How strong are the OFWs?

By Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome Tuesday, 03.09.2013

There are some facts about OFWs that many Filipinos specially the politicians either disregard or ignorant of: the strenght of the OFWs.

It is estimated that about 11 million Filipinos or 11 percent of our population live abroad. That’s a lot. We can create our own country: population-wise we are twice the size of Singapore or half the size of Australia.  Our remittances, which make up 13 percent of our Gross Domestic Product, is enough to sustain a country. OFWs represents 28 percent of the total workforce of the Philippines.

If united and galvanized into action, Filipino overseas workers can be a telling political force. 

The power to send or not to send remittances rests on Filipino immigrants and OFWs alone. By not remitting for one day, Filipinos all over the world can use their economic power to make a stand against corruption, patronage politics, and social injustice.

Migrante International, the largest and most widespread OFW organization  has 145 member organizations in 23 countries worldwide, and associated with it the strong Migrante Partylist.

Most of all, the OFWs have proven their resiliency in times of crisis when instead of diminishing their remittances , they even increased it to counter the effects of the crisis to their family and directly sustaining the national economy time and again.

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