A recent OCTA Research survey has served to belie the spin of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.: that the economy is growing and that quality of life has improved for Filipinos.
That survey has revealed that over 57 percent – or more than half – of Filipinos are "willing to work overseas" if given the chance.
The main reasons, according to respondents: better job opportunities, higher wages and better quality of life that await them in other countries.
While the respondents did not specifically cite political instability as their reason, the bottom line is that the gargantuan corruption and incompetence in government, not to mention increasing political repression, has also driven many Filipinos to seek a better life elsewhere.
For economic observers, it’s sounding like a case of déjà vu.
The OCTA Research survey hearkens back to the time of Marcos’ father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., when “katas ng Saudi” became a household word.
To recall, it was during the late 1970’s and the 1980’s that Filipinos began looking to other countries as a source of “greener pastures.”
At the time, Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia – then experiencing an oil boom – became immensely attractive to Filipinos seeking to escape both political repression and economic hardship.
While that mass migration of overseas contract workers (OCWs) to other countries brought a welcome influx of foreign currency to a tanking economy, some have pointed out the long-lasting economic and societal impacts of Filipinos seeking better lives elsewhere.
These include “brain drain,” or the lack of skilled and talented workers that could boost our economy, not to mention the psychological impacts of families being broken up for long periods.
Today, we may be seeing a case of history repeating itself.
Economic instability, as we have seen in EDSA Uno, is a key factor in political unrest.
Could we see another déjà vu situation forty years on?
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