Mababang bilang ng deployment ng OFW, nakakaalarma nga ba?

MITHIIN ng bawat bagong pangulo ng bansa matapos silang maihalal, na magbalik na sana ang mga OFW mula sa ibayong dagat. Dahil kung mag-aabroad umano ang isang Pilipino, hindi dahil sa kanilang pangangailangan, kundi dahil sa kanilang kagustuhan lamang.
Tumutugon na nga ba ang Pinoy sa panawagang ito?
Ayon sa ulat ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), bumaba ng 67% ang deployment ng ating mga OFW mula noong Enero hanggang Hunyo ng taong 2018.
Mahigit 1.3 million na OFW lamang ang umalis ng bansa noong 2018 kung ikukumpara sa 2.044 million noong 2017 sa unang anim na buwan. Pawang apektado rito ang landbased workers natin.
Ayon naman sa ilang mga eksperto, nakababahala ang pagbaba ng bilang na ito dahi malaki ang magiging epekto nito sa ekonomiya ng bansa dahil na rin sa pagbaba ng dollar remittances ng mga OFW.
Nakakaalarma nga ba ito? Dahil kung gusto naman ng pamahalaan na makabalik na sa bansa ang ating mga OFW, edi dapat sana, tatanggapin natin itong isang mabuting balita.
Pero nakikita nila ngayon ang magiging epekto nito sa ating ekonomiya. Palagi kasi nating naririnig na “backbone ng Philippine economy” ang dollar remittances ng ating mga OFW.
Sabagay, wala naman talagang sigurado ngayon. Ang dating ayos noong isang taon, hindi na maaring ayos ngayon.
Lumolobo ang populasyon. Dumadagdag ang bilang ng tao. Pero hindi naman nito masabayan ang pagdagdag din ng mga trabaho. Minsan pa nga, nagsasarahan pa ang mga kumpanya dahil sa pagkalugi at ang direktang apektado nito ay ang pagkawala ng trabaho ng kanilang mga empleyado.
Siyempre pa, sa halip na unahin ang pagkuha ng mga dayuhang manggagawa, uunahin nila ang kanilang mga kalahi na sila ang dapat magkatrabaho muna bago ang mga dayuhan.
Ang mga OFW na dating may mga trabaho, kapag inalis sa kanilang mga kumpanya sa abroad, nahihirapan nang makakuha na kapalit na trabaho, kaya naman wala na silang mapagpilian pa kundi ang umuwi na lamang.
Nariyan pa ang lumulubhang tensyon sa Libya. Nakaangat na ngayon ang Crisis Alert level 3 o Voluntary repatriation kung kaya’t hinihikayat ang mga kababayan nating magsi-uwi na muna ng Pilipinas.
Tinatayang may 1,000 mga OFW pa ang naroroon at pinangangambahang maipit sa kaguluhan doon. Sa ganitong mga situwasyon, kapag idinedeklara ng pamahalaan ang crisis alert na ito, nangangahulugan ding hindi magpapalabas ng mga OFW patungo ng Libya.
Ito rin ang mga dahilan kung bakit nababawasan pa ang mga OFW na naipadadala sa ibayong dagat.
Pero gaano nga ba kahanda ang Pilipinas sa pagbagbalik ng mga OFW? Anong mga trabaho ang naghihintay para sa kanila? Ito na nga ba ang simula ng lalo pang pagliit ng bilang ng mga OFW na umaalis ng Pilipinas?

Si Susan Andes a.k.a Susan K. ay napapakinggan sa Radyo Inquirer DzIQ 990 AM (M-F 10:30 am 12:00 pm, audio/video live streaming: www.ustream.tv/channel/dziq Helpline: 0998.991.BOCW E-mail: bantayocwfoundation@yahoo.com/ susankbantayocw@yahoo.com



Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on FacebookBy Susan KApril 10,2019

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more