The Diaspora of Filipinos

Searching through Google for the exact word “Diaspora of Filipinos” only displayed 132 pages in English. Thus, I am contributing another one.

The Philippines: A Global Studies Handbook

Woods’ (p. 12, 2006) The Philippines notes:

“It is estimated that within two decades, one-third of all Filipinos, will live outside the archipelago. The diaspora of Filipinos has generally been in response to economic difficulties. As a result, new generations of Filipinos identify themselves by their country of birth or childhood as well as by their parents’ country of origin. . . . There are still strong ties to the homeland, even if the culture appears foreign to them.”

In a concept paper, entitled: Migrants Challenge to GFMD (Global Forum on Migration and Development), an informal multilateral and state-led multistakeholder process to identify practical and feasible ways to strengthen the mutually beneficial relationship between migration and development, states:

“[GFMD] also came at a time when pro-globalization, debt-ridden and corrupt regimes in Third World countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and others are saying that migration is “international sharing of human resources” and that the “remittances of migrants help prop up (their) economies.”

The snippet above caters to the idea that migration is an opportunity, not a threat, as well as it can be a flexible way of meeting labor surplus and shortage across countries.

The Filipino Worker in a Global Economy

Yet, there are growing concerns regarding the readiness of Filipino professionals to meet international competition. Tullao (2001) evaluated the extent and quality of the various forms of investments in human capital in the formation of Filipino professionals in terms of professional competence, professional preparation and continuing professional education. Unfortunately he found:

“The overexpanded higher education in the [Philippines] is accompanied by inadequate faculty qualifications, lack of research orientation, underdeveloped graduate programs, misallocation of resources in public institutions and overconcentration of enrollment in few programs. . . [Yet] in spite of the inadequacies of the educational system, the curricular offerings of the various professions are comparable with international standards at least in the ASEAN region.”

A more telling conclusion, Tullao continued:

“The development of human capital through various forms of schooling and training aimed at addressing the competitiveness of local professionals in a liberalized environment entails social costs. The loss of educated manpower through brain drain and the various social ills resulting from the overseas employment may not be fully compensated by the foreign exchange remittances brought into the economy. The problems of brain drain and the exodus of manpower to overseas employment, however, are brought about by the inability of government to create domestic demand for educated manpower. If the supply of educated manpower will remain in this country and reap the benefits of investment in human capital, employment opportunities in the country must be generated, and population growth minimized. If these two conditions are present, then the output of education in number and quality will be further enhanced.”

The question, thus remain: How could we compete if the Philippine educational system is degressing?

Proudly Pinoy

Redford Lacanilao (2009) said it so much better:

“A typical Filipino worker is best epitomized by the fictitious Jerry Maguire. Remember, when he said the interminable phrase, “You complete Me”? Such a powerful phrase, that it burst the whole world with storm. A Filipino worker is never complete without his work. The zenith of his efforts in life is best achieved through his work. Comparing a Filipino to Jerry is paradox in the sense that we are not giving the Filipino his own worth and identity which he deserves. But identity aside, Filipinos do have a different identity yet the same heart Jerry has when it comes to work. A Filipino worker like Jerry thrives on competition. Healthy competition brings the best in him. His hard-nose effort towards success is his challenge in life. Just like Jerry, a Filipino worker is always dedicated. He is willing to devote his entire life in this endeavor for the sake of his family which gives him the motivation to strive harder. True to the notion, love your work and your work will love you, a Filipino worker always puts this in heart. Like Jerry, a Filipino worker never neglects his work. He takes care of whatever he has and always do on whatever he believes.”

I’m speechless, or more accurately: word-less! This one really let’s you forget of the Filipineza degrading definition.

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Notes:

Woods, Damon (2006), The Philippines: A Global Studies Handbook, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc.. 288pp. back to text

Tullao, Tereso S. Jr. (2001), An Evaluation of the Readiness of Filipino Professionals to Meet International COmpetition, The Filipino Worker in a Global Economy, Manila: Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). pp. 185-274 back to text

Lacanilao, Redford (2009), The Tools of a Filipino Worker, Online: The Philippine Recruit Online. Accessed 05 February 2009. back to text

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