But the more striking images which reflect the state of the Filipino people are that of OFWs.
In Lebanon, they are cramped in a small evacuation center as more and more arrive to be repatriated. Even as the war continues to escalate and the U.S. is rushing the delivery of more bombs for Israel’s use, repatriation is exceedingly slow. As of July 28, only 694 OFWs have been repatriated out of the roughly 30,000 OFWs in Lebanon. The government is aggressive in sending Filipinos out of the country to earn the much-needed dollars but is excruciatingly slow in coming to their aid, even in situations of life and death.
Upon arrival, OFWs express joy and relief at being safe at home. But their joy quickly turns to feelings of distress when recalling the maltreatment they experienced while in Lebanon; of having to escape their employer who did not permit them to leave or to be suddenly abandoned by a fleeing employer; of having to work for eight years without being able to go home; of salaries not being given to them; and so many other stories of hardships and difficulties. There is also the feeling of anxiety for those who cannot imagine how they can live now that they are jobless in the Philippines.
Seeing their distressed faces and hearing their cries, one would easily see the desperation that has compelled Filipinos to face so many hardships and to risk life and limb just to earn a “decent” income. And this “decent” income, amounting to around $200 a month or sometimes less, is even below the P664 ($12.88) per day living wage set by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for a family of six.
But who can blame them when the unemployment rate is registering double digits since 2001 (if the old methodology in measuring employment were used)? The underemployment rate is continuously increasing. From 17 percent of the labor force in 2004, it increased to 21 percent in 2005.
There seems to be no progress in terms of employment generation. Of the 750,000 jobs supposedly created last year, only 13.06 percent or 98,000 jobs were for wage and salary workers. The rest were unpaid family work mostly in agriculture, which is 51.86 percent or 389,000 of the jobs created, and 35.06 percent or 263,000 were in the own-account category, which includes vendors and small consumer store owners. The number of wage and salary workers already fell by 156,000 in 2005 compared to 2004.
Included in the wage and salary jobs opened up are in the business process outsourcing industry, which includes call centers; legal, data, and medical transcription; software development and animation. But these companies hire only three to five out of 100 applicants because of the required English proficiency and computer skills.
If there are a lot of opportunities for gainful employment locally, who will choose to suffer separation from their families and maltreatment? Who will risk life and limb working in war-torn countries like Iraq and Lebanon?
The stories of OFWs belie all government statistics of growth and improvements in the economy. The problem with President Arroyo’s grand plan of building bridges, highways, airports, ports, and dams is not where to find the budget to finance these. The problem is that the plan does not directly address the fundamental problems of unemployment, poverty and desperation enveloping the Filipino people. Marcos did the very same economic strategy. Look at where we are now. Bulatlat
