OFWs use mobile phones to look after their kids

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos working abroad have maximized mobile phone technology, allowing parents who work halfway around the world to look after their kids in real time. The widespread culture of texting in the Philippines has created a new means for OFW parents to continue their nurturing roles with their children who are left behind, Dr. Fabio Baggio of the Scalabrini Migration Center said. “Real-time SMS [short message service] creates cellphone mothers and cellphone fathers," he said. “They ask their kids 'Where are you? What are you doing? Send me a picture.'" Baggio mentioned this in a paper he presented before a conference on “Managing the Development Impact of International Migration" organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies on Tuesday. According to Baggio, while cellphones could bridge the distance between OFWs and their kids, it also introduces a culture of dependency as children become more materialistic and less helpful in the household. “Children of migrants cooperate less in housework and possess more mobile phones," he said. While there is no concrete data on the total number of cellphone users in the country, it is nevertheless recognized that some Filipinos own multiple mobile phones. Several telecoms companies have also introduced promos catering to the OFW market. The National Telecommunications Commission estimated that 600 million text messages per day were sent in June, higher than 20 percent from the 500 million daily texts reported in 2006. This indicates that a subscriber sends 10 text messages a day, compared to only seven two to three years ago. - GMANews.TV