Philippines - More young Filipinos heading overseas for work

MANILA: More than a million Filipinos leave the country each year for work.

Those going overseas are younger compared to their counterparts from a generation ago.

Now the government is hoping to entice the young to become entrepreneurs instead of following the footsteps of their parents to work overseas.

23-year-old Cecille Demegillo is about to leave for Singapore to become a domestic helper.

Her sister and her cousin who have been working as a household service worker there for 10 years convinced her to try her luck there.

Cecille would have wanted to become a computer programmer, but she had to stop school due to financial constraints.

"I was a little hesitant at first to go but I decided to do it because my relatives are there. They say the salary is better and I would be able to save enough to send back home," said Cecille.

The Department of Labour and Employment said more and more young Filipinos are leaving the country to seek high paying jobs abroad. About 35 per cent of the million Filipino workers deployed annually belong to the 15 to 24 years age group. And migrant groups said they are the most vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are now working with the government to give them orientation and training before they go abroad.

Luther Calderon, president of the KAMPI Migrant Group, said: "This is a reality. I think it will take a long time before we can find a solution to the problem. What we are doing now is we try to help the workers realise the impact of working abroad. At the same time, we'll like to help them, and they don't become victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment."

Ava Sanchez at the Aureate Training and Assessment Centre said: "A part of the training is their preparedness to be expatriates. We prepare them to be OFWs (Overseas Filipino Worldwide). We try on our part to expose them to a different culture, how to be empowered that you are in another country. And they should know how to handle themselves - that's the importance of the training."

With as many as 2.9 million unemployed Filipinos, government now wants young Filipinos to seek an alternative to wage employment, and embark on entrepreneurship at an early age.

Vivian Tornea, director of the National Reintegration Centre, said: "If we look at our educational system, we're trained to be employees. It's a culture of employment. We prefer to work for others rather than run our own businesses. That's why we're happy that schools now offer courses on entrepreneurship.

"In fact, some schools would require their students to put up and run their own businesses before graduating, and that's the sort of direction that we need to influence young people to go into business instead of working overseas."

An estimated 10 million overseas Filipinos work abroad. Last year, their remittances reached over US$18 billion.

- CNA /ls


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