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Migrant empowerment means consciousness
raising
enables migrant workers to appreciate
the causes and effects of migration on macro
and microlevels.
1. Critical awareness to understand situations
and problems;
2. Awareness of their rights as migrant
workers.
3. Awareness of remedies to problems
available through law or through services
available in society;
4. Ability to exercise their rights and to
articulate violations of those rights; and
5. Capability to exercise control over one’s
situation.1. Critical awareness to understand situations
and problems;
Personal Empowerment
begins when a
migrant worker acknowledges their intrinsic
human dignity and rights.
Relational Empowerment
occurs when
migrant workers can interact with their
employers on an equal footing.
Collective Empowerment
when migrant
workers unite to form organizations or groups
that advocate for their common welfare.
2001 State of the Nation Address
- President Arroyo’s administration emphasized
on migrant worker empowerment as a new
direction of her foreign policy, stated during her
ARROYO ADMINISTRATION (2001-
2010)
- The empowerment strategy of the Arroyo
administration was focused on enabling
migrant works to acquire confidence and skills
in decisively addressing and solving their
problems with or without government agencies:
a. Enhancing their capability to deal their
own economic, social, and cultural problems
b. Strengthening their capacity to get
involved in the affairs of their mother country.
c. Mobilizing their savings effectively and
productively.
Community Building (ARROYO)
encouraged to
form self-help organizations or cultural
associations
Government Mechanisms (ARROYO)
Programs
like emergency repatriation and housing loans
from the Philippine SSS support these efforts by
providing additional resources and aid
Human Rights and Labor Education (ARROYO)
Migrants are educated on host country laws
and international instrument to assert their
human and labor rights individually and
collectively
Policy Participation (ARROYO)
Migrants are
involved in national policy discussions,
especially on issues affecting their status,
facilitated through ICT.
Collective Advocacy (ARROYO)
Migrant
communities collectively negotiate with host
country governments for reforms and
protective measures, aiming to prevent
arbitrary actions like tax levies that reduce
migrant earnings.
Decent Wages (ARROYO)
– ensuring migrants
receive fair wages that allow for a decent living
standard, saving, and productive use of
earnings for resettlement in the Philippines
Embassy/Mission-Based Programs (ARROYO)
DFA missions overseas improve basic service
delivery and offer empowerment programs
including skills training, savings, and
investment orientation, and legal assistance
NGO Networking (ARROYO)
Organizations like
the Economic Resource Center for Overseas
Filipinos (ERCOF) provide legal information,
referrals, and economic empowerment through
savings and investment awareness and
advocacy for government reforms and to
enhance migrant savings and investments.
Economic Resource Center for Overseas
Filipinos
(ERCOF)
Continuity and Expansion (ARROYO)
- The DFA continued the empowerment
programs initiated during the Arroyo
administration.
- Increased efforts in policy discussions with
high-level officials and consultations with
migrant workers and NGOs to assess and
improve the implementation of these programs
DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION (2016-
2022)
- The administration emphasized the protection
and welfare of Filipino migrant workers -
focused on ensuring their rights and addressing
abuse cases.
- Implementation of Overseas Filipino Bank to
facilitate easier financial transactions for OFWs
and their families
- Creation of Department of Migrant Workers to
streamline services and provide better support
to migrant workers.
MARCOS JR. ADMINISTRATION
(2022-PRESENT)
Modernization and Technological Integration
- Continuation of previous empowerment and
enhancement programs.
- Increased use of technology to improve
communication between migrant worker and
their families.
- Further improve political participation
through absentee voting.
- Utilizing migrant remittances for national
development through various savings and
investment schemes.
UNLAD KABAYAN MIGRANT SERVICES
FOUNDATION:
- Mobilizing the savings of migrant workers and
channeling them into productive investments in
the Philippines.
- The goal of this initiative is to empower
migrant workers by providing them with
opportunities to invest their savings in viable
business partners.
ENTREP PINOY PROGRAM
Developed by the Executive Center for
Professionals Inc. (ExCenPro) which is a
livelihood training program that provides
entrepreneurship education to Filipino migrant
workers in Hong Kong – focuses on mental
transformation and practical business skills,
preparing migrants to start their own
enterprises before returning home.
Private Savings Schemes
Migrant workers often invests in real estate or
agricultural land, believing these assets
appreciate in value.
- Investment in stocks (particularly in the mid
1990s)
- Savings re commonly placed in time deposits
to earn fixed interest income.
- Unsecured loans like lending money to
relatives and friends which becomes risky.
SSS Flexi-Fund
Inception: Started in 1997, targeting migrant
workers, Filipino immigrants/residents abroad, and
those with overseas income.
Features: Flexible contributions and withdrawals,
higher and safer returns via government Treasury
bills.
Benefits: Funds can be used for business, housing,
education, or retirement. Contributions of PhP
2,000 monthly can yield PhP 349,000 in 10 years
and one million in 20 years.
Pag-Ibig Overseas Program (POP)
Purpose: Mobilize savings through a housing loan
savings program.
Benefits: Borrowing for housing purposes, savings
withdrawable after 5-10 years, tax-free dividend
earnings, government-guaranteed savings, and
portability.
Recent Initiatives: Issued Php 2 billion worth of five-
year bonds with an 8% interest rate to support
housing programs
DFA-Proposed OFW Savings Bond Program
Mechanics: Dollar-denominated, government-
guaranteed bonds aimed at raising USD 100
million.
Advantages: Risk-free, hedge against peso
devaluation, interest rates tied to LIBOR and US
Treasury Bonds, usable as collateral.
Purpose: A win-win for government funding and
migrant workers’ stable investment. The bonds can
also finance large development projects through
pooled funds from migrants