Exporting a professional workforce

After the case of Flor Contemplacion provoked widespread national indignation, it became necessary to rethink the issue of OFWs and their endless tragedy. Having worked in a multinational corporation and with firsthand knowledge of the almost obsessive professionalism expected of Filipinos employed by such companies, I am convinced that only that level of professionalism and hard work, efficiency and performance, imported into the operations of a private Filipino head-hunting company, can provide hope and the promise of a brighter future for exploited OFWs.

But first, the Philippine government will have to accept the reality that government agencies are too indifferent and government employees too occupied--and both of them, too unprofessional--to succeed in the work.

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Editorial Page column, The Evening Paper

Issue of 21 March 1995

I doubt if there is any region in the world where you will not find Filipino manpower, whether skilled or unskilled, white- or blue-collar, in households, offices, factories, ships, cocktail lounges or bars, running machines of one kind or another and earning compensation for the work they do.

In that sense, domestic helpers in Singapore are no different from expat executives in New York. They are, in the jargon of global trade, the raw materials of our growing service industry.

Eventually, one is bound to ask: Can we not run this industry the way all export ventures should be run, constantly upgrading its products and cultivating its acknowledged competitive edge?

The question is not a cold, unfeeling, heartless one. If anything, the case of Flor Contemplacion--and those of all other abused, maltreated, imprisoned Filipino OFWs all over the world--underscores as nothing else does the need to professionalize this service industry.

We may argue that it is government's job to take care of the Filipino workers it sends abroad. But will such an argument improve their situation any faster or earlier?

Will it not be better all around to admit, once and for all, that government is ill-equipped to handle such a large and extensive industry? Besides, are we willing to put our faith in another government superbody to handle our OFWs exclusively? The skeptics and cynics among us will no doubt raise their eyebrows at one more government agency, one more opportunity for bureaucrats and paper-pushers to siphon off precious public funds into private pockets.

So, how do we protect our OFWs and maximize the benefits from the thriving export of Filipino manpower?

I would like to see the industry professionalized and Filipino workers upgraded so that they begin to consider foreign employment not as a stopgap measure, a quick fix that will solve their families' temporary and immediate cash problems, but as a long-term career (if they so wish) that can offer them self-respect, professional dignity, and prospects of advancement.

This goal requires that we seek a unique niche for Filipino labor in the global marketplace, something that should not be too difficult to do.

The only other countries exporting their manpower to other parts of the world, across all job segments and in considerable numbers, are Third World countries in Asia such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Indian expatriates may also be found in many places, but the diaspora is not enshrined as a government policy. At least, not in the way we glorify our own OFWs. Besides, Indian overseas workers are, head-to-head, better educated than our own.

Now, how do we carve out a higher niche for our OFWs?

First, place the whole industry--from recruiting to training to processing to handling to monitoring to plotting out a future career for each worker--in the hands of professional managers. Declare the industry off limits totally to government bureaucrats and civil servants. The export of manpower should be managed by a completely professional, privately managed but publicly listed corporation. Its operations should be run by corporate people who know the global marketplace, are experts in the management of exports, and able to keep government's dirty hands out of the business.

Next, do not send out OFWs unless they have gone through superlative training and orientation in a special school recognized by client states (I would suggest, with diplomas to boot!), not only in the jobs they will perform, but also in the laws, language, culture, religion, and values of the countries where they will work. They should know by heart what to do in case of emergencies or when problems occur.

Further, service contracts should be minutely reviewed by the corporation's legal department to protect the OFWs and ensure that their contracts cannot be violated or changed at their employers' whims.

Perhaps more important than anything else, however, there should be--in every post where the company sends Filipino workers--corporate handlers and/or country managers (baby-sitters, if you will). Their telephone numbers and addresses should be in the wallet of every Filipino worker in every country. These handlers/managers should be completely familiar with the laws of their host country, should possess high-level contacts in the governments and media of these countries, and should be available to workers at all times. They should also know every Filipino worker in their posting, should meet with them regularly, and should know their situation.

Finally, the corporation should be dedicated to the full and continuous upgrading of the workers it sends abroad. After a Filipino worker successfully finishes his contract and he decides he wants to continue working overseas, the company should immediately plot a career path for him to train and prepare him for the next higher position that he can, or wants to, fill.

Only when the industry has been restructured toward this vertical direction can the Filipino migrant worker hope to find dignity in his situation and a promise in his future.

-- NBT