OFWs feel alienated, upset when they return to RP

MANILA, Philippines - Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who had been exposed to societies that adequately provide for the needs of their people return home feeling alienated and dissatisfied with the Philippines.

This was the result of a two-year research project titled “Democratization through Migration" by the Arnold Bergstraesser-Institute (ABI) based in Freiburg, Germany.

A copy of the recent study was furnished to GMANews.TV on Monday by OFW group Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino.

According to the study, many returning OFWs who had experienced better living conditions abroad expect more from the Philippines.

ABI researchers Christl Kessler and Stefan Rother said the study revealed OFWs’ “strong discontent with the democratic processes in the Philippines, despite a general defense of democratic rights and freedom."

The two said that “a feeling of neglect and discrimination for poor and uneducated citizens was felt by the respondents, having the mindset that the Philippine political system was exclusively serving the interests of the elite."

The study also showed that “an active OFW civil society independent of the political system of the destination" can have a positive effect on the migrants' sense of action and usefulness.

Questionnaires were used in ABI’s interviews with 1,000 migrants who were just about to leave the Philippines and 1,000 OFWs returning from Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Hong Kong.

ABI presented the study last week at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City in cooperation with the Social Weather Stations, and the Political Science Department of UP-Diliman.

The study was financed by the Foundation for Population, Migration and Environment. - KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV

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