When Blas Ople was then the Labor Secretary in the 1970s, the idea of deploying Filipino workers to the Middle East was just a temporary solution to the unemployment problem in the country. But what was once a temporary solution has become a permanent policy for the government. What does this strategy imply? How does this policy affect all of us Filipinos? Is the government relying too much on the deployment of Filipino workers abroad to make the economy stable? Is this all they can do as leaders of the country?

The Philippines has become one of the countries with the biggest number of migrant workers. The others are India, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Jordan and Sri Lanka. The Russians recently even recognized Philippines and its migration strategy by sending a delegation for a 3-day visit.

Although the International Labor Organization and the International Organization of Migration has lauded the Philippines for its handling of workers’ migration, As a Filipino, I don’t see this as a commendable effort from the government. Instead of developing economic strategies not at the expense of its citizens, the government has become overly dependent on migration of its people and its remittances.

Over the years, we had lost millions of highly skilled and professional Filipinos to abroad and we will lose even more – teachers, doctors, engineers and nurses to name a few. Although this strategy has managed to keep our economy afloat, the price we paid and are still paying for this strategy was so enormous not to be seen and felt. Instead of trying to keep Filipinos at home, the government continues to develop ways to encourage and drive away our people to stay overseas – stay away from their families.

Despite the huge remittances brought in by the Filipino migrants, the struggling economy continues to hurt the Filipino people. Despite being called the modern-day heroes, struggles have continued to define the lives of this so-called heroes away from home. The worst part is, the government itself and its people has greatly contributed to the struggles of the Filipinos abroad.

Now, can we still say that the Philippines is the perfect migration model? Is being called the perfect migration model a reason for us to be proud of?

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