including
the creative industries, hospitality and media.
Italy: There are more than 170,000 Filipinos in Italy. This makes it the 2nd
country host to Filipinos in Europe after the UK. Given the high amount of
women working as domestic helpers, the Italian term "filippina" is
now often used as a synonymous for this profession, in example the phrase
"la mia Filippina è del Bangladesh" means "The domestic helper
who works in my house is from Bangladesh".
Iraq: Despite that the Philippine government banned OFWs from working in Iraq,
an estimated 1,000-3,000 Filipinos work
there. Most work on US Military bases around the country as cooks and laundry
service, sometimes as third-country national security guards. This is the only
foreign country in which Filipino men outnumber Filipino women.
Ireland: As of 2008,
the Philippine embassy in London reported that there are 11,500 Filipinos in Ireland.
Japan: Some 350,972 Filipinos are listed to be living within Japan's geographic
confines. However, this number is speculated to be larger, surpassing the one
million mark due to many unlisted and illegal Filipino nationals.
Lebanon: As many as 30,000 OFWs are working in Lebanon.
Due to the recent turmoil between Lebanon and Israel,
however, many have been repatriated back to the Philippines, while others have
been relocated to Cyprus, a part of the Philippine evacuation plan.
Malaysia: As Sabah is very close to the Philippines, many Filipino residents and
illegal immigrants live and work there. Filipinos make up about 30% of the
entire population of Sabah and they enumerate up to 900,000. Many Filipinos in Malaysia come to work in
construction industries, fisheries, and other labor-intensive sectors in hopes
of a better living. Most live in stilt slums scattered behind cities or on
offshore islands. The Philippine government also has promised to establish a
consulate to provide any necessary help to its nationals. Historically, The
Philippines has a claim on the eastern part of the
territory of Sabah.
Mexico: There are about 200,000 Mexicans of Filipino ancestry
living in Mexico, some of whom are of mixed ancestry, descended from
Filipino immigrants who settled in Mexico during the colonial period. More
recently, there were Filipinos who arrived as refugees to Mexico who fled from
the Marcosdictatorship. Their
communities are found in Guerrero, Michoacán,
and Colima.
Middle East: Many Filipinos work in the Middle East (mostly Saudi Arabia and UAE) as
engineers, nurses or hospital workers, accountants, office workers,
construction workers, restaurant workers and maids. The Philippine government
estimates that more than 2 million Overseas Filipinos are working in the Middle East.
Nepal: consists of immigrants and expatriates from the Philippines to Nepal.
As of March 2011, there are about 300 Filipinos living in the country
and they comprise mostly of professionals, skilled workers, volunteers,
missionaries and spouses of Nepalis or other nationals.
New Zealand: There are about 40,000 Filipino residents and citizens in New Zealand.
They are termed Kiwipinos, Filipino New Zealanders.
Nigeria: Filipinos in Nigeria consist largely of migrant workers in the oil
industry, though those in the capital city Abuja also work in
the education and medical sectors. By mid-2008, their numbers had grown to an
estimated 4,500, up from 3,790 in December 2005.[ They commonly hold skilled construction positions, among them pipe
layers, welders, and engineers, and may earn as much as US$10,000 per month; however, those
working in oil areas in Southeast Nigeria often find themselves the target of
violence by local militants. Majority of the OFWs are working/residing in Lagos and Abuja.
Filipino workers are actively petitioning the Philippine government to lift the
travel and work ban in Nigeria.
Norway: The number of Filipinos in Norway is estimated to be
about 12,000, most of them living in the Oslo urban area. In
addition to Filipinos who have intermarried with Norwegians, there are at least
900 licensed Filipino nurses, over a hundred oil engineers employed mostly in
offshore projects in the western coast of Norway and Filipinos or Norwegians of
Filipino descent working in the government sector, diplomatic missions and
NGO's and commercial establishments. An additional 35,000 Filipinos working on
Norwegian-owned or operated ships or in shipyards.
Oman: As of 2011, there are between 40,000 and 46,000 Filipinos in
Oman.[44] Oman was the only Middle Eastern nation included on the Philippine
Overseas Employment Administration's list of countries safe for OFWs.
Pakistan: According to the statistics of the Philippine government, an estimated
3,000 Filipinos live and work in Pakistan. Filipinos in Pakistan work asdomestic
workers, and housemaids.
Qatar: As of 2014, there are around 200,000 Filipinos residing in Qatar,
representing the 4th biggest ethnic group in the country.
Singapore: As of 2009, over 163,000 Overseas Filipinos worked and resided in
Singapore A notable incident involving an OFW was the trial and execution
of Flor Contemplacion for the alleged murder
of her employer's child and another Filipina, Delia Maga.
South Korea: According to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, as of December 2006,
some 70,000 Filipinos work and live in Korea. Of this number, some 6,000 are
permanent residents, some 50,000 work legally, and some 14,000 are
"irregular" or do not have the proper documents.
Spain: There are around 50,000 Filipino legal workers living abroad in Spain,
mainly in Barcelona and Madrid.
However, there are also around 300,000 people (mainly mestizo
Filipinos) who hold dual citizenship (Filipino and Spanish). This number is
nearly 0,7% of the Spanish population. Filipinos have maintained a presence in
Spain, given the latter colonised the islands for three
centuries, resulting in significant cultural ties.
Sweden: There are about 4,000 Filipinos in Sweden. They are mostly married to
Swedes, or working as housekeepers, in hotels or as caregivers.
Taiwan: 2012 figures from the Philippine government list 4,521 Filipinos in
Taiwan on a permanent basis, 78,207 temporary, and 2,225 irregular, for a total
of 84,953.
United
Kingdom: Nurses and caregivers have begun migrating to
the United Kingdom in recent years. The island
nation has welcomed about 20,000 nurses and other Filipinos of various
occupations and lifestyles during the past 5 years. The United
Kingdom is home to an estimated 200,000 OFWs. Many
Filipino seamen settled in British port cities during the late 19th and early
20th centuries. Liverpool even had an area nicknamed 'Little Manila'.
United States: Despite race relations problems of the late 19th and early 20th centuries
in the American Northwest, most Filipino
Americans today find it easy to integrate into American
society, with a majority belonging to the middle class. Filipinos are the
second-largest Asian American group in the country;
Tagalog is the fifth most spoken language in the U.S. A report prepared in
about 2007 for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service asserted that, at
that time, Filipinas comprised a large portion of the roughly 4,000-6,000 women
who annually come to the U.S. through method of mail-order bride,[50] internet courtship, or through direct contact when traveling to the
Philippines. The US State
Department estimated that there are 4 million Filipinos in the
US as of 2007.The United States hosts the largest population of Filipinos
outside the Philippines, with a Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles
designated in August 2002, the first district established outside the
Philippines to honor and recognize the area's Filipino community.
Venezuela: There are 136 Filipino citizens registered in the 2001 Census.
