OFWs need not feel isolated due to IT advances – professor
MANILA, Philippines - A professor from the University of the Philippines on Thursday said that overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have no more reason to feel isolated because of the advances in information technology we have today.
“There’s no reason for an OFW to be isolated at this time," said Ma. Catalina Tolentino, a senior lecturer and researcher on Thursday during a forum at the School of Labor and Industrial Relations in UP Diliman.
According to Tolentino, information technology is becoming a tool of empowerment for OFWs as they maximize the new modes of correspondence.
She said that in terms of what form of technology is mostly used, it would be the cellular phone because it has penetrated all classes of society from high to middle and even the lower economic strata across all age groups.
“The cellular phone has a stronger penetration and diffusion than the computer because it almost doesn’t take into account one’s age and income bracket," she said.
On the other hand, she said the computer has a lower rate of penetration compared with the cellular phone, citing a study that said 76 percent of Filipinos owned mobile phones.
Based on the 2001 report of the National Computer Center, only three million Filipinos had access to the Internet while most of its users were those aged below 29 years.
Still, Tolentino said the computer is slowly gaining popularity within the OFW circuit.
“Merong domestic helpers na may laptops, sa Singapore mura lang, pwede ring bumili sila ng pinaglumaan (There are domestic helpers who have laptops, its cheaper in Singapore, they can also buy second-hand)," she said.
The professor said that in Taichung, Taiwan, there are factory workers whose dormitories are equipped with Internet facilities that allow them to communicate with their families, which she said is important in keeping familial ties intact.
“These communication technologies help sustain relationships among transnational families. It is now possible to maintain long-distance parenting, long-distance marriage and bridge emotional gaps," she said.
“Connectivity at the family level is the most crucial, the family being the basic unit in Philippine society," the professor said.
Meanwhile, Tolentino also mentioned importance of the Tulay program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Microsoft Philippines.
The Tulay or Bridge Education Program provides OFWs information technology training that would enable them and their families to communicate through the Internet.
It is a part of Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential (UP), a global initiative aimed at providing technology and skills for underserved individuals.
“The graduates believe in the effectiveness of the Internet as a tool in corresponding with their relatives abroad," said Tolentino.
Through the program, OFWs and their families get to learn the basics of computer applications such as MS Word, Powerpoint, Excel, as well as Internet and e-mail use at the Community Technology Learning Centers (CTLC).
The CTLCs being maintained and operated by the Department of Labor and Employment and OWWA are located at the OWWA Central Office, OWWA Satellite Office in the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, OWWA Regional Welfare Offices in La Union, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.
The OWWA overseas posts with CTLCs are Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Taichung in Taiwan. - GMANews.TV
“There’s no reason for an OFW to be isolated at this time," said Ma. Catalina Tolentino, a senior lecturer and researcher on Thursday during a forum at the School of Labor and Industrial Relations in UP Diliman.
According to Tolentino, information technology is becoming a tool of empowerment for OFWs as they maximize the new modes of correspondence.
She said that in terms of what form of technology is mostly used, it would be the cellular phone because it has penetrated all classes of society from high to middle and even the lower economic strata across all age groups.
“The cellular phone has a stronger penetration and diffusion than the computer because it almost doesn’t take into account one’s age and income bracket," she said.
On the other hand, she said the computer has a lower rate of penetration compared with the cellular phone, citing a study that said 76 percent of Filipinos owned mobile phones.
Based on the 2001 report of the National Computer Center, only three million Filipinos had access to the Internet while most of its users were those aged below 29 years.
Still, Tolentino said the computer is slowly gaining popularity within the OFW circuit.
“Merong domestic helpers na may laptops, sa Singapore mura lang, pwede ring bumili sila ng pinaglumaan (There are domestic helpers who have laptops, its cheaper in Singapore, they can also buy second-hand)," she said.
The professor said that in Taichung, Taiwan, there are factory workers whose dormitories are equipped with Internet facilities that allow them to communicate with their families, which she said is important in keeping familial ties intact.
“These communication technologies help sustain relationships among transnational families. It is now possible to maintain long-distance parenting, long-distance marriage and bridge emotional gaps," she said.
“Connectivity at the family level is the most crucial, the family being the basic unit in Philippine society," the professor said.
Meanwhile, Tolentino also mentioned importance of the Tulay program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Microsoft Philippines.
The Tulay or Bridge Education Program provides OFWs information technology training that would enable them and their families to communicate through the Internet.
It is a part of Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential (UP), a global initiative aimed at providing technology and skills for underserved individuals.
“The graduates believe in the effectiveness of the Internet as a tool in corresponding with their relatives abroad," said Tolentino.
Through the program, OFWs and their families get to learn the basics of computer applications such as MS Word, Powerpoint, Excel, as well as Internet and e-mail use at the Community Technology Learning Centers (CTLC).
The CTLCs being maintained and operated by the Department of Labor and Employment and OWWA are located at the OWWA Central Office, OWWA Satellite Office in the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, OWWA Regional Welfare Offices in La Union, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.
The OWWA overseas posts with CTLCs are Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Taichung in Taiwan. - GMANews.TV
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