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A Lot of OFWs Can't Be Home for Christmas Thanks to the Filipino First Policy



It's just a few days before Christmas, right? I was reminded of how certain parts of the Philippines couldn't celebrate Christmas because of Odette (and I was included). Before Odette, there was also Typhoon Phantone which hit on Christmas Day. The idea that nothing goes wrong on Christmas is absolutely stupid. Some people even die during the Christmas season. Christmas gets so often associated with family get-togethers. However, some people wouldn't be home for Christmas when they could've. I'm once again talking about OFWs. Yes, they're working abroad not because they're out there "conquering the world". Instead, they're out there because of one lousy policy since Carlos P. Garcia. That's namely the Filipino First Policy. Once again, I dare say out loud that the Filipino First Policy caused the Philippines to fail. That's why I wrote that Filipino First Policy has no place in the rising Asian century (read here).

I was rather disgusted when a certain someone said I'm a sayad (Tagalog word for crazy) that I can't accept that OFWs have to be separated from their families. If I'm not wrong, this guy was an OFW dancer in Dubai during his "prime years". Based on my estimate, he should be around 60 years old since he was 24 during the 1986 EDSA revolution. I even read Facebook comments from an annoying fat American guy who called the OFW program a "means of conquest". However, the glamorization of the idea is nothing more than wishful thinking. The OFW life is anything but glamorous. Some of them are in a country far, far away when they could've had their jobs here. It's understandable if soldiers can't be with their loved ones this Christmas. Some may be fighting in the Russia vs. Ukraine war. Some may be trying to fend off North Korean troops from entering South Korea. But why are non-military jobs included?

The Filipino First Policy was cooked up by Garcia for this reason. It was in hope that the majority of the economic power would be in the hands of Filipinos. As Garcia said during his speech on January 25, 1960, he said the following:
The "Filipino First" policy of this administration re­ceived a resounding popular indorsement in the last election. Politically we became independent since 1946, but econom­ically we are still semi-colonial. This is especially true in our foreign trade. This policy is therefore designed to regain economic independence. It is a national effort to the end that Filipinos obtain major and dominant participa­tion in their own national economy. This we will achieve with malice towards none and with fairness to all. We will accomplish this with full understanding of our inter­national obligations towards our friends of the Free World. We will carry this out within the framework of our special relations with the United States to whose citizens we granted until 1974, by Constitutional provision, equal rights as Filipinos in the exploitation of our natural resources and public utilities, and to whom we also granted trading parity rights under the Laurel-Langley Agreement. Under this policy we will welcome friendly and understanding foreign capital willing to collaborate with us in the exploitation of our vast natural resources preferably on joint venture basis.

This explains the rise of the 60-40 policy. I could remember comparing it to overpriced rent (read here). Let's imagine that the Philippines is a commercial space and foreign direct investors (FDIs) are tenants. Who in their right mind will rent a space if they had to give up 60% of their net income to the landlord? Definitely, that's nothing but overpriced rent. It's very different if tenants only had to pay the monthly rent and follow certain rules to continue doing business. FDIs are required to pay rent, pay their outstanding balances, and pay all government-related fees (which include taxes) if they want to continue doing business in another land. If they comply then they can continue to do business. If not, they can end up getting legal action which may include deportation and persona non-grata. 

The logic behind "Filipino First" is once again rooted in many myths. These myths include stuff like only foreigners will get the jobs, it will result in a loss of sovereignty (which Hilario Davide Jr. even suggested at one point), or that only the FDIs will get rich. Other myths may include that Singapore only opened to FDI because they don't have natural resources. Guess what? Vietnam is rich in natural resources yet it also progressed through FDI. Even worse, some people compare FDIs to foreign debt when it's not the case at all (read here). I'm really amazed at all this ill-educated foolish talk on Facebook. That's why I even had to write why are terrible economists (read here). A good example is like how Silent No More PH may fail to do a simple supply chain analysis.

What's even more stupid are "thought leaders" that demand more jobs while supporting the idiotic Filipino First Policy. That's why I wrote about that incredible irony if ever one demands more jobs while rejecting FDIs (read here). If their solution is self-industrialization then bad news. The late Lee Kuan Yew even stated in From Third World to First that if they waited for the Singaporeans to be industrialists--they would've starved as a result. That's exactly what happened with China during the Great Leap Forward. Today, we're seeing people in North Korea and Venezuela in that condition. Yet, some idiots still want to blame North Korea's poverty on South Korea or Venezuela's on the USA. I'm really laughing (and cringing) at the same time over such stupid comments.

Those who think the OFW program is better than FDIs just never know the real struggle. If they still think of OFW and FDI as a "game of conquest"--they're sadly mistaken. OFWs are required to follow the rules of the country they're in. If an OFW is in a Muslim country then they must obey the halal laws such as no pork, women must wear modest clothing and head covering, and the like. If an OFW is in India, they have to be careful about eating beef in a predominantly Hindu country. If they think OFW equals conquest then they need to experience OFW life themselves. They need to see how the OFW life means having a foreign boss in a foreign land. Some OFW families just take the remittance for granted. They could celebrate Christmas while their OFW relative may not be celebrating it at all. 

FDI means having a foreign boss who's required to submit to the country's laws. FDIs in the Philippines will still have to follow the local laws. FDI is frequently put into "In Rome, do as the Romans do." Jollibee today is now a multinational corporation (MNC). Where Jollibee goes, it must conform to the country's laws. Jollibee in Dubai will have to practice halal standards so no Bacon Cheeseburger over there. If only the country were more friendly to FDIs then more OFWs wouldn't be singing, "If only in my dreams, in my dreams" this upcoming Christmas. 

References

Books

"From Third World to First--The Singapore Story: 1965-2000) by Lee Kuan Yew
Harpers Collins Publishers

Videos

"The Singapore economic model - VPRO documentary - 2009"  by VRPO Documentary (September 8, 2018)
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