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The
Philippines’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
says illegal immigration has acquired many facets as
more Filipinos scramble for jobs abroad. An estimated
one million Filipinos are living as illegal immigrants
in more than 100 countries around the globe.
A
study by the Scalabrini Migration Center, a Manila-based
nonprofit research institute, states that not all
undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) travel on
fake passports or visas, which was the practice many
years ago. Many have taken more dangerous paths, taking
a chance that their bold move would lift their families
back home out of poverty.
Many
illegal immigrants, such as Anita and Jerome Gonzales
(not their real names), went through legal procedures
when they entered the US as tourists in 2001. Anita was
a teacher by profession and Jerome a veterinarian, but
in New Hampshire, which became their home for six years,
husband and wife worked as caregiver and farm attendant.
Perennial financial hardship was the impetus for the
Gonzales couple to quit their jobs, leave their three
young boys and try their luck abroad.
The
Filipino diaspora has remained a robust phenomenon
despite the continued strong performance of the
Philippine peso and a steady decline in unemployment.
From 11.70 percent in 2005, the unemployment rate in the
Philippines has declined to 7.9 percent in 2007.
A
report by the Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration shows that with already 725,999 OFWs sent
abroad as of August, the government could exceed its
deployment goal of one million for 2007. Eight million,
or a tenth of the Filipino population, are scattered in
more than 190 destinations worldwide.
Institutions like the World Health Organization warn of
a brain drain, but many Filipinos continue to defy
immigration laws for the sake of their family’s
survival.
Amanda
Javier (not her real name) did just that when she used
her perks as a travel agent to fly to Paris more than 10
years ago. For almost a year, the 41-year-old mother of
three took housekeeping jobs in French households, a far
cry from her executive position in a travel company.
Prompted by her family, which feared for her safety,
Javier returned to the Philippines and worked for
another travel firm. But the dream of a stable future
for her children again drove her to consider working
abroad even if it meant taking another risk. In 2001
Javier used her single-entry visa to the US, where she
now works as a caregiver by day and a waitress by night.
Despite working two jobs, sending three kids to school
requires more earnings, and better-paying jobs require a
legal status. Javier convinced a long-time
Filipino-American friend she had met in a bar to marry
her for a fee. |
