REACTION PAPER for January

Think tank probes issues on OFW migration to UAE

By Jun Burgos
INQUIRER.netFirst Posted 10:30:00 06/13/2010

MANILA, Philippines—A probing study on Philippine labor migration to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was recently released by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank based in Washington DC, analyzing the movement of people worldwide.

Entitled “Migration’s Middlemen: Regulating Recruitment Agencies in the Philippines-United Arab Emirates Corridor,” it is authored by Ms. Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, MPI Policy Analyst focusing on temporary and circular migration and diaspora policy.

The study was informed by 44 in-depth interviews with officials from the UAE and Philippine governments, recruitment agencies, and non-government organizations as well as with employers, and including focus group discussions with 86 Filipino migrant workers themselves.

It examined private recruitment agencies’ practices as well as their regulation by the Philippine and UAE governments, and notes room for significant improvement in this aspect.

The study utilized Philippine government data, which showed, among others, that there were some 600,000 Filipino workers in the UAE as of 2008 consisting of domestic workers, receptionists, and engineers, among others, making up nearly 12 percent of the population there, and with an annual OFW inflow of 200,000.

The author acknowledged that private recruitment agencies manage much of the flow of Filipino workers to the UAE, which is the third largest destination for Filipino migrants after the United States and Saudi Arabia, but noted that the costs of the services of these agencies for migrant labor deployment sometimes outweigh benefits for the workers due to the exorbitant fees they collect and even their violation of the rights of the workers they deploy.

According to the MPI report, “While the recruitment agencies, which are located in the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates, provide critical services such as logistical support and information about visa policies and living and working conditions, some abuse their clients by charging exorbitant fees or violating basic human rights.”

It added, “While the two governments have regulated recruitment agencies’ operations for nearly three decades, there is a policy mismatch between the two regulatory systems that, coupled with difficulties in enforcing regulations, has led to inadequate protections for migrant workers as well as a continuing flow of unauthorized workers.”

The MPI said this resulted in a three-tier labor migration system such as:

* A documented and organized labor migration based on written contracts following strict regulatory guidelines of both countries;

* A labor flow based on shifting arrangements that typically result in a lower wage, a different job, and reduced benefits compared to those originally promised to migrant workers by recruiters; and,

* An unregulated, unauthorized flow of workers who bypass the recruitment system altogether and migrate to the United Arab Emirates with a visitor visa.

The report further said, “While both countries are considering more stringent regulations for recruitment agencies, both governments must first commit to fully funding and creating capable and effective institutions to jointly harmonize, enforce, and closely monitor the impact of current and new regulations. Otherwise, regulatory changes could open the door to unintended effects, including increasing abuse and corruption and making illegal channels more attractive for prospective migrants.”

“The findings of this study are relevant beyond the Philippines-UAE corridor. They serve as a vital point of reference for other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere as they attempt to balance the need to create a flexible and dynamic labor migration system with the obligation to protect workers’ welfare in an increasingly transnational and interconnected global economy,” the report concluded.

Indeed, the recruitment industry is generally credited for its major contribution in matching millions of Filipinos to jobs in the UAE and many other countries. The industry’s feat, undeniably, likewise contributes to the economic stability of our country as well as to that of the OFW destination countries including providing for the latter’s labor demand.

But this recruitment industry, understandably the one principally benefiting from OFW migration, should likewise attend to and ensure, alongside its economic interests, the welfare and development of the workers they deploy. After all, a just and equitable sharing of the economic benefits of the migration industry it services would promote more gains for all stakeholders.

Surely, our government, for its part, would find very relevant insights from this MPI study to enable it to undertake necessary measures to improve the procedures, regulations and the overall policy on OFW migration.

Reaction:

Yesterday, I had a conversation with my Uncle Ranil and Aunt Lita at the Brokenshire Hospital Cafeteria. They had their afternoon snack. Yet I chose to have dinner since it was already 4:45pm and it was for free, so I thought I’ll be able to save money if I’m going to have dinner early. I was saved from a 50php meal. So how’s this related to my reaction paper? Nothing. I just want to share my thoughts from yesterday.

   

Seriously, I got the idea from our conversation.  My Uncle Ranil is an Overseas Filipino Worker in UAE. He went home on a vacation leave last December and had his wedding set last January 08. His wife Aunt Charm is also an OFW in Hongkong. Yes, they’re miles and miles away from the Philippines and from each other. The newlyweds should have their honeymoon right now yet financial lapses because of the dying economy made it impossible for them.

I remember Uncle said this, “60% of OFWs in UAE failed, and I’m just one of the 40% lucky ones.”  He said most of the female OFWs in UAE were molested or if not, they’re selling their bodies to some Filipinos or Arabs for money. That every time he heard friends in the Philippines bragging about their mothers, aunts, sisters, and female relatives working in UAE, he can’t help but feel sorry for those female OFWs. Well, I guess my Uncle didn’t mean to generalize the idea, but I think he’s talking from experience. He lived and worked and was successful in UAE, yet he called it “luck”. He added, it was not easy to be a Filipino when you are in UAE, “lisod kaayo” as he described it in vernacular, because there’s no guarantee or any protection for us. We’re not safe there.

Somehow, I feel the pain of having a loved one working overseas. My fiancé is working in Singapore right now. But I’m confident that he’s safe there because the government of Singapore takes good care of foreign workers in their country. There is equal right and less discrimination. How about those in UAE? These overseas Filipino workers are victims of a dying economy here in the Philippines. They are willing to risk their lives for a little difference in salary, just to make both ends meet for their families. That’s why a lot of cold-hearted individuals took advantage of this and made these poor, responsible bread winners as victims of their selfish schemes.

If the government is starting to get pissed off with these problems on OFWs, then they should do something about our economy. We badly need more jobs here in the Philippines, adequate salaries, and “real” employee benefits. If not, the least they can do, they “must” do something to help OFWs and give them assurance that they’re safe by coordinating with UAE. For every OFW, there are about 2 or more Filipinos here in the country that is dependent on them. If they failed or worst, die, their families here will suffer.

Poverty had caused too many problems in the country. It ruined families and wasted lives. Yet OFWs give hope to our country. Politicians will save us? I won’t even consider that. I think these modern Filipino heroes will help us and they deserve support from the government. Instead of wasting billions for overpriced government projects, the government should give these heroes benefits. What we need now is a working, not a talking government. We’re far, far, and far left behind from our neighbouring Asian countries. We don’t need big, unreachable, unattainable, overpriced projects. FILIPINOS NEED REAL HELP.