My wife's brother in law is just that. An OFW. And sadly for that family he has just left today to Taiwan for another (quite possibly) 2 year stint. I think this is the 3rd, if not the fourth, now in a row with just a few weeks off in between. They consider it worth it to give their son something they never had. And to put money towards their house that they are building which is coming on nicely. Massive sacrifices all round to achieve their aim though.
I have read that OFW's payments home ? in PI is equal, in %age terms to the & %age of GNP that Singers earns, over 22%, from servicing ships in its safe harbour. Enough to feed the populace. PI Government are CROOKS inflicting hardship, penury and only alternative, for some, prostitution upon its Citizens while "They" wallow in comfort and live off the hardship and pain of family disruption of the OFW's. An ex Vice Mayor of Tacloban, Wilson Chan, said to me after the Dec, 2006 Super Typhoon on Samar --- " Oh Tom dont worry about these people - They can cut bamboo & some Nipa and rebuild there homes and climb a tree and pick bananas to eat" while his driver took us from Marabut to Tac in his Toyota LandCruises -- an AID donation from Japan. Sick Count. Tom
Both my brothers-in-law are OFWs; one's in Dubai and the other somewhere in Africa, Kenya I believe. Thanks to Skype they're in regular video contact with their mother and other family members so although they're away for two years at a time, the regular contact makes it easier for them and those they leave behind.
My loved one worked in Dubai for 12 years, two of her sisters have been there for 10 years, other sister in New Zealand and her mother worked in Saudi for 30 years. You've got to take your hat off to OFWs, they often do not see their families for a year or two at a time, I always tell the loved one of how proud I am of her to put her three daughters through University at great expense and great personal sacrifice. One of the many things I admire about Filipinos.
My fiancee had worked in Singapore for 6 years. She would have signed for another 2 years in March but decided it was time for us to get married so went home for the first time in two years and is spending two months there before I join her. Then once we are married and hopefully get a spouse visa she will join me in the UK
I worked away from home for 27 years. But the most I was ever away fir at anyonne time was 5 weeks. And that seemed a long time.
I detest the whole labour export system. Be warned that I can bore for England on this subject, but briefly: 1. Some of the Marcos era technocrats (he had the wit to employ a good many capable people) realised that the economy was growing too slowly to keep pace with the population. This is a well known problem in the economics of developing countries, because they cannot form capital fast enough from savings and retained profits and the solution is to encourage direct foreign investment, as Deng Xiaoping did in China, but Marcos did not feel up to taking on the wealthy elite, all of whom have got rich by benefiting from the lack of competition, by repealing the Constitutional restrictions on FDI - a blighted inheritance from the Yanks. 2. Blas Ople, perhaps the most gifted of all the technocrats, came up with labour export as a way to solve the problem pro tem and set up the POEA, which was light years ahead of what most countries had or indeed have today. 3. At the end of the Marcos era there were several hundred thousand Filipinos working overseas. 4. Under Mrs Aquino, the economy stalled, mainly because of the Marcos legacy of insufficient investment in power generation and also because of the succession of coup attempts launched against her by JP Enrile and his associates, and the Government encouraged more OFWs because their inward remittances balanced the books. 5. From that day to this, the Government has become increasingly addicted to OFW remittances, and there are now ten million OFWs. 6. The direct cost to the Philippines economy is that the value added by the work of OFWs stays in the countries where they work, as do their living expenses, but the indirect cost has been the wrecking of the Filipino family. 7. What other Government pimps its pretty young women into prostitution abroad, sends its mothers abroad to work as maids - the most vulnerable position that a woman can be in - and so on? The whole thing stinks, but people have got used to it, and like the frog who is put in cold water and slowly boiled to death, they find it normal. The solution is to repeal the Constitutional restrictions on FDI, to encourage direct inward investment in manufacturing for export, like other East Asian economies, and bring the people home. Rant mode off...
For years I was on 3 months on, 1 off on cruise ships........... A doddle compared to the Kababyans aboard the same vessels......... Even then, I used to sneak in the Filipino galley to get some pancit, lechon kawale, adobo, and whatever else looked remotely edible..........
I found a reference to Filipino deck hands on an American ship in the London docks in 1929, and of course the Manila Galleon, the single ship that sailed to Mexico and back each year, was not only manned, but built, by Filipinos.
I do agree that being a OFW is not ideal for family life but it has certainly opened many doors for them and their family members when it comes to the affordability of a better lifestyle and education and so on with the remittance. What I really don't like is the Philippine governments reliance on OFW remittance as Andrew stated previously.
A better lifestyle ? Yes for the majority - perhaps ??? but the cost of having a family member OFW is almost unbearable for the family. Mothers or Fathers dont see their children grow up. Then there are the ATM watchers who just take advantage of the poor "slave" OFW. It sickens me. Tom
Yes. There is a big cost. Sacrifices are made. Quite sad to see. Makes me feel how lucky I have been in many ways.
It is all about simple economics, OFWs working overseas earn a much higher salary than staying at home working in the Philippines for pittance. A lot of us Brits here at BF have worked overseas and why? because of the money of course. Leaving family behind is a small price to pay when lives can be so much improved by more money coming into the household.
A lot of British people would jump at the chance to work overseas and earn some extra cash whilst doing so. Not seeing family for a while, big deal, the financial rewards more than make up for that. Its up to the British and Philippine governments to do something about it if they have any concerns over the so called "Brain drain" effects on their country. As Blue Acid says, the Philippine economy would crash without those fine OFWs who do so much for their country and families. Absolutely nothing wrong with either Brits or Filipinos working overseas and improving their quality of life for them and their family. Its up to each individual of course if they want to give their hard earned cash away to ATM watchers and so on, their choice their mistake.
My wifes friend, a Filipina, her husband is an Overseas British Worker and right now he has been working away for 2.5 months with 2 weeks off in between. He is supervising the building of a series of oil rigs in Houston. No doubt he is getting paid handsomely for that and with Manx Tax will be on to a winner financially.
and why is that? Because the "keep the foreigners out" provisions of the Constitution operate to ensure that the Philippine economy is an inefficient oligopoly in the hands of a handful of dynasts. Furthermore, all Filipino students are taught that foreigners are out to rip them off. I have examples of course materials to this effect from the business school located in Subic Bay Freeport, which officially exists to attract foreign investment! Yesterday I was in the office of a friend who runs a business employing 60 Filipinos making CBTs etc for the offshore industry in Subic. He pays P100,000 a month to Subictel, the monopoly provider, owned by PLDT, for Internet access- of which there was none. His temper was not improved by having to attend a "psychological examination" for the biannual renewal of his work permit, which consisted of a long out of date IQ test etc and his being told by the doctor examining him that some assistance with her daughter's education would improve his chances of passing. He has lived here and paid taxes for twenty years. His staff consider him a wonderful employer. Unsurprisingly, he is thinking of relocating his business to Cambodia, which is far more business friendly.
