Labor Migration in 2009: A Terrible Year to Be an OFW

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Nine years of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has changed the face of labor migration in the country. From being a temporary measure in the 1970s, it has become a regular fixture in the ’80s, a means to prop up the economy in the ’90s, and a measure to cushion the worsening unemployment and poverty, to delay the impending fiscal crisis, and to stimulate the ailing economy under the Arroyo regime. Labor migration has been pursued aggressively, with the Arroyo government almost begging receiving countries to accept more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Continue reading