DFA exec calls on Filipino migrants to engage in volunteerism in host countries ---- By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR

A senior Foreign Affairs official on Monday urged Filipino migrants to engage in civic society through volunteerism in their host countries as a way of "giving back" to their communities, saying this can be tapped and harnessed during times of crises and natural calamities. Eduardo De Vega, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, said diaspora volunteerism can "be the Philippines' leverage and diplomatic force-multiplier," given its large presence in various countries across the globe. "We hope to encourage and train Filipinos into giving back to their host communities, including possibly contributing as volunteers during local calamities, disasters, and other crises," De Vega said during a migration forum held in Manila. "In such manner, our diaspora becomes not only a group of Filipinos who seek employment abroad, but more than that: they are a great gift of the Filipino nation to all peoples on earth, and our contribution to world peace and harmony." According to the DFA's latest report to Congress, the Philippines has an estimated total of 10,854,592 Filipinos abroad - a population greater than many European countries, combined, De Vega said. "The Philippines we have now is no longer the Philippines we have had in the past. We are scattered," he said. "Our diaspora is our soft power." With disasters and tragedies happening everywhere, De Vega said Filipinos "can be the rescuers, instead of needing rescue." The DFA can organize Filipinos into a voluntary global response team, De Vega said, noting that with more than 10 million Filipinos abroad, the department can be "overwhelmed." The Philippines is one of the world’s largest exporters of labor employed mostly in the manufacturing, construction, seafaring, IT, medical, and services sectors. They are often called “modern-day heroes” for the often-meager earnings they send home that, collectively, keep the Philippine economy afloat and local businesses booming. Integration of Filipinos in volunteer work and their mainstreaming with their host governments worldwide is key, he said. De Vega added that integrating each Foreign Service Post's contingency plans, together with their Filipino community umbrella groups, is a challenge, particularly in times of national disasters. To address this, he said Philippine embassies and consulates have been issued circulars to submit a master list of Filipino community organizations and contact persons in all the countries under their jurisdiction, for the purpose of creating an international list of Filipino organizations worldwide. Ideally, each country falling within a Philippine Foreign Service post's jurisdiction must have a national coordinating umbrella organization or 'Council of Filipino Community organizations, De Vega explained. Once these umbrella councils worldwide are catalogued and documented, De Vega said the next step is to train their volunteers, in the spirit of Republic Act 9148 or the "Volunteer Act of 2007" - this time for implementation abroad - to conduct rescue and rehabilitation work in their respective countries. In the process, they get accredited by the volunteer or state-sanctioned volunteer and relief/rescue organizations of their host governments. "Disasters, calamities, famines, war and pandemics are part of the new normal, worldwide. Instead of burying our heads in the sand, Filipinos must stand up, rise up and become a global common good, providing voluntary relief and rehabilitation services, for free, in the spirit of such groups as the Salvation Army, Médecins Sans Frontières, or the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies," De Vega said. "This idea emanates from a firm belief that Filipinos have a role to play in the currentvand coming global upheavals. Not only will such a 'Worldwide Filipino Volunteer Movement' enjoy the leadership of the President and the support of the Philippine government, it will also be a force for good to help all nationalities and countries where Filipinos live and work," he added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News