A Department of OFWs, and why not?

A Department of OFWs, and why not?

Is this a far-fetched imagination? Not justDOLE/ POEA or DFA/POLO, but a full Cabinet Department all dedicated to OFW affairs? But why really not.

 It is ironic that the people who keep our economy afloat are treated only as extension of services from other departments like labor and foreign affairs. In the private sector, corporate structures undergo review from time to time to keep abreast of changes in the business environment.

Fifty years ago we did not have 10 million OFWs, there was no need for a Cabinet-level official to look after the few thousand Filipinos who were working overseas.

However, Times have changed, and the Arab Spring, which placed thousands of OFWs in danger and required their repatriation, highlighted the need for a department to look after their welfare and their families.

In 2013, our economy grew by 6.6 percent, surpassing all expectations. One of the factors behind that growth was the $21.4-billion cash remittances of OFWs, representing a 6.3-percent increase from 2011, also exceeding the Bangko Sentral’s 5-percent target. The amount represents about 6.5 percent of our country’s Gross National Income (GNI) and 8.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2012.

Last March 15, the Bangko Sentral reported that cash remittances from overseas Filipinos for January, 2013, totaled $1.7 billion, an increase of 8.0 percent compared with $1.6 billion for the same month last year. In my view, the remittances for the first month of the year have given our economy a strong start for 2013.

The Bangko Sentral, citing preliminary data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), indicated an expanding base of remitters worldwide as the total number of deployed overseas workers for 2012 grew by 6.7 percent to 1,800,465 from 1,687,831 in 2011.

The POEA also reported that workers with processed contracts and are awaiting deployment reached 2,083,223 for full year 2012, higher by 12.6 percent than the level recorded in 2011.

Moreover, If we take into consideration that by now, there are roughly 10 million OFWs with an average number of 5 dependents each, there are something like 50 million Filipinos dependent on migration.That is half our population!  Reason enough for us  to have more piece in the management of our society and economy.  Now, OFWs Has embarked in political activities, it is timely and necessary. If we cannot stop the outward exodus of Filipino workers and immigration has even became a full blast paying industry, we might as well have the wheel to steer it to the right direction.