Pinoys still want to work abroad despite Angelo’s abduction

The abduction of truck driver Angelo de la Cruz has failed to dampen the desire of many Filipinos to work abroad, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said yesterday.

POEA chief Rosalinda Baldoz said statistics show that the country’s average daily deployment even increased during the period De la Cruz was held hostage by Iraqi militants.

For this month alone, 2,713 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) left the country for jobs abroad, 10 percent higher than the 2,461 deployed daily in July last year.

Records also show that a total of 550,656 OFWs were deployed to various countries from Jan. 1 to July 21.

Earlier, Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson said overseas deployment is unlikely to be affected by the government’s decision to pull out the Philippine humanitarian contingent from Iraq.

Imson explained that the United States government hires Filipinos because of their competence and skills, not because of "political considerations."

However, the government has imposed a ban on the deployment of OFWs to Iraq after De la Cruz was abducted last July 4, and officials have advised Filipinos to seek alternative job sites.

Imson said the government will now focus on repatriating 10 other Filipino truck drivers since De la Cruz has been reunited with his family in their hometown of Mexico, Pampanga.

Meanwhile, defeated vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda urged the government to concentrate on creating jobs at home so Filipinos would no longer need to risk life and limb just to earn a living in war-torn countries like Iraq.

"The bottom line is if there are jobs at home, many Filipinos would find no need to go abroad just to feed their families. But with the unemployment rate in the country hitting all-time highs, the exodus of our workforce would surely continue," she said in a statement.

Reacting to reports that many Filipinos prefer to face the dangers of working in such countries like Iraq rather than starve in the own country, Legarda said the reports merely reflect the dire straits in which many Filipinos find themselves.

"Job creation should involve more than rhetoric for government and the camouflaging of the real problems of unemployment now plaguing the nation through manipulation of statistical data on prevailing labor conditions," she said.

Legarda urged all Filipinos to seek divine help, saying "even the most difficult problem can be overcome through prayers."

She also noted that since many Filipinos take on low-paying, high-risk jobs abroad, POEA and other related agencies should make sure that foreign firms give OFWs competitive remuneration and prioritize their safety, dignity and general well-being.

"It’s time for the government to shape up since we are already buried neck-deep in problems. We cannot take on a knee-jerk policy of reacting only when already pushed against the wall," Legarda said.