60% of Pinoys going overseas daily are women

DAVAO CITY — At least 60 percent of the over 2,700 Filipinos leaving the country everyday are women, majority of them entertainers, caregivers and domestic helpers.

Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda, here for the 17th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival, said the exodus of women and mothers in search of economic opportunities overseas results in the disorganization of the family.

The senator urged the members of the Davao Lady Lawyers Association Foundation the other day to lend their legal and social expertise in promoting the rights of women, children and the family.

One of the areas the women lawyers could look into, she said, is the plight of thousands of women who have to work abroad in order to provide for their families.

Legarda said such a situation paves the way for the disorganization of families, resulting in emotional and physical trauma to family members.

Ideally, she said families should be kept whole to ensure the healthy growth of children. But with more women going abroad, the situation has become alarming.

The senator also asked the women lawyers to look into the plight of female and children detainees, saying nearly 50 percent of them are not visited by relatives who can least provide for their basic needs while in prison. — Edith Regalado