Questioning the ‘hero’s welcome’ for repatriated overseas Filipino workers

Abstract

As the world entered its second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global inequalities around access to healthcare, vaccines, and therapeutics, as well as border closures and lockdowns, heightened existing inequalities between the global South and the reopening North. An emerging area of engagement has been the immobilising effect of the pandemic on migrant labour, specifically on citizens who were repatriated back to their home countries, and the communities that received them. The experience of the Philippines, which had the slowest recovery in Southeast Asia as of 2021, and its repatriated migrant workers provided early evidence of this phenomenon.Domestically known as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), 1 temporary migrant workers have been hailed as bagong bayani (modern-day heroes) for contributions to their respective households and the Philippine economy. In exchange for higher incomes and foreign currency, OFWs made the difficult decision to part from their families for prolonged periods of time in foreign lands or aboard sea vessels. As of April 2021, the Department of Labor and Employment reported 627,576 OFWs affected by pandemic closures who had been forced to repatriate (PNA 2021). Official records tallied at least 2.2 million OFWs scattered worldwide out of 108.1 million Filipinos as of 2019 (PSA 2020), although migrant workers have been historically estimated at around 10% of the population (San Juan 2009).The Philippines was the world's fourth largest destination of remittances in 2019 (World Bank 2020

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

“…There were also several bottlenecks in the repatriation of OFWs, such as poor testing capacity, the suspension of local travel and even local governments barring the readmission of returning migrants and stranded individuals (Asis, 2020). In the initial months, the government's repatriation efforts were heavily criticized for the large number of repatriates stranded in Metro Manila and local governments blamed the spikes in COVID-19 cases on returning citizens (Fernandez et al, 2020).…”

“…These efforts were extended by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act which allotted PHP 820 million (around USD 15 million) for the repatriation of OFWs, medical assistance and shipment of human remains of OFWs who died of COVID-19 (Fernandez et al, 2020). Government agencies also provided emergency educational funds, food and livelihood assistance to displaced OFWs (Fernandez et al, 2020). Perhaps most crucial is facilitating the safe and speedy repatriation of OFWs.…”

“…Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, PHP 2.5 billion (around USD 47 million) was earmarked for a one-time cash assistance of PHP 10,000 (around USD 189) through the Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong 2 (AKAP) Program as well as for provisional aid for those awaiting repatriation (Fernandez et al, 2020). These efforts were extended by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act which allotted PHP 820 million (around USD 15 million) for the repatriation of OFWs, medical assistance and shipment of human remains of OFWs who died of COVID-19 (Fernandez et al, 2020). Government agencies also provided emergency educational funds, food and livelihood assistance to displaced OFWs (Fernandez et al, 2020).…”

Filipino seafarers’ experiences and perceptions of psychosocial interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…These estimates set the Filipinos’ labor participation between 20 percent and 25 percent of about 1.89 million seafarers (BIMCO and ICS, 2021; BIMCO and ISF, 2010). About a third of the 250,000 global workforce in the cruise ship industry are Filipinos working in the hotel and restaurant sections (Fernandez et al, 2020; CrewCenter, 2017). Given the significant labor participation in seafaring of Filipinos, nationality-specific research examining the MHPSS provided to seafarers during the pandemic is necessary and urgent because mental health services offered to seafarers from developing countries remain unexplored.…”

Between existential mobility and intimacy 5.0: translocal care in pandemic times

“…Virtual mobility can create new possibilities for those –like Donna – who have support for accessing digital technologies, or Edwin’s sister – who receives financial and emotional support from him. At the same time dependence on virtual mobilities creates tensions, or worse, destitution, for those who do not have access to support networks, such as the millions of Filipino workers who are stranded abroad or who have been repatriated into unemployment during the COVID crisis ( Fernandez et al, 2020 ). The safety net that supports Edwin’s sister is not available to everyone.…”