OFWs continue to suffer during the global health crisis

The promise of a better quality of life overseas, particularly in developed countries has been tugging Filipinos to pack their bags since the 1980's. True to what they wanted, most of the overseas workers pulled their families out of poverty and paved their way into better jobs in the middle class, hailing them as the unsung and modern-day heroes of the country.

Through Proclamation No. 276, December was declared as the “Month of Overseas Filipinos” to give recognition to the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) for their notable contribution to the economy, which reached PHP 1.56 trillion in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, turned the tables for the workers, when it hardly hit the global economy with the tide of various forms of insecurity.

While many OFWs in the health sector are medical frontliners in the US, UK, Europe, and the Middle East, many who returned to the Philippines find themselves unemployed and stranded outside domestic airports. Some who have been able to get domestic flights through the infamous programs Balik Probinsya and Hatid Probinsya have tested positive for COVID-19.

Based on the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) data, there were 496,435 OFWs reported to have lost their jobs due to the global economic shutdown and 864 individuals also died out of the 9,402 OFWs who contracted COVID-19 as of November.

So far, the Department of Foreign Affairs said they repatriated over 300,000 Filipino workers. Others have paid for their own fare home, and about 70,000 to 80,000 OFWs more are expected to be repatriated before the end of the year as the pandemic drags on and companies fail to reopen.

Banned to leave the country to fight the pandemic at home

With the infection surging in the Philippines since March, the government in April banned healthcare workers from leaving the country. They were needed to ‘fight the pandemic at home’.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) stated in the April 2 resolution that the halt was put in place to "prioritize human resource allocation" in the country's health care system during the coronavirus outbreak.

Filipino nurses who have been forced to leave the country after decades of fighting for higher wages and better working conditions did not buy the government’s explanations. Nurses took to social media to express their outrage, prompting Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr to take notice and demand a review of the POEA’s order.

By April 13, the government’s coronavirus task force eased restrictions to allow health workers with existing contracts as of March 8 to leave the Philippines.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the spokesperson for the government’s coronavirus task force, described the compromise as a “win-win” solution resulting from a discussion on the country’s needs during the pandemic, as well as legal issues related to contracts and rights of Filipinos to work overseas.

But despite the quick turnaround of events, nurses say the government’s moves only expose once more the plight of Philippine health workers, whose voices have been ignored by several administrations.

Government's answer to OFWs' sufferings

To buffer the economic impact of the mass repatriation, the administration earmarked up to 2.5 billion pesos for displaced overseas workers. This package includes one-time cash aid of PhP 10,000 through its Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) Program, as well as an interim monetary assistance and welfare package for OFWs awaiting repatriation from host countries.

But at PhP 10,000 per worker, this aid may prove to be insufficient in the long-term considering that the lockdown has spanned for months and prospects for employment are uncertain given the economic recession.

The Overseas Worker Welfare Administration (OWWA) has also announced a PHP 400 million emergency educational fund for the children of the affected OFWs. OFWs and their families may also qualify and avail of the food and livelihood assistance provided through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Meanwhile, for the families of overseas workers who succumbed from the COVID-19, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello are entitled to receive P750,000 to 900,000 worth of insurance benefits.

Bello explained that since the 864 individuals died due to the infection of the virus, their insurance is quite high and this excludes their death and burial benefits from OWWA.

However, the situation faced by repatriated OFWs is alarming especially when compared to the less-than-robust government solutions on the table. The number of OFWs seeking government assistance has reached more than 600,000 individuals but only close to half of the requests have been approved.

“Many of those who were repatriated found themselves stuck for a month-long incarceration period instead of the promised 14-days because of delays in the release of test results. Contrary to government propaganda of promised hotel accommodations, OFWs were seen in a viral video clip in April languishing in an overcrowded OWWA shelter in Pasay City. They already underwent proper isolation in Kuwait but were packed like sardines at the OWWA shelter, sleeping on floors, and subjected to food and water scarcity,” Migrante International, an alliance of progressive organizations composed of overseas Filipinos said in a statement.

Moreover, the alliance condemned DOLE for excluding many groups of Filipino migrants like OFWs in jail, trafficking victims, undocumented Halaw’s in Sabah, Au Pairs in Europe and J1 visa holders in the US to receive the one-time PhP 10,000 cash aid.

In better days, OFWs' sacrifices for the betterment of their livelihoods that the country couldn't provide have been lauded for the economic boost they contribute to the Philippine economy despite the social costs they endure abroad.

Now with the long list of struggles they are currently facing, OFWs are in need of more efficient and long-term assistance from the government. Considering the fact that a lot of overseas workers became unemployed due to the global health crisis and it is difficult to start anew amidst pandemic, the government should also ponder about the welfare of the OFWs who were laid off after they were forced to pack their bags home.