Unattractive local employment

The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Kuwaiti and Philippine governments on the treatment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is a welcome relief to the 250,000 or so OFWs presently employed in the oil-rich country.

Barring any breach of their employment contracts (whether attributable to them or their employer), those OFWs are, more or less, assured of continued employment.

Their families in the Philippines who depend on their remittances for their daily sustenance do not have to worry about their financial lifeline being prematurely disrupted or severed.

Earlier, in the wake of the expulsion of the Philippine ambassador to Kuwait, President Duterte appealed to the sense of patriotism of those OFWs and urged them to come home.

He said he would look for the funds needed to bring them home and that there were many jobs in the Philippines that could accommodate them upon their return.

The OFWs in Kuwait had mixed reactions to the President’s call. In interviews aired on local television, some expressed their willingness (although with visible reservations) to return as a matter of patriotic duty, while others objected to being asked to give up their jobs because there was no assurance they would be able to get equivalent employment here.

An OFW who is in his fifties and works as a logistics supervisor in a fast-food company in Kuwait said it was doubtful if any company in the Philippines would employ him considering his age or whether he would be able to get a job that would pay as much as he was receiving in Kuwait.

To date, none of the gainfully employed OFWs in Kuwait have been reported to have offered to give up or resigned from his work to answer the President’s call for self-repatriation.

Those who did were domestic helpers who were working illegally, had expired contracts or suffered maltreatment from their employers. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain by returning to the country.

The OFWs in Kuwait cannot be faulted for their lukewarm response to Mr. Duterte’s suggestion. They are not being unpatriotic. Many of them love our country despite its faults and inadequacies, and shed tears when they hear or sing our national anthem.

They are simply being realistic. With the interests of their families at stake, they cannot see the value of giving up their gainful livelihood in Kuwait and taking their chances on finding employment in the homeland with equivalent compensation.

With four million new college graduates every year competing for limited jobs, it would be foolhardy for OFWs who have well-paying jobs to relocate to the Philippines in the name of patriotism.

Besides, what is the measure of patriotism for OFWs? Is the Filipino who is obliged to work abroad for lack of local job opportunities and able to regularly remit money to his family less patriotic than his counterpart who is locally employed?

In 2017, OFW remittances hit $28.1 billion, an all-time high that kept the national economy going and helped the country cope with adverse international financial developments.

While it may be true that the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program will, if completed, bring economic prosperity and make available more jobs in the country, that expectation is insufficient to convince the OFWs to give up their jobs and come home.

It may take some time before the dreams of OFWs for a better life for themselves and their families can be realized by taking up local employment.

In the meantime, the government must make sure the terms and conditions of the MOU with the Kuwaiti government are honored by the parties.

It would be tragic to see a repeat of the fate that befell Joanna Demafelis, the Filipino housemaid who was murdered by her employer and kept in a freezer for a year.