So many countries are in turmoil right now. You have the unrests in Egypt and Syria. There are armed conflicts in Ukraine, Libya and Gaza. There is an Ebola scare in Africa. What do all these countries have in common? Filipino contract workers. These are the kind of perils that our Filipino overseas workers have to endure just to make a decent living, to uplift their families and give them a chance at a much better life.
Libya is the focus of the government right now, asking, almost pleading Filipino OFWs to leave the civil war stricken country before the borders finally close. Government has even rented a ship to repatriate our countrymen. But what cannot be understood is that there are those who would rather weather out the conflict, instead of coming back home. A ban on further employment to Libya has been met with resistance, asking the DFA and the DOLE to lift the ban. As if the need to have a much bigger salary outweighs the risk of a stray bullet, or a bomb that misses its intended target. We're not even talking of the horrors of being abducted, violated or even murdered. To a lesser degree, the same is true for Gaza and the Ukraine.
Their decision to stay highlights the low pay that most professionals receive in the country. A good example are nurses. Some countries are now opening up to hiring foreign nurses, and our veterans and graduates are answering the call. Nurses are paid just as much as call center employees, while abroad they are initially offered the salaries that of mid-level corporate managers. A clear path to promotion is also available, especially with those who have a talent for teaching. I have heard of a nurse who was asked to teach instead of doing clinical work, being paid the equivalent of more than one hundred thousand a month. Bring that money back here and you have more than a comfortable life indeed. Still, they have to face the perils earlier mentioned.
It all boils down to the economy. Something this administration has worked very hard to improve. Countries with stellar economies can afford to pay its workers handsomely. The standard of living is one of the barometers by which a country's economy is measured. A high standard of living will have a well paid workforce, who can pay for the said standard. Asian countries like Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea exhibit this very well. They are paid well, but it also costs to rent a place to live or buy your own home. Not a real problem, because you have to have money to pay for it. Such is not the case here. Rent is high while salaries are low. Only the wealthy can own a house.
Which is why the economy must be strengthened even further. And at the heart of improving an economy is to eradicate corruption, not just in government but in the private sector as well. You eradicate corruption, or even bring it down to a more realistic "manageable" level, then you have a thriving economy. It is really a pity that such moves were taken seriously only by this administration. So much time has passed where the country was weighed down by massive corruption. It has stunted the growth of this nation, while our neighbors progressed exponentially. Fortunately, we are catching up. But as they say, six years is too short for a good president, and too long for a bad one. PNoy has just two more years to go. I would like to see the day when nurses and other professionals no longer seek to work elsewhere, and give their time, talent and treasure to back to this country. There is still no place like home.