CONSISTENT with its mandate to ensure the safety of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), the OFW Party List Representative Marissa del Mar Magsino visited Taiwan and Singapore, two of the countries where hundreds of thousands of OFWs are working.
The visit has given Magsino a better understanding of the plight of OFWs through town-hall meetings with the Filipino Community leaders and OFWs and through meetings with officials of our foreign posts.
The OFW party List representative laments that while these workers seem happy giving a better life for their families and while generally our OFWs in Taiwan and Singapore are doing well, a considerable number are saddled with mental health problems. Some are also victimized by scammers and money launderers.
“It is always both happy and sad to talk to our migrant workers. They can’t help telling how proud they are as they send money and can provide better lives to their families back home, but getting close to them, you can also feel their longing and sadness. In our dialogues with our OFWs, they shared their mental health struggles and the difficulty of coping as there are no available support in their host countries save for counseling of our Migrant Workers Office staff members,” Magsino said.
In 2019, the World Health Organization reported that around 970 million people globally were living in mental disorder, with anxiety and depression as the most common afflictions.
The limited available literature and published studies on the psychosocial distresses of Filipino migrant workers, particularly the study conducted by Dr. Veronica Ramirez as supported by the University of Asia and the Pacific, Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, indicate the existence of significant mental health problems among our OFWs, regardless of the host country.
“Ang iba sa ating mga OFWs ay may takot din na sila ay tanggalin sa trabaho ng kanilang mga amo, dahil dito ay umiiwas silang magpatingin ng karamdaman, kung mayron man silang mapupuntahang pagamutan at may kakayahan silang magpatingin. Ngunit sa karamihan, may kakulangan ng komprehensibong programa at mga tauhan ng ating mga embahada at konsulado na may sapat na kaalaman sa mental health, upang ang ating mga OFWs ay mabigyan ng akmang tugon sa kanilang
Kalagayan,” said Magsino.
The party list solon has also been pushing to strengthen the inter-agency system in the repatriation of psychologically distressed OFWs.
She also noted that bilateral labor agreements with host countries must include easier access by OFWs of on-site mental facilities and services.
Magsino also wants families left behind by our OFWs to have easily available counseling in their communities as they are also vulnerable to mental health stress factors.
In Taiwan, around 151,000 OFWs are working according to the Migrant Workers Office.
While in Singapore, OFWs are numbering around 215,000.
