Thursday, August 19, 2010
Overseas Filipino Workers
We had our short yet fruitful last meeting Phifocy class last August 16. What I remember most of our discussions that day was the intruiging point of view of our professor regarding OFWs. She said that Filipinos go through a lot of challenges and dangers in other countries in order to earn a few more bucks than what they earn here. She also made a point wherein Filipinos are not proud of the fact that they work at MCDO taft but act with pride when they tell people that they work in MCDO dubai. She looked like someone who doesn't believe in a better future abroad. She looked happy with her job here and do not envy those who work abroad. I praise her for decision to stay here because I myself want to migrate in the future. Part of my decision to take up CDA was my dream of living abroad and giving my children a better life than what I have here. I know that there are a lot of difficulties that I'll be facing wherever I may stay but I want to have a higher standard of living. Our country makes everything cheap from taxes to food but what we receive back are also made cheap. I want more.I don't look down on people who want to stay here. I also don't look highly on OFWs. I respect their decisions and do not judge them. Everyone of us have a choice. And my choice is to live abroad and bring my family along with me.
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"She looked like someone who doesn't believe in a better future abroad. She looked happy with her job here and do not envy those who work abroad. I praise her for decision to stay here because I myself want to migrate in the future."
ReplyDeleteLet me just make my point clear. In class I said that, "I wonder why Filipinos are WILLING TO WORK in McDo Dubai, and not in McDo Taft..Perhaps it is the compensation but they dont get as much as they could if they stayed here, in fact they would probably receive almost the same..considering all their expenses.."
With regards to my job here, the question is not whether I am happy or not, nor if I believe in a better future abroad, it is a case to case basis my dear. I dont see my job at the embassy as permanent, you see I still am allowing foreigners to take advantage from my skills set, but this job is a stepping stone, I get to learn things here, and I also get an insider-look in bilateral issues concerning the Philippines and RI.
I do not envy those who work abroad because I pity the families they leave behind and for the different social implications that economic migration bring, but of course there are benefits to economic migration, its not all bad.
I have lived and seen life abroad as a Filipino student, I have lived in 3 continents and have seen Filipinos work their butts for their families back in Manila. I truly respect their decision for doing so, in fact we should be proud of our OFWs abroad.
Anyway, what Im trying to say is that, life abroad as an OFW, working for foreigners to profit for my skills, is not for me.
The bottomline is that theres only one reason for me to leave the country and that is to serve my Government and my fellow Filipino citizens.