An OFW’s losing gamble

Written by : JOHNNA VILLAVIRAY-GIOLAGON

MARILYN is 41 years old, married to a farmer, and a mother of six. A few months ago, Marilyn became a mother for the seventh time, but the baby—with his light brown eyes and wavy hair—is biologically her sister’s.

Marilyn’s sister was raped by her Arab employer and unceremoniously sent home from the Middle East with the fruit of the abuse. And simply because she was powerless to prevent the rape and because she got pregnant as a result, she was spurned by her husband and the rest of their mountainside community.

That’s how Marilyn ended up with the baby that reminds her so much of her own that was stillborn.

Marilyn’s husband is a banana farmer; the baby’s arrival stretched their already meager resources transparently thin. Marilyn’s two eldest sons had stopped going to school so they could buy milk for the baby.

Marilyn’s sister, traumatized by her ordeal, is unable to work or care for the baby.

Marilyn and her sister hoped that overseas work would help the family out of their dire financial standing. Little did they suspect that it would dump more problems than they already have.

Their predicament is hardly unique.

Fifteen years ago, we were shocked by the then 14-year old Sarah Balabagan’s case. Sarah’s employer attempted to rape her and she killed him in self-defense. She was originally sentenced to death but the penalty was commuted to a two-year jail term and 100 lashes.

Sarah had not been the first and, as the case of Marilyn’s sister shows, wasn’t the last.

Yet it’s hardly surprising that interest in working abroad has not waned. There aren’t enough well-paying jobs here to keep people at home.

Even Marilyn’s sister who suffered abuse and lost her husband because of the abuse is still hopeful to be able to work overseas again.

From the 36,000 initially deployed by government in 1976, Filipinos working overseas now number over 8.5 million.

They are all vulnerable to discrimination and abuse that is only natural when working among people from a culture other than your own. But there are those—domestics, entertainers and the undocumented—who are more prone to abuse.

Activists fighting for the rights of migrant workers say the only way to really protect Filipinos working abroad is to abolish government’s migrant workers program. They want government to provide jobs here at home so Filipinos would have a choice whether to stay or work elsewhere.

Let’s not kid ourselves though. Establishing a strong enough economy that allows citizens to live decently as opposed to simply subsisting might take longer than any administration has.

The current administration is not inclined nor is it currently in the position to abolish a reliable source of revenue. The strategy of marketing human resource as a major export remains.

In fact, government is inclined to lift the deployment ban in Iraq following the determination that the security situation there, especially in oil-rich Kurdistan, is not as bad as outsiders imagine.

There are already at least 4000 Filipinos working in Iraq despite the deployment ban. Certainly, Iraq’s Filipino population would swell once the ban is lifted.

To some observers, government does not have a good incentive to do away with a program that provides an easy and dependable source of revenue.

In 2009, OFW remittances reached an all-time high of $17 million. OFW dollars have been keeping the economy afloat despite chronic mismanagement of and by government the past decades.

I hope not to offend people working in government. I am not unfamiliar with sacrifices by government employees and their families.

As an institution, though, government has been sorely remiss in its responsibility to OFWs and OFW families as well as the rest of the nation. If it weren’t, Marilyn and her family wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.

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Migration, whether temporary or for permanent relocation, is a privilege that our generation enjoys.

Many non-Filipinos consciously decide to live in the Philippines just as our compatriots choose to live and work elsewhere.

The Philippines plays host to a notable German community so it is not surprising that Manila is taking part in the 73rd Oktoberfest from 6pm until midnight on October 20-22 through the efforts of the German Club Manila and Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

It would be a celebration of Bavarian traditions, entertainment, foods and, of course, bear, bear beer.

Migration ain’t bad in itself.

johnnavg@hotmail.com