"Filipina Migrant Workers: Bayani or Biktima?" by Julia Adelle David
“I complained last December, but until now, there hasn’t been any action,” whispered Juliet Manuales, an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). Manuales trembled as she hid in her employer’s bathroom, risking her life to make a video call - a desperate plea for help. Ever since she was hired as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia, she has endured abuse: strangled twice, locked up, and cut from all communication channels. Despite facing threats of dismemberment and violence, she reported her abuse to her agency in December 2021. She was met with silence. It took 4 months, and another distress call for the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to save her.
Juliet Manuales’ story is not an isolated case. The Philippine Statistics Authority (2022) reported that in 2021, there were a total of 1.83 million OFWs. An overwhelming 61% of them were women. These women usually work in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, holding low-skilled jobs to support their struggling families in the Philippines.
The Philippine government has pushed the narrative that these women are the nation’s modern-day heroes or “Bagong Bayani”. Economically, their labor contributes to 8.9% of the nation’s GDP, and cash remittances sent by OFWs total to around USD 34 billion (Zaldarriaga, 2022). This boosts the household income of their families, saving them from poverty and triggering a multiplier effect that uplifts the Philippine economy. Furthermore, these OFW women are said to embody the Filipino values of kasipagan (diligence), tiyaga (persistence), and makapamilya (family-orientedness). Their personal sacrifices are celebrated because these are done for their families and the country.
Reality, however, paints a different picture. While Filipina OFWs are touted as heroes, thousands of them are actually victims.
Filipina OFWs are victims of gender-based and sexual abuse. Of the 444 cases of sexual abuse recorded by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), 441 were reported by women (Baclig, 2021). Filipinas working abroad face sexual violence and harassment from their employers, which they cannot report out of fear of their livelihoods.
Filipina OFWs are victims of labor exploitation. When working abroad, they regularly face contract violations. They are not rightfully compensated for sick leaves and holiday pay, yet are forced to work overtime to retain their positions (DOLE, 2021). Some OFW domestic workers have even reported working 16 consecutive hours, while their passports and salaries are withheld from them (Amnesty International, 2021). Furthermore, although government agencies exist to protect OFWs’ rights, they are so inefficient that it takes months for cases to be investigated.
Filipina OFWs are victims of poverty. Ironically, despite the Philippines being among the most equal in Asia in terms of gender equality, the economic opportunities available to Filipinas are limited. For example, while an educated Filipina nurse may earn a monthly salary of USD 360 while working in the Philippines, she can earn USD 550 as a domestic helper in the UAE (“Cost of Living”, n.d.). When Filipina mothers work overseas to support their families, as is the case for 9 million Filipino children, their children’s psychological growth is sacrificed for the sake of economic stability (Santos, 2018).
Clearly, Filipina OFWs who are called “Bagong Bayani” or modern-day heroes, are also “Bagong Biktima”, or modern-day victims. What can be done to protect them?
First, there must be more comprehensive legislative frameworks that acknowledge the gender risks of overseas employment and the vulnerability of women to trafficking and abuse. Labor agreements between the Philippines and labor receiving countries should be put into place, especially in high-risk areas such as the Middle East. Persistent cases of abuse need to be escalated to the ILO, and the implementation of existing regulations needs to be strengthened - including penalizing illegal recruiters and abusive employers.
Second, there must be a holistic support program throughout the OFW journey: from adequate preparation pre-deployment, tracking and monitoring of conditions while deployed, reporting mechanisms in case of abuse, and intervention or repatriation if needed. Information and awareness campaigns can help educate these women about their rights and options.
Lastly, we must face the root cause of why these women leave the Philippines to begin with: poverty. Unless we resolve the lack of economic opportunity in the country, we cannot stop our country’s mothers, daughters, and sisters from seeking greener pastures abroad. We can only hope that as they do so, they are protected from being victims of violence and abuse, so they can be the true heroes we need them to be.
References
Amnesty International. (2022, August 8). Domestic workers share harrowing accounts of abuse in Qatar. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/10/qatar-domestic-worker-abuse-a nd-exploitation-report/
Baclig, C. E. (2021, July 29). Women bear brunt of heightened risks for OFWs. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1466363/women-bear-brunt-of-heightened-risks-for-ofws
Cost of living in Dubai as a single OFW. (2020, May 25). Dubai OFW. https://dubaiofw.com/cost-of-living-single-ofw/
DOLE. (2016, March 15). DOLE’s ‘Assist WELL’ helps 21 OFWs who complained of contract violations.
https://www.dole.gov.ph/news/doles-assist-well-helps-21-ofws-who-complained-of-contra ct-violations/
Esconde, E. (2022, March 13). Maltreated OFW from Bataan safely returns home. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1169652
Noriega, R. (2022, April 8). Abused Saudi Arabia OFW makes distress call from toilet.GMANews Online.