Filipinos hope to remain in the middle east; Prospects not as bright

By APD writer Melo M. Acuna

MANILA, June 16(APD) – In 2015, the government-run Philippine Overseas Employment Agency processed 2,343,692 contracts for both land-based and sea-based workers who left for abroad in search of better fortune.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s terminals are mute witnesses to emotional goodbyes between overseas workers and their families.

It has been said over 6,400 workers leave the country everyday.

Random interviews with Filipinos bound for overseas work are hopeful they could get their children to school with chances of a better future, build homes they could call their own and start a viable business after spending several years of hard work.

However, the latest diplomatic row between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt brings to the fore the need for a deeper understanding of the dynamics among affluent and powerful countries where thousands of Filipinos are gainfully employed.

Thousands of Filipinos hoping to work abroad flock to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to have their applications processed.

This office accredits recruitment agencies to save workers from human trafficking syndicates.

Getting into numbers

For most skilled workers, among the top ten destinations are Saudi Arabia (1), United Arab Emirates (2), Qatar (4) and Bahrain (10).

These countries are now involved in a diplomatic row after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain opted the recall their respective ambassadors.

They suspect Qatar was involved in some unacceptable activities.

Government statistics revealed 1,058,514 Filipinos are employed in Middle Eastern countries with Saudi Arabia playing host to 406,121 workers, United Arab Emirates with 276,278 while Qatar had 141,304 and Bahrain with 21,429.

Government economic managers have often acknowleged a significant part of the country’s gross domestic product come from foreign remittances and revenues derived from business process outsourcing outfits.

True enough, despite the economic meltdown in the western world, remittances grew to unexpected proportions, though some Middle Eastern countries have begun to implement their nationalization programs.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas disclosed foreign remittances in 2016 amounted to US 26,899,840 and US 6,020.581 came from the four countries into diplomatic row.

It’s 22.38% of the total remittances.

Saudi Arabia-based Filipino workers sent US$2,630,650 last year while skilled workers within the United Arab Emirates contributed some US$ 2,155,800.

Filipino workers in Qatar added US 1,059,001 and Bahrain-based workers sent US 175,128.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, in a statement released yesterday revealed of the top ten countries where about 80% of remittances sent to the country from January to April this year have come from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The other side of the news

However, beyond the remittances and average working conditions in the four rich Arab countries, concerns have grown over the future of Filipino contract workers.

Professionals, skilled and semi-skilled workers may not necessarily find work in the Philippines.

What caught Filipino workers and their immediate families by surprise was the immediate decision made by Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III which called for the immediate ban on Filipinos traveling to Doha.

Migrante International, an alliance of Filipino migrant workers called on the Duterte administration’s contingency plans should the diplomatic row escalate.

It will be recalled Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III ordered a deployment ban to protect Filipinos from possible difficulties last June 6 though he partially lifted the ban to allow workers with Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC) and those returning to their jobs in Qatar the very next day.

An OEC is a document from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to Filipino worjers before they are allowed to work abroad.

Covered by the ban until yesterday were Filipinos with pending applications.

Mr. Arman Hernando, Migrante International spokesman said workers are forced to choose between what he described as potentially risky situation over definitely joblessness in the Philippines.

It would have been to the workers’ and their families’ best interest had the Departments of Labor and Employment and Foreign Affairs disclosed concrete steps in ensuring their well-being and protection.

As of yesterday, Secretary Bello said he “made the decision” to lift the ban on Filipino workers seeking employment in Qatar.

However, he hastened to add this was made on the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the DOLE- attached Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Doha.

Dr. Rene Ofreneo, former dean of the the University of the Philippines’ School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) said the Migrant Workers Act of 1995 provides that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) takes the lead in finding out what’s going on other countries where Filipinos work and stay.

“This is what’s called ‘Country Team Approach’ where all officers, representatives and personnel of government posted abroad regardless of their mother agencies shall, on a per country basis, act as one country-team with a mision under the leadership of the ambassador,” Dr. Ofreneo said as he quoted from Section 28 of Republic Act 8042 known as “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.”

Dr. Ofreneo said Secretary Bello should not have spoken too soon only to ease his earlier order.

He said Secretary Bello could not have announced the total ban without the recommendations from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

A migration analyst who prefers not to be named said Secretary Bello’s decision to bar Filipino workers deployment may in a way create a crack in the close diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Qatar.

The same analyst said Arab nationals are “sensitive” to decisions made by countries they consider friends or allies.

“The Philippines should not have sided with anybody in the diplomatic row because it is between and among influential and rich countries,” he further added.

It will be recalled President Duterte was warmly welcomed in Doha last April 15 on his third leg of official visit to Middle Eastern countries.

“Filipino workers in Qatar are the best sources of information because they are the ones on the ground,” the analyst said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has not issued any statement or imposed any alert level to Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

In a media interview with Filipino reporters last April 15, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Alan Timbayan was quoted saying the visit will boost ties between the two countries “to the highest levels” as the Filipino president was expected to boost employment opportunities for Filipinos, both workers and professionals.

“They are here (in Qatar) to seek greener pastures,” Timbayan was quoted saying further.

How the Qatari government would look at the Department of Labor and Employment’s different orders remain to be seen.

At the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Ms. Maybelle M. Gorospe, officer-in-charge of its planning branch said Filipinos do not necessarily leave their work despite the declaration of alert levels.

She said Filipino workers fear they may not have the same income should they opt to return home and they are certain the government will implement repatriation measures.

“Filipinos, by the thousands, moved to the Middle East since the late 1960s and early 1970s when the petroleum industry began,” Ms. Gorospe said.

She added despite the nationalization program of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, Filipinos and other foreign workers are still welcome to work in their countries.

Brighter prospects ahead?

Would overseas employment still be a viable option for skilled, unskilled and professional Filipinos?

Will remittances be a reliable part of Philippine economy characterized by high consumer spending?

As far as Sonny Africa, IBON’s executive director is concerned, he believes overseas employment may be considered unreliable because of the international economic slowdown and competition from other labor-exporting countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even China where workers accept lower wages than Filipino migrants.

“There will come a time when overseas employment would reach its saturation point,” Africa said in an interview.

He added some 25-30% of Filipino households rely partially or wholly on overseas remittances.

According to the government’s 2012 family income and expenditure survey, 27% of Filipino families have cash receipts and support from abroad.

This simply meant 5.8 million families out of the country’s total 21.4 million families in 2012.

However, families of overseas Filipinos have in a way reduced or recalibrated their spending patterns.

He added figures from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas revealed a reduction in annual growth from two-digit decades ago to single-digit these past years.

The World Bank reported 9.8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product came from foreign remittances in 2015.

Citing facts and figures by BSP, World Bank reported a steady increase in remittances sent to the Philippines except inn 1998.

Still the “Country Team Approach” provided by the Migrant Workers Act of 1995 (Republic Act 8042) remains the best template in managing crisis situations, the migration expert added.

He said it is only the Philippines which has a complete set of procedures and offices to attend to concerns of its overseas workers, from recruitment to welfare programs.

Other labor-exporting countries look at the Philippines for benchmarking, he added.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)