Migration

-Causes of Migration
People have moved from their home countries for centuries, for all
sorts of reasons. Some are drawn to new places by pull factors, others
find it difficult to remain where they are and migrate because of push
factors. These have contributed to the recent movement of people here but
are also the reason why people from here have emigrated to other
countries. Over 80 million people in the world have Irish blood; 36.5 million
US residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2007. Historically some were
transported or sold into slavery or left because of poverty, hunger,
persecution, discrimination, civil war, unemployment and, more recently,
simply for education and better jobs. Migrant numbers have risen rapidly in
the last decade. In 2013 there were thought to be over 230 million
international migrants.

Pull Factors
Migrants are drawn increasingly to countries such as the UK and Ireland by
the following factors:
Developed countries, or industrialised city areas within countries, draw
labour from countries or areas where incomes are lower.
International transport has never been easier and is cheaper than ever,
relative to incomes.
The telephone and internet make it easier to access information.
Falling birth rates in developed countries contribute to labour shortages and
skills gaps.
Extra people are required when there is rapid economic expansion.
People are drawn to stable democracies where human rights and religious
freedoms are more likely to be respected.
Many people in other parts of the world speak English.
Young people move in order to get better jobs or improve their
qualifications, including their language skills.

Push Factors
Negative factors at home add to the reasons why people feel compelled to
move.
Lack of prospects for career advancement
Poverty and low incomes
High unemployment rates
Persecution and poor human rights
Internal conflict and war
Natural disasters, climate change and famine

-Foreigners Migrating in the Philippines

Since the 1970s, the Philippines a country of about 7,000 islands

peopled by diverse ethno-linguistic groups has supplied all kinds of
skilled and low-skilled workers to the world's more developed regions. As
of December 2004, an estimated 8.1 million Filipinos nearly 10
percent of the country's 85 million people were working and/or
residing in close to 200 countries and territories.
Although the Philippines is largely a country of emigration, it also
attracts some foreigners to its shores. Traditionally, the foreign
population in the Philippines consists of people of Chinese origin (some
80 percent of overseas Chinese are in Southeast Asia) and some people
of Indian origin who came to settle in the country years ago.
Presently, there are 36,150 foreign nationals working and residing in the
Philippines. The inflows of foreigners to the country, as well as concerns
for unauthorized migration and the use of the Philippines as a transit
point for other destinations, point to a reality in this age of migration:

that countries can no longer be neatly and exclusively classified as

countries of origin, transit, or destination.
Much of the country's attention and policies, though, are focused on
emigration. A film released in June 2005, La Visa Loca, captures an
ordinary Filipino's feverish quest for a U.S. visa, the perceived ticket to a
better life. In reality, the quest for a visa is not limited to the United
States. Other promised lands in different regions the Middle East,
Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania have become the objects of Filipino
dreams.

In the last 30 years, a "culture of

migration" has emerged, with
millions of Filipinos eager to
work abroad, despite the risks
and vulnerabilities they are likely
to face. A nationwide survey of
1,200 adult respondents in 2002
found one in five Filipinos
expressing a desire to
migrate.More recent surveys
carried out by Pulse Asia in 2005
found an increasing percentage of
adult respondents 26 percent
in July and 33 percent in October
agreeing with the statement,
"If it were only possible, I would
migrate to another country and
live there." Interest in leaving the
country is not limited to adults.
In a nationwide survey in 2003 of
children ages 10 to 12, 47 percent
reported that they wished to work
abroad someday. Sixty percent of
children of overseas foreign
workers said they had plans to
work abroad.
The development of a culture of migration in the Philippines has been
greatly aided by migration's institutionalization. The government
facilitates migration, regulates the operations of the recruitment

agencies, and looks out for the rights of its migrant workers. More
importantly, the remittances workers send home have become a pillar of
the country's economy.
Historical Background
After more than three centuries of Spanish colonial rule, the revolution
waged by Filipinos in 1896 almost led to the end of Spanish rule. After a
year of fighting, the revolutionaries and the Spanish authorities signed a
truce in December 1897, and General Emilio Aguinaldo went into exile in
Hong Kong.
The Spanish-American War broke out in February 1898, sparked by the
United States' support for Cuba's fight against Spain. This spilled over
into the Philippines. An American fleet led by Admiral George Dewey
arrived in Manila, defeating Spanish forces in the Battle of Manila Bay on
May 1, 1898.
Upon the urging of Admiral Dewey to resume the fight against Spain,
General Aguinaldo returned to Manila on May 18, 1898. General
Aguinaldo's forces liberated several towns south of Manila and declared
independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. More American forces
arrived, and the Spaniards surrendered Manila to the Americans that
August.
On December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the
United States and Spain, formally ending the Spanish-American War.
Under the treaty, the United States paid Spain to take control of the
Philippines. Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Mariana Islands were
ceded to the United States as well.

Filipinos resisted American rule, and the ensuing Philippine-American

War, which began in 1899, dragged on even after it "officially" ended
with the capture of General Aguinaldo in 1901, followed by the
establishment of a civil government throughout the Philippines in 1902.
The Philippines became independent in July 1946, after the Japanese
invasion and occupation of World War II.
For much of the 20th century, "international migration" for Filipinos
meant going to the United States and its Pacific territories. The first
batch of Filipino workers arrived in the U.S. territory of Hawaii on
December 20, 1906 to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantations.