CRITICAL ISSUES & SURVEY OF

THE PHILIPPINE DIASPORA

LANDSCAPE
Far East Asia Diaspora Educators Consultation
August 11-14, 2011, Manila, Philippines
Jojo Manzano
Asian Theological Seminary
Waves of Filipino Migration in Search
of Employment Opportunities
1920s under American colonial rule, the Filipinos worked
in pineapple plantations in Hawaii, California, and to
Washington and Alaska to work in fish canneries.

1960s, Filipino nurses, doctors, medical technicians filled
in skill gaps in the United States, Canada and other
European countries.

1970s, the phenomenon of overseas contract workers
(OCWs) emerged. Filipinos leave the Philippines in even
larger numbers to fill in labour shortages in rich and
industrializing countries in the Middle East (e.g. Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait) and the Asia-Pacific (Hong Kong,
Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia)as construction workers,
nannies, domestic workers, nurses and entertainers.
http://pmscontario.tripod.com/id1.html http://www.poea.gov.ph/about/hiring.htm;
Around 8.6 million to 11
million Filipinos (about 11% of
the total population of the
Philippines) live in 214 countries
overseas.

Sources: Department of Foreign Affairs,
Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration, Commission on Filipinos
Overseas
Philippines
Middle East
2,415,896

Europe
722,427
Asia
1,074,496
Where the 8M+
Filipinos are going
Africa
64,738
Americas
3,582,879
Oceania
388,520
Sea-based
330,424
@
2009
www.poea.gov.ph
3.6M
Americas
&
Territories

2.4M
Middle
East
1.1M
Asia
722K
Europe
330K
Sea-based
65K
Africa
Stock Estimates of Filipinos
By Major World Group
Total: 8,579,378 @ December 2009)
www.poea.gov.ph

Permanent - Immigrants or legal permanent
residents abroad whose stay do not depend
on work contracts.

Temporary - Persons whose stay overseas is
employment related, and who are expected
to return at the end of their work contracts.

Irregular - Those not properly documented or
without valid residence or work permits, or
who are overstaying in a foreign country.
Sources: Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration, Commission on Filipinos Overseas
The top 10 destination countries of
Filipinos:
United States of America
Saudi Arabia
Canada
United Arab Emirates
Australia
Malaysia
Japan
United Kingdom
Hong Kong
Singapore
Diaspora in the
Philippines
1. The Permanent and Temporary
Migrants (OFW/OCW)
2. Irregular Migrants
3. Internal Migrants
4. The Foreign Migrants and
Tourists in the Philippines

1.

The Permanent and
Temporary Migrants
Permanent Migrants
Filipino permanent migrants are in the developed
countries of North America, particularly the United
States (US). Other destinations of permanent
migrants are countries in Asia, Oceania, and
Europe but the proportion is far lower than that in
North America.
Mostly highly educated they emigrated because of
more career advancement opportunities, over and
above the differences in wages
The larger proportion of permanent migrants are
unemployedhousewives, students, and minors.
This scenario is created by the family reunification
goal of permanent migration in the US the prime
destination of Filipino emigrants.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=575792&publicationSubCategory
Id=66
Temporary Migrant Workers
Temporary migrant workers. This includes the increasing
number of new-hire and the even faster increasing
proportion of rehired workers.

Land-based temporary migrants are composed of
professionals, service workers, production process workers,
transport workers, and laborers.

Filipino temporary migrant workers are shown to be
younger and better educated. Around 7 out of 10 are of
ages between 24 to 44 years old and half of them have at
least some tertiary education.
Temporary labor migration is likewise selective of gender,
with majority of temporary migrant workers being women.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=575792&publicationSubCategoryI
d=66
The history of systematized export of Filipino labor
abroad is a product of extreme poverty,
underdevelopment and joblessness in the country,
rooted in the uneven distribution of land and
wealth that has benefited a handful of rich
landlords, big business, cronies, and multinational
companies.

This system started under Spanish colonial rule,
was entrenched under American colonial rule and
continues to this very dayfrom Marcos era up to
this present government administration of
Benigno Aquino III.

http://pmscontario.tripod.com/id1.html http://www.poea.gov.ph/about/hiring.htm;
The deepening economic crisis in the Philippines
has aggravated the migration of Filipinos abroad to
the point where 8 million people, more than 10% of
the population, now work abroad as migrant labor
in 214countries.

Filipino migrant workers contribute significantly to the
ailing Philippines economy through their
remittances. In 2010 remittances of migrant
Filipinos were registered at $18. 7billion. This
contribution is recognized by the government.
Migrant workers are hailed as "new economic
heroes. http://pmscontario.tripod.com/id1.html http://www.poea.gov.ph/about/hiring.htm;
The Philippine government has been unable to
provide protection to its migrant workforce, despite
the hefty fees OCWs have to pay in order to be
employed overseas. Many Filipinos continue to
experience abuse and exploitationcontract
violations, termination without cause, rape, sexual
harassment, and even death.

The anguish and ordeal of migrant Filipinos
continue. The conditions that confront them
necessitate the continued organizing, education and
mobilization work, in order that they can better
defend their rights and welfare abroad, and to
address the root causes of migration in the
Philippines.
http://pmscontario.tripod.com/id1.html
Deployment Trend of OFWs
1975 - 2001
www.poea.gov.ph
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1,000,000
1975 1980 1990 2001
Marcos
64-86
Cory
86-92
Ramos
92-98
Erap
98-00
Gloria
00-10
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
Y-2004 Y-2005 Y-2006 Y-2007 Y-2008 Y-2009 Y-2010
Deployment Trend of OFWs
2004 - 2010
Gloria
00-10
Nonoy
10-16
www.poea.gov.ph
280,808
Asia
25,696
Americas
15,448
Oceania
48,185
Europe
684,060
Middle East
25,207
Africa
44,272
Unspecified
347,150
Seafarers
2010 Deployment of OFWs
www.poea.gov.ph
Total: 1,470,826
2010 daily deployment average
of Landbased OFWs
a
3,303* daily!
1,164 new hire; 2,139 rehires

*Figures do not include
Sea-based workers


www.poea.gov.ph
2010 Top Ten OFW Destinations
(Landbased, New Hires & Rehires)










Countries No. of Departures
Saudi Arabia 293,049
U. Arab Emirates 201,214
Hong Kong 101,340
Qatar 87,813
Singapore 70,251
Kuwait 53,010
Taiwan 36,866
Italy 25,595
Bahrain 15,434
Canada 13,885
TOTAL 1,123,676
http://www.poea.gov.ph/about/hiring.htm
2010 OFW Deployment by Major
Occupational Category










Countries Number of Departures
Professional Medical, Technical &
Related Workers
41,836
Administrative & Managerial
Workers
1,439
Clerical Workers 10,706
Sales Workers 7,242
Service Workers 154,536
Agricultural Workers 1,122
Production Workers 120,647
Others 2,753
TOTAL 340,279
http://www.poea.gov.ph/about/hiring.htm
(Land-based, New Hires & Rehires)
2010 Top Ten OFW Deployment by
Occupational
Categories and Gender (New Hires)
Occupation Male Female Total
Household Service Workers 1,703 94,880 96,583
Charworkers, Cleaners & Related Workers 2,612 9,521 12,133
Nurses Professional 1,828 10,254 12,082
Caregivers & Caretakers 543 8,750 9,293
Waiters, Bartenders & Related Workers 4,393 4,396 8,789
Wiremen & Electrical Workers 8,576 30 8,606
Plumbers and Pipe Fitters 8,391 16 8,407
Welders & Flame-Cutters 5,037 22 5,059
Housekeeping & Related Service Workers 701 4,098 4,799
Bricklayers, Stonemasons, & Tile Setters 4,478 29 4,507
TOTALS 154,677 185,602 340,279
http://www.poea.gov.ph/about/hiring.htm
2.


The Irregular Migrants
Irregular migrants people who have fled their
homes for reasons similar to refugees, but who
remain within their own national territory and are
subject to the laws of that state.

Irregular migrants are a hidden population of
people thus difficult to know their exact
number. They avoid identification for fear of
arrest and deportation. Irregular migrants are
everywhere but a significant number of them are
in East Malaysia.
http://www.irregularmigration.info/2010/11/why-
not-bilog-filipino-irregular.html
Definition: This entry includes those persons residing in a country
as refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). The definition of
a refugee according to a United Nations Convention is "a person
who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence;
has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race,
religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or
political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of
the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of
persecution

The term "internally displaced person" is not specifically covered in
the UN Convention; it is used to describe
Fillipino refugees in Borneo, Malaysia

Since 2008, sporadic attacks by the militants have forced more than
400,000 Muslim to flee their homes in Mindanao.

About 100,000 fled to Malaysia joining others who have settled there
over the past four decades of war in Mindanao.

"Many have become stateless

Scores of refugee camps dot the coastline of Malaysia's Sabah state,
on the tip of Borneo island. The camps are poor and squalid.

Many of them have been in the camps so long that they no longer
identify with their own country. Many also are second and third
generation and sometimes even fourth generation who no longer have
any form of identity or knowledge of the Philippines.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Aid-Workers-Urge-Philippines-
Government-to-Address-Needs-of-Filipino-refugees.html
3.


The Internal Migrants
Refugees and internally displaced
persons:

With the continued tension between
government troops and Muslim
militants and NPA, many Filipinos
are displaced.
4.

The Foreign Migrants
and Tourists in the
Philippines

2010 total number of visitors in
the Philippines:

3.5 million
http://www.census.gov.ph/data/quickstat/qs1107tb.pdf
Foreign Nationals in the Philippines
Over the past few years theres been a growing number
of foreign nationals living in the Philippines. Most of
those migrating to the Philippines are Americans,
Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Indians and Europeans.

For several reasons
Married to Filipinas,
To invest in businesses,
To study,
To live here because of the low cost of living and
To retire. The government is also marketing the
Philippines as a retirement haven for foreign
nationals.

http://EzineArticles.com/4699354
South Koreans in the Philippines
Total Population: 115,400 (2009)

Most live in:
Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod,
Davao, Cagayan de Oro.



Indians in the Philippines
Approximately 38,000 Indians and Indian Filipinos
Most of them are Sindhi and Punjabi, but there is
also a large Tamil population as well. Many
Indians have intermarried with Filipinos,

Most live in:
Manila, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non
resident_Indian_and_Person_of_Indian_Origin
Foreign Students in the
Philippines
Bureau of Immigration 2010 statistics:

26,823 Koreans
3,395 Chinese nationals,
2,980 Iranians
1,004 Americans.

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/national/132
4-south-koreans-top-list-of-foreign-studes-in-ph

Critical Issues of
Philippine Diaspora
The weakening the
Filipino family. The
incqeased numbeq of
paqents now woqking
abqoad has qesulted in
pqolonged sepaqation of
families. This has led
to a qadical change in
the family stquctuqe:
the emeqgence of
single-paqents and
female-headed
households, and
households headed by
oldeq childqen of OFWs.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20
061117-33105/Migration_weakening_Filipino_family_--
_DSWD

Feminiation of
migqation. Female new
hiqes, mostly motheqs,
compqised 72 peqcent of
total deployment in
2005. Motheqs aqe
peqceived as the fiqst
teacheqs of
Filipino childqen and
play a cqucial qole in
theiq foqmation and
tqansition to adulthood.
Millions of Filipino
childqen gqow up without
theiq motheqs and the
psychological suppoqt and
guidance fqom theiq
paqents.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20
061117-33105/Migration_weakening_Filipino_family_--
_DSWD

Thqeat to national
development. As moqe
and moqe skilled woqkeqs
and pqofessionals opt to
woqk abqoad to suppoqt
theiq families, the
countqy is left with
feweq skilled woqkeqs and
pqofessionals to help with
nation-building.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20
061117-33105/Migration_weakening_Filipino_family_--
_DSWD
Incqeasing numbeq of
iqqegulaq migqants.
Mostly undeq-aged and
low-skilled to become
seqvice woqkeqs.

Distuqbance in the Middle
East. Many woqkeqs had
to qetuqn home in the
Philippines with no jobs
and little oq no
financial qesouqces.

Host Goveqnment Policy.
E.g. Saudi Aqabia will
impliment Saudiniation
of low-skilled woqkeqs.
This will mean many
people will qetuqn home.


Philippine Goveqnment
Policy. Foq financial
qeasons, the Philippine
goveqnment aqe
aggqessive maqketing
Filipino woqkeqs but with
veqy little qegaqd foq
the woqkeqs welfaqe and
the left-behind.

The Evangelical huqches
Response. Although
theqe aqe effoqts to
ministeq to Filipino
migqants and theiq
families as well as to
the foqeigneqs, many
evangelical chuqches
aqe still not qesponding
to the challenge of
diaspoqa ministqy.







end