Compilation

Work and Economy Migration's benefits don't go down to the poor?

Economic benefits of international labor migration "have not trickled down to the poor and less developed regions in the country." In sharp contrast, Go added, the regions in Mindanao, which have high levels of poverty incidence, have the lowest proportion of OFWs. These include the conflict-ridden Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (the poorest region where the smallest proportion of migrant workers come from), Central Mindanao (region 12), Southern Mindanao (region 11), Northern Mindanao (region 10), and Western Mindanao (region 9). Poverty incidence versus number of OFWs per region The National Capital Region, according to the 1997 FIES, has 6.4 percent of its residents at or below the poverty threshold, and contributes 19.1 percent of the country's total OFWs. Impacts on OFW, family, community vary accordingly Urban families benefit more from migration than rural families 'The most disquieting aspect of international labor migration'

Table 1: Remittance figures (from Go, 2002; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) January to July 1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2001

Total (in US$ million)

5,741,835 7,367,989 6,794,550 6,050,450 6,031,271 4,263,594 3,416,044

Land-based (in US$ million)

5,484,223 7,093,440 5,948,341 5,123,773 4,937,922

Sea-based (in US$ million)

257,612

274,549

846,209

926,677 1,093,349

Remittances as % of Export Earnings 1

22.8 percent

16.7 percent

19.4 percent

Not Not available available

Remittances as % of Gross National Product (GNP) 2

6.6 percent

7.1 percent

8.7 percent

Not available

Not available

Remittances/OFW (US$)Total

$7,679.4

$8,859.6

$8,117.5

$7,189.0

$7,194.7

Land-based

$9,806.8 $11,112.3 $9,289.5

$7,964.8

$7,770.9

Sea-based

$1,366.9

$4,672.5

$5,334.5

$1,420.3

$4,302.3

3,560,995 2,804,910 702,599

611,134

1 - From 1990 to 1999, the percentage of remittances to export earnings is 20.3 percent 2 - From 1990 to 1999, the percentage of remittances to GNP is 5.2 percent

Table 2: 1997 Distribution of OFWs and Poverty Incidence of Families by Region (Go, 2002) Island Group / Region Philippines

% Distribution of OFWs 100.00

National Capital Region

19.1

Luzon

53.2

* Cordillera Autonomous Region

Rank

Poverty Incidence of Families (%)

Rank

31.8

1

6.4

15

30.1

2.0

12

42.5

5

12.6

3

37.8

10

5.0

6

32.1

12

* Region 3: Central Luzon

12.0

4

15.4

14

* Region 4: Southern Tagalog

18.9

2

25.7

13

2.7

9

50.1

2

* Region 1: Ilocos * Region 2: Cagayan Valley

* Region 5: Bicol Visayas

15.4

38.2

* Region 6: Western Visayas

9.4

5

39.9

8

* Region 7: Central Visayas

4.2

7

34.4

11

* Region 8: Eastern Visayas

1.8

14

40.8

6

Mindanao

12.3

44.6

* Region 9: Western Mindanao

3.0

8

40.1

7

* Region 10: Northern Mindanao

1.3

15

47.0

4

* Region 11: Southern Mindanao

2.6

10

38.2

9

* Region 12: Central Mindanao

2.4

11

50.0

3

* Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao

1.9

13

57.3

1

Iba pang data:

Citing data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Sto. Tomas said the biggest number of OFWs is still in Saudi Arabia, making up 26 percent of the 209,293 land-based OFWs deployed in various countries during the first quarter of 2005. Next to Saudi Arabia are Hong Kong with 28,006 OFWs, or 13.3 percent of the total deployed land-based OFWs; United Arab Emirates with 9.47 percent (19,817); Japan with 8.22 percent (17,213); Taiwan with 5.8 percent (12,222); Kuwait with 5 percent (10,216); Singapore with 4 percent (8,660); and Qatar with 3.4 percent (7,193). In terms of demand for land-based OFWs, Qatar registered the highest increase, employing 50 percent more than the 4,793 Filipinos it hired in the first quarter of 2004. Other countries with marked increases in their demand for OFWs are: • Bahrain, 49 percent (1,810 to 2,693) • Kuwait, 24 percent (8,213 to 10,216) • Malaysia, 21 percent (1,748 to 2,114) • UAE, 15.4 percent (17,172 to 19,817) • United States, 13.6 percent 1,074 to 1,220) • Singapore, 12.8 percent (7,678 to 8,660) http://www.filipinoreporter.com/archive/3403/headline04.htm http://www.philippinestoday.net/ofwcorner/ofw11_1.htm

Tungkol sa GNP

Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas said that there are now about 8.1 million Filipinos living or working in 194 countries and territories all over the world. The overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and migrants, she said, now make up almost 10 percent of the total Philippine population. Of the total, 3.2 million are permanently living abroad while 3.6 million are temporarily working overseas. Irregular Filipino workers overseas, on the other hand, are estimated to constitute some 1.3 million. She said the overseas Filipinos, including migrants remitting dollars to their kin in the Philippines infused into the economy in 2004 a total of 8.5 billion US dollars, which is roughly 9.2 percent of the GNP during that year. http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/be/be003156.htm In 1992, this category of workers accounted for about 60% of all newly hired OFWs; by 2005 that percentage had shot up to 70%. The second statistical trend is the so-called "feminization" of new OFWs, rising from 50% to 70% over the same 13-year period. OFW dollar remittances have recently averaged about US$7 billion per year, and peaked at more than $10.7 billion in 2005. While growing remittances help to spark local consumption, government policymakers are starting to ask hard questions about the long-term economic impact of its current success as a labor exporter. The specter of a growing "brain drain" is stoking new fears that the Philippines might be losing more skilled workers than it can afford in critical sectors of the economy, including health, aviation, mining, shipping, and port operations. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HF20Ae04.html