EMPOWERING FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS: Policy Issues and Challenges

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