Pinoy 'exodus' abroad likely as fuel cost soars

MANILA, Philippines - The continuous increase in the prices of fuel products and basic commodities could lead to the exodus of Filipinos, the non-government Center for Migrants Advocacy (CMA) warned on Saturday.

Ellene Sana, CMA's executive director, said that for lack of opportunities in the Philippines that is worsened by the high prices of fuel and food, more Filipinos would be forced to work abroad to provide for the needs of their families.

“Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon mas marami ang mangingibang bansa para maghanap ng trabaho na may mas mataas na sweldo (Due to the difficult life in the Philippines, more Filipinos will go abroad to look for work with higher salaries)," said Sana during a media forum at the Sulu Hotel in Quezon City.

Prices of fuel products were raised on Saturday, the 18th time this year, amid worsening inflation, which hit 11.4 percent in June, the highest in 14 years.

Sana said about 100 documented Filipinos leave the country every hour to work abroad, or about 3,000 per day if undocumented Filipinos will be included.

She said the increase of Filipino overseas workers could also mean the rise in the cases of exploitation of OFWs, especially among women.

“Ang nakukuha naman trabaho ng mga kababayan natin especially the women ay 'yong trabaho na tinatanggihan ng mga local sa bansa na pupuntahan nila. Ito 'yong mga trabaho na dirty, demeaning, and dangerous, (The jobs they get overseas, especially women, are those that local residents refuse.These are the jobs that are dirty, demeaning, and dangerous)," Sana said.

She cited the case of Filipino nurses and caregivers who would be hired under the controversial Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement. The jobs will be offered to Filipinos not because there is a shortage of nurses and caregivers in Japan, but because the Japanese don't want to be employed in said jobs, according to Sana.

With the expected increase of Filipinos working abroad, Sana urged the government to expand and strengthen programs protecting Filipino migrant workers.

Meanwhile, civil society organizations from the Philippines and other countries in Asia, Europe, and South and Central America will convene in Manila on July 11 and 12 for the launching of the People's Global Action on Migration, Human Rights, and Development.

The People’s Global Action is a parallel event to the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which will be hosted by the Philippine government in October this year.

Organizers of the event said the Manila forum would be an opportunity to hundreds of delegates from all over the world to discuss the concerns and interests of migrant workers. - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV