“OFWs doubtful of coming back home ‘for good’ amid PNoy claims of economic growth”.
Thus, said today by the Filipino migrants’ rights group Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) in reaction to the euphoric claims by no less than President Simeon Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino who reported last week that the Philippine economy posted a 6.6 percent gross domestic product (GDP) last year surpassing previous years GDP growth.
“We have heard enough of the same euphoric claims of economic growth of previous administrations especially during the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presidency. This time, PNoy claimed the same –that the Philippines is taking off to attain development with a yearly sustained economic growth,” said John Leonard Monterona, M-ME regional coordinator and also Vice-chairperson of MIGRANTE Sectoral Party of OFWs and Families.
Monterona, however, added that PNoy economic growth claim is just ‘mere statistics’ for the millions of OFWs and their dependents as “it can’t be felt by us, and too remote to our stomach.”
“How we, OFWs and our families, appreciate PNoy’s economic growth claim if most of us are suffering the brunt of economic hardship?” Monterona lamented.
The Saudi-based OFW leader cited for instance the unabated soaring prices of oil products and basic goods and commodities while the peso has been appreciating better against the dollar.
“Even the cost of the government’s primary services such as health and education, which are supposed to be rendered free to the millions of Filipino indigents, are getting high and is expected to rise when the PNoy govt. goes full blast on implementing PPP (private-public partnership), a money-making scheme for the government and few local and foreign businessmen,” Monterona added.
“We, OFWs and our families, have been on belt tightening mode since then,” Monterona averred.
Monterona noted that with the rising numbers of unemployed and underemployed Filipinos due to the staggered, if not failure, of government jobs generation, many will be forced to accept and find contractual jobs overseas sans their security and safety.
“Eyeing to an increase inflow of OFWs remittances this year and the following years, the PNoy administration just like the previous administrations, will continue to intensify the peddling of unemployed Filipinos abroad especially household domestic and service workers to surpass its 1-M target yearly,” Monterona opined.
“PNoy’s claim of economic growth is glass-half empty,” Monterona said.