OFW Party List Representative Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino delivered a privilege speech today in honor of Women’s Month, shedding light on the challenges faced by Filipino women Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their perseverance to overcome these.
In her speech during the All-Women Session, Magsino underscored the significant yet often overlooked role of women OFWs, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority that 57.8% of OFWs are female. Despite their substantial contribution to the economy through remittances, which account for 60% of total inflows to the Philippines, women OFWs receive low salaries as most of them are in elementary occupations, such as household services.
The party list lawmaker said women OFWs, especially household service workers, are particularly susceptible to human trafficking, sexual exploitation, harassment, and assault. These challenges are on top of the social costs of labor migration such as breakdown of familial ties, infidelity of spouses, and the emotional and mental health struggles of their children.
Magsino also drew attention to the reproductive health-related issues experienced by women OFWs, which often go unaddressed when working abroad, leading to exacerbated health conditions upon their return to the Philippines.
Despite these adversities, Magsino said women OFWs exhibit remarkable resilience and determination to provide for their families, sacrificing personal comfort and leisure for the well-being of their loved ones.
“Women are disproportionately affected by labor migration issues compared to men. Despite that, our women OFWs continue to fight for their rights to work abroad with dignity. As the OFW Party List travels to the host countries, we see our women OFWs still full of grit, grace, and hope — determined to survive in their host countries to provide for their families. The little rest they have within the week are allotted for reconnection with families back home or buying pasalubong to fill their balikbayan boxes. They care less for their own personal enjoyment or leisure, and instead devote every single money they earn for their families. And these they do willingly with pure love,” said Magsino
During the All-Women session, the party list solon called for concerted efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral labor agreements with host countries, as well as initiatives to support the seamless reintegration of returning women OFWs into Philippine society. She urged the establishment of OFW Family Centers, OFW Desks, and Day Care Centers at the local level to provide essential counseling and welfare assistance to the families of OFWs left behind in the Philippines.
She also asked the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to study the data on host countries and its specific cities, which have the highest cases of abuses against our female OFWs. If the abuses will not be addressed using diplomatic relations or policy actions, Rep. Magsino encouraged DMW to prioritize deploying OFWs to emerging labor markets who commit to fully protect the rights and welfare of our OFW, especially our women OFWs.
“Sa pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng mga Kababaihan, nais kong ipahayag ang aking taos-pusong paghanga at pasasalamat sa mga kababaihang OFWs. Ang inyong katatagan at tapang ay nagbibigay inspirasyon sa lahat na patuloy na magpunyagi sa kabila ng mga hamon sa buhay. Tunay nga kayo ang mga bida ng ating bayan!,” Magsino said.
