Unemployment Forcing Pinoys to Work Abroad

By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) February 26, 2012

Edited and Comments by: Poch Suzara

MANILA, Philippines - More Filipinos are likely to seek employment abroad where they may be exposed to abuses because of lack of job opportunities at home, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

In its message on the occasion of the 26th National Migrants’ Sunday today, the CBCP – through its Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) – said “labor contractualization that was legalized since 1995, incredibly low wages, very high underemployment and constantly soaring joblessness are just some of the major reasons why Filipinos are not encouraged to stay but would take any opportunity to work abroad in order to improve their economic situation. The country even had developed a culture of migration.”

The CBCP-ECMI’s message came on the heels of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing the country’s unemployment rate at 24 percent, representing some of 9.7 million Filipinos.

“The Church in fact looks at migration as an opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ to other nations, not necessarily the way Filipinos were evangelized in the past, but by simply witnessing the very Christian values trough their words and actions,” the CBCP-ECMI said.

“The new evangelization could be facilitated and encouraged by the presence of chaplains and migrant pastoral workers for Filipino communities in most major countries in the world,” it pointed out.

“The OFWs are in fact bearers of hope of the new evangelization. Hence, the Church has the real responsibility of preparing them to witness their faith. That when it is time for them to go abroad, they are prepared to carry with them the mission entrusted by Jesus Christ, to proclaim the Good News throughout the whole world,” it added.

Comments: As the only Christian country in Asia since the 16th century, one would think that with the power and glory of God behind our Christian values and Catholics beliefs - we Pinoys should already be the healthiest, the wealthiest, and the happiest people in Asia in this already 21st century.

I ask: so how come we Filipinos, ever more devoted and faithful to the Son of God Jesus, we only continue to be corrupt as the SICK MAN OF ASIA? Indeed, instead of the non-Christian or non-Catholic Japanese, Chinese, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Thais, Vietnamese, Mongolians, Cambodians, Burmese coming here to seek employment, or to learn more about Jesus in the Philippines, - we Filipinos are the ones living in their respective countries. We are there legally or illegally in those non-Christian or non-Catholic countries working as assistant cooks, waiters, bus-boys, maids, chauffeurs, gardeners, nannies, garbage collectors, bar girls, dancers, singers, laborers, clerks, messenger boys, and elevator girls, etc? And we are even told to believe that we Pinoys must be eternally grateful because God has never failed to provide for us!