OFWs as stakeholders in the government
I received an email forwarding an article purportedly written by Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr, more commonly known as Jun, in relation to the aborted 329 million dollars national broadband network (NBN) deal with ZTE Corp. of China. You must have read so much about this so there’s no need to explain its background.
The accompanying comment, contained in the same email, has an interesting take on the matter as it relates to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW):
Ok yung concept nina Lozada and Neri about the exhaust valve effect of migration. Rather than getting really pissed off, people redirect their frustrations and energy towards finding ways to leave the country. And, because the income of OFWs are relatively secured from the political uncertainties and economic fluctuations in this country, they don’t feel themselves as important stakeholders in this government.
We’ve always equated migration with brain drain and transfers, but I have never heard political participation to enter into the discourse. Someone needs to look deeper into this.
Let us hear what our OFWs have to say to that observation.
[...] Lozada in terms of his writing. There was his piece on Neri’s attitudes, (incidentally, Atty-at-Work quotes a comment appended to the piece, concerning one effect of the OFW phenomenon: detaching [...]
We cannot deny that there are many OFWs who tend to be caught up with their work abroad and sometimes, we find it hard to be in touch with the current events in the Philippines.
But because this government is all about greed and corruption, it was only a matter of time before they tried dipping their filthy hands into the OFWs’ pot. The release of Memorandum Circular No 4 has awakened millions of OFWs, including me, to our senses and we now know the truth – this administration doesn’t really care about its people and the nation.
Harapan at garapalan na talaga ang pangungurakot. Nakakasuka na! Kaya naman ang mga taong-bayan, wala nang magawa kundi mag-protesta at maghanap ng paraan para mapalitan na ang kasalukuyang administrasyon.
I for one have asked my family in the Philippines to join the mass protest actions and the prayer rallies. Let’s all join hands and walk “into the light!”
Sobra na talaga! Ayoko na! Palitan na!
Salamat po,
Lester
http://www.lestercavestany.com
teacher-OFW in Vietnam