COLUMN | One large accountability, please…

When the risky alternative is the only option left, the choice becomes clearer than ever. 

A disturbing case of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) being rescued from government-controlled scam hubs in Cambodia once more proved the unfortunate reality that many ordinary Filipinos seeking opportunities abroad face despite their immense gamble for a better life.

This has highlighted their position as one of the most vulnerable sectors of Filipino society, serving as a wake-up call for the country’s leaders and policymakers due to the local economy’s continued reliance on manpower export, a patchwork solution at best, which causes massive compromises to these vulnerable individuals, often leading to abusive outcomes. 

The scars and bruises of those Filipinos rescued from the scam hubs in our neighboring countries tell a disturbing story of how they once dreamed of a better opportunity, but in the end, got deceived by those claiming to have a helping hand.

It is as if there has been no one to guide them throughout the immigration process. Nor were they prepared for the moment when they pack up the emotional baggage that they will carry on for the rest of their stay outside the country. Elected officials may have caused an earlier intervention, but chose not to. 

The depreciating value of OFWs

With this occurrence, one may see that workers’ welfare protection, proper compensation, and workplace safety are some of the things left unchecked due to the continued neglect that these laborers fall into, oftentimes going to the grey area of becoming ‘second-class citizens’ of a particular country.

And when they become less of a human in the eyes of the wicked, things could get pretty messy. The blood of those who have been the victims of the system sheds so vast that those who choose to ignore sources draw their sympathy from the devil.

Take a case from the recent death of Jenny Alvarado from Kuwait. Her death due to suffocation from a leak in her workplace’s heating system, and her family receiving the wrong remains, show how OFWs are taken seriously abroad and at home. (Flashnews, they are not.)

And these unfortunate events do repeat themselves too often. It has not been the first time that Filipinos shed blood abroad for the sake of their loved ones. Cases of Sarah Balabagan, Mary Jane Veloso, Jennifer Dalquez, and many more prove that all through these years, nothing has changed when it comes to our government ensuring a safe and dignified workplace.

Who knew job seeking could be this nefarious in the eyes of the privileged, when desperation and a hope for comfort are the only weapons these migrant workers bring on their journey.

When the state builds an economy that survives by sending its people away, every bruised OFW becomes a scar on our nation’s conscience.

YOUth should be concerned

In times like these, when setbacks are happening, it calls for a big initiative to challenge the status quo. Collective action means a massive turn of the tables for the OFWs and their families seeking comfort and prosperity.

To ensure that those yearnings are heard, advocacies are grounded, and demands are laid out, protesting for an end to the neoliberal policies on socioeconomic civic concerns can be an avenue for the youth to enhance their capacities in attaining more stable and secure economic outcomes. 

This could mean a simple act of sharing online and printed materials relating to OFW welfare and protection, signing an online petition, or even immersing oneself with like-minded people who have a genuine concern for all the Filipino workers, home and abroad.

Additionally, joining the call to end the current policy and preference to continually send talents abroad emphasizes local talent development and retention, and the prevention of associated risks with the mass exodus of Filipino workers abroad altogether.

As ambitious as this might sound, all of these bring us a step closer to bringing equity, justice, and accountability to make things right for everyone who has been a victim of the treacherous system that has betrayed not just the Filiphttps://www.explained.ph/2025/07/column-one-large-accountability-please.htmlhttps://www.explained.ph/2025/07/column-one-large-accountability-please.htmlhttps://www.explained.ph/2025/07/column-one-large-accountability-please.htmlhttps://www.explained.ph/2025/07/column-one-large-accountability-please.htmlino people, but their aspirations and common goals as well. 

So then on a bigger scale…

It would take the country years to finally shift its consensus on policy away from exporting human resources overseas to become effective. Investing locally and loosening bureaucratic hurdles are some of the steps that policymakers can consider.

Expanding the Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program of the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) from its current form through a collaborative effort with the private and public sectors might attract more people to abandon their previous hazardous workplace altogether. Investing more in the people will indeed do a huge favor for those seeking opportunities.

That being said, a deeply-rooted problem in society, like OFWs flocking massively to escape the country, implies that a band-aid solution will not make anything better in the long run. If the Philippines wants to minimize the risk of such an atrocity from happening again, its government should be able to convince the population enough that a life of plenty is possible for everyone without the need to face harsh realities overseas.