Emergent political remittances during the pandemic: Evidence from a survey of overseas Filipino workers

Abstract

This article examines the experiences and assessments of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on the Philippine government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is part of the growing migration literature exploring the formation of political remittances, defined as political principles, norms and practices migrants acquire during the migration process and what these imply for democratization, particularly in migrants’ home countries. Data for the study came from an online survey of OFWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from the ordered logistic regression suggest that overseas Filipinos’ experiences of successful pandemic management and aid distribution in host countries may influence OFWs to expect and demand similar measures in the Philippines.

Socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Overseas Filipino Workers and their left-behind families: a scoping review

“…Five studies shed light on the experiences of Filipino domestic workers in the US, UK, and Hong Kong. They indicate that Filipino domestic workers experienced job loss, shorter working hours (associated with wage cuts), longer working hours (unpaid overtime), delayed wages, non-payment of wages, and no severance pay (Pandey et al, 2021;Vilog and Piocos III, 2021;Deinla et al, 2022;Sabado-Liwag et al, 2022). Some had no access to health insurance, sick leave, or PPE (Lui et al, 2021;Nasol and Francisco-Menchavez, 2021;Pandey et al, 2021;Vilog and Piocos III, 2021).…”

“…In one study, OFWs expressed anxiety about their families left behind and voiced their frustration and disappointment with the Philippine government's perceived inadequate response to the pandemic (de Borja, 2021). On the contrary, another study found that 49 percent of OFWs reported satisfaction with the response of the Philippine government (Deinla et al, 2022). However, the authors cautioned that this result should be analyzed critically and considered in the context of the Philippines' COVID Performance Index (CPI) relative to other countries.…”