Beyond migration

There is this perception that all OFWs always have money all the time.

That this is not so was confirmed by the case of two OFW sons of one Ultra stampede victim. One son worked in Saudi while another worked elsewhere in the Middle East. Both sons could not go home to attend their dead mother's funeral scheduled this week.

One son was not allowed by his boss to go home within his work contract; the one interviewed simply had no money for going home at this time. One could see how this son, who wanted to go home but couldn't because of lack of money, tried valiantly to hold back tears as the tv camera zoomed on him and as he asked his aunts to kindly take care of their dead mother for them.

While there is so much hype about the huge earnings of OFWs and their being heroes and heroines for saving this nation from the brink of economic collapse through their steady remittances for their families, there is the neglected dimension of overseas migration that families are being pulled apart, parents from their children, children from their parents, husbands from their wives and wives from their husbands.

There is also the strong resistance to confront the social costs of migration, given the euphoria over so much dollars flowing back into our country and selected households.

While OFWs have their jobs and wages, all seem well. Endless stories have been told, however, of their sad plight when their money well dries up, when their age or health has caught up with their energy and strength to continue working abroad. When their overseas work ends, and when their health and savings dry up, the OFWs are no longer heroes and heroines. Just when they need all the support and care that they need, in exchange for their care while they took responsibility for their families and this country, there are the sick and the jobless among the OFWs who are literally almost buried alive by an amnesia and ingratitude-stricken country and households.

What can be done to sustain OFWs beyond their migration and productive years as overseas workers? What can be done to channel the OFWs' earnings not only to their homes but for this country as well on a sustained, productive level?

Yesterday's news mentioned that the Philippine Economic Team will conduct a roadshow in Japan from February 13 to 15 as part of this administration's policy to attract more investments. If this roadshow will be like the roadshows we have observed in the past when we were in Japan, this present roadshow could mean that the Philippine team will spend for round trip air travel, hotel, food and other representation expenses. Other roadshows we witnessed showed extra costs for the guests' food and prepared investment portfolios, among others.

Perhaps, these foreign economic roadshows have been successful in bringing in more investments. At the very least, we hope the economic roadshows are not excuse for junkets and unnecessary huge spending on the part of the Filipino participants at the expense of the Filipino taxpayers' public money.

Since years back, we have questioned Filipino officials why they have not prepared similar, less expensive investment portfolios to be shown and offered to our own OFWs as our priority investors. OFWs have their savings and earnings that they wish to productively invest, if given the chance, and more importantly, the necessary information, guarantee and support. OFWs also dream of helping their kababayans as they are helping their families.

So many OFWs in Japan have expressed their desire to support farmers for their planting needs, for example. "Kabalikat ng Filipino para di na sila mag-OFW kasi masakit at malungkot mahiwalay sa pamilya at sa bayan," would be heard again and again from many OFWs who sincerely want our people and this nation to be self-reliant.

DOLE Secretary Pat Sto. Tomas promised to send these investment portfolios while we were in Japan years back. We have been back for years now - there are still no investment portfolios for OFWs.

The investment roadshow team already has the portfolio for investors. Rather than concentrate only on foreign investors, why don't they show our OFWs throughout the world the business prospects, costs, and advantages of pouring their hard-earned money in protected and guaranteed investment areas? Why prioritize only the foreign investors? Why don't they share the promises that they lure the foreign investors with to our own OFWs throughout the world?

Having each of the 8 million OFWs invest even just $100 for one investment venture within the country will easily raise $800 million. Local governments and local government agencies, like the regional DTI, local businesses or even civil society and other sectors may also wish to produce their own attractive investment portfolio for OFWs from their respective areas.

OFW remittances, channeled through formal and guaranteed investment routes, may yet be the answer to genuine development of many of our rural areas and this nation.

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