RP's brain drain worsens as OFW deployment rises

CEBU, Philippines – The remittances of Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) may have shielded the country's economy from the negative effects of various global financial challenges but the increasing number of OFWs, especially the skilled ones, is a manifestation of a worsening brain drain situation in the country.

A perfect example is the sudden resignation of the 25 pilots of the country's flag carrier Philippine Airlines last week, who left the company for bigger salaries abroad.

Business and tourism players in Cebu earlier urged the government to quickly resolve the issue being faced by the country's flag carrier to cushion the negative impact of this event to the economy, specifically the tourism industry, of Cebu and the country in general.

Cebu Business Club president Dondi Joseph however urged the government to look beyond the issue, saying this is a "classic case of the brain drain that is an unfortunate effect of our overseas Filipino worker phenomenon and is felt across all industries."

"The economic cost to the country resulting from the loss of talent and the inability to expand because of the lack of talent is probably in the billions of dollars," he told The Freeman.

"The social effects of the brain drain are serious. There are too many broken or incomplete families in our country today and we are just beginning to feel the social impact," Joseph added.

Some Cebu-based businessmen are urging the government to "do something" to limit if not stop this phenomenon, saying the reason for the exodus of skilled workers abroad is "not purely the lower salary."

Filipino-Cebuano Business Club president Rey Calooy, for his part, urged the government to create an environment of hope and opportunities in the country to encourage Filipino workers to stay.

"It is not simply a brain drain phenomenon. It is a missing middle phenomenon. We lost five thousand everyday the most skilled, creative and productive people, who are most needed in the country. Most of my workers are also dreaming of going abroad. But we constantly instill in their mind that if I myself worked abroad, I could not have created employment," he said.

In a separate interview, Prince Warehouse Club president Robert Go said brain drain has left the Philippines with the problem on how to cope with nation building. This is why the government should provide jobs, improve the economy, in general and provide incentives to skilled workers working in the country.

"Poverty must be eradicated. The government must plow all money to the economy at all levels-tourism, manufacturing, among others. Other countries like China give incentives to balikbayans and give incentives to those who studied in the US and are willing to bring the technology they learned back to China," he said. 

Meanwhile, Drugstore Association of the Philippines (DSAP) Cebu chapter president Robinson Uy said that some of the pharmacist in their company, La Nueva pharmacy, have also left the company to work abroad or have shifted career to nursing in order to leave the country.

"Aside from pay, I think other non-monetary benefits from the government is to create an environment to convince them to just stay and have a normal family life," he said.

For his part, Cebu Oversea Hardware group president Carlos Co said the government should improve the quality of the country's public elementary and high schools so that the country will be able to produce more quality graduates for training, saying the government could not stop them from leaving to seek for greener pasture.

Augusto Go, president of the University of Cebu, echoed Co's statement, saying the government "could not and should not intervene" in the Filipinos' desire to work abroad.

"Legally, we can't stop them from leaving. The only thing we can do is to train more skilled workers (who can take their place when they leave). These people must however sign a contract to work in the country for a specific period of time to pay for the training," he said.

For Joseph, the demand for Filipinos all over the world will continue to encourage Filipinos to work abroad.

"Even if our economy can absorb all workers, in all likelihood, Filipinos will continue leaving as we are just too talented," he said. (THE FREEMAN)