The OFW Working Abroad and Their Family on Christmas

It's a few days before Christmas. I don't like December because of heavy traffic, some people prefer Christmas shopping at the last minute (since procrastination is a common habit in the Philippines), the stress of year-end work, and December is the end of the year's cycle. I decided to write this entry. There's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas or having a good time. The problem comes when one celebrates beyond one's means (read here). That means having extravagant Christmas parties that require a music band that one can't afford, inviting the whole village, etc. when one can't afford it. Speaking of which, these incidents remind me of OFW families. I remember a study presented at the University of San Carlos. If I remember correctly, it was done by accounting students. It was a study showing the spending habits of OFW families.

Outstanding Filipinos Worldwide Facebook Page

Here's a meme on Facebook that I found. For the sake of non-Tagalog speakers (so you don't need to use Google translate if English is your default language)--I'd translate the words:

1. "Ang dalawang mukha ng Pasko ng Pilipino" means "The two faces of Christmas of the Filipino".
2. "Ang nagdapala" means "the one who is sending".
3. "Ang pinagdalhan"means the recipient.

It may be dated last 2011 but the meme still remains relevant. It's already 2024 but the same persistent problem happens. Two years ago, I wrote an article discussing OFWs who can't be home for Christmas. Yes, talks about separation aren't drama! As I look at the meme, it starts to show the reality that OFWs aren't "conquering other countries". I wrote an article discussing the need to debunk the myth of a game of conquest between OFWs and MNCs. For starters, OFWs are ironically sent to countries that are more friendly to FDI than the Philippines! For crying out loud, Migrante International has branches in countries that ironically benefit from FDIs!

What causes the situation in the meme I just showed? I would like to present the grim reality. OFWs leave the country because of a lack of job opportunities in the Philippines. It's not mostly because they want to but because they have to. It's never easy to work somewhere, away from your family, only to see them rarely. Sure, the current 1987 Constitution of the Philippines doesn't discourage FDIs but the equity restrictions still discourage FDIs from entering (read here). It has become the norm poor Filioinos apply for work abroad. I even remember two obnoxious Chinese Filipinos who worked in Taiwan (as OFWs) for some time but were presumably fired due to their attitude problem. 

Common sense will tell us that if it's hard to find a job in the Philippines--being jobless can become normal. I remember an economics textbook back in high school. One comic strip has it where the husband and the wife are arguing. The husband blames the capitalist system. The wife says that the husband is too azy to look for work. However, with the economic activities at the hands of a few (aka oligarchy), how can you expect more job opportunities. The OFW sends remittances to their families, first and foremost. Here's what Pueblo De Oro Development Corporation says about OFW remittances:

Remittances 

The primary way OFWs contribute to the Philippine economy is through their remittances sent back home to support their families and loved ones. These remittances play a crucial role in the financial well-being of households in the country.

Remittances empower Philippine households with increased purchasing power, enabling them to spend more on goods and services. As domestic consumption rises, it stimulates economic growth and benefits local businesses and industries.

These help families meet their basic needs such as food, housing, and education. By utilizing these funds, households can uplift themselves from poverty, improving their living standards and accessing essential utilities and amenities.

Additionally, remittances received in foreign currencies contribute to bolstering the country’s foreign exchange reserves. This strengthens the stability of the Philippine peso and supports a robust economy.

The continuous flow of remittances demonstrates the significant impact of OFWs on the Philippine economy, showcasing their dedication and commitment to their families and the nation as a whole.

Is the OFW program more feasible in the long run? I wrote an article discussing why OFWs are really short-term solutions. Even worse is the destructive obsession with OFW remittances (read here). I don't need a PhD in economics to understand it's just a short-term boost. OFW remittances primarily go to the families. However, with so few job opportunities in the Philippines (and I heard becoming an OFW is easier said than done), it would push people's lazy buttons, and becoming a tambay (idle person) becomes increasingly the new normal. That OFW relative is probably doing a lot of menial jobs that pay more abroad (because of the high demand for work, read here) compared to the Philippines. One may earn more being a janitor in a first-world country than in the Philippines! 

If becoming jobless is the new normal then why work, right? People are prone to following the crowd. Above is a meme I found on Facebook. I used it in my article discussing why following the crowd all the time is bad financial advice. History has recorded many things where the crowd makes a wrong decision. That's why I don't believe in following the crowd. Unfortunately, the Filipino people tend to follow the crowd, as evidenced by election results. How often do actors and athletes become lawmakers over those who know better? Now, it's ironic how some people criticize Senator Robinhood C. Padilla all the while they refuse to change the political system. If it's cool to be jobless because more Filipinos are jobless--it naturally follows that more Filipinos would think, "Hey! It's cool to be jobless and rely on that OFW relative." 

It becomes a problem that the OFW relative (who isn't conquering that country, by the way) is sending money to one's family in the Philippines. I rewatched that problematic film called The Flor Contemplacion Story. I don't know how true but Efren Contemplacion allegedly wasted the remittance from Singapore to spend on a mistress. I heard of stories where the husband of an OFW gets caught in infidelity, aside from being jobless. Another is where wives cheat when the husband is away. I forgot the name of this criminal investigation program. One case of infidelity was that a wife committed adultery while her husband worked in another country. The OFW husband ended up murdering his wife in a heat of passion. If I'm not wrong, the incident happened in Cebu during the 1990s. Is it me or is infidelity becoming more common in OFW families and not just among business families?!

What happens is that the effort of the OFW relative is usually wasted. The money sent to the OFW family might be wasted. The OFW relative isn't even spending Christmas with them. Instead, their Christmas may not even be merry at all. The OFW relative may be lucky if they're spending Christmas with their employer, assuming the country celebrates Christmas. However, Christmas isn't even celebrated in the Middle East, because most countries there are Muslim countries. It's easy to waste money you just received on a silver platter. I wonder if some wasteful employees in the Philippines have an OFW relative giving them money. I can't be certain but that's something I didn't think of before. They're probably splurging the paycheck because they think, "Well I'll just wait for the OFW remittance." Both people may have worked the same jobs. Both may be waiters but one waiter earns a lot more. As said, the price of labor depends on supply and demand. How can wages in the Philippines go up if the demand for labor among businesses is too low? How can demand increase if economic activity is just in the hands of a few? Can the oligarchs truly afford to hire every single jobless Filipino nationwide? 

It becomes easy to take the money for granted. After all, they never "pinaghirapan" for the money, meaning they never exerted any effort, for that money! If spoiled children of rich people can't understand it then neither can family members relying on the OFWs. Sometimes, it becomes even more ironic when some children of rich people understand the value of money because their parents don't pamper them. How can OFWs teach their relatives the value of money when they're in some land far far away?! How can an OFW parent teach their children to manage the money if they're not there in person? 

Even worse, some people think that opening up the economy to foreigners will increase OFWs. Some people even have screwed up definitions of OFWs. I even remember reading someone's definitions of FDI (read here) don't add up! Definitions like foreign debt, a Filipino woman offering herself to a sleazy foreigner boyfriend, or that it will benefit the oligarchs only (read rebuttal here). In reality, first-world countries got better by allowing FDIs to invest in their countries. That's why Kishore Mahbubani is a thousand times more knowledgeable than Hilario G. Davide Jr. Mahbubani understood how FDIs work. Singaporeans aren't going back and forth between Singapore and Malaysia due to FDIs. Singapore is such a small place that housing is naturally more expensive. Singaporeans moving to some parts of Malaysia. Malaysia is a much bigger country. Also, FDIs are regulated by local laws which they're required to follow.

If the Philippines were more open to FDI, there would have been more jobs for Filipinos. More jobs means that employers would compete over who can provide the bigger salary. Local businesses would be forced to evolve or be extinct. Local businesses may start to offer their products or services to MNCs, which in turn can generate higher revenues. Higher revenues will increase profits. The minimum wage will rise up because there's more demand for labor than supply. Even better, more Filipinos would be able to work menial jobs for a better living wage because of that. They would be able to go home to their families and teach them how to manage their money. They can be part of a service crew and be able to enjoy the better things in life. 

Unfortunately, some people just never learn. Even funnier, why are some OFWs even against opening to FDI? Yes, I'm talking about OFWs who still believe in obsolete economics taught by the likes of Bayan Muna and Migrante International. The irony of being an OFW while opposing FDI is incredible! These people need to stop listening to the likes of Bayan Muna and Migrante International. Instead, they need to start listening to real economics spoken from the mouths of first-world country economists!