Migration's benefits don't go down to the poor?
Economic benefits of international labor migration "have not trickled down to the poor
and less developed regions in the country."
In sharp contrast, Go added, the regions in Mindanao, which have high levels of poverty
incidence, have the lowest proportion of OFWs. These include the conflict-ridden
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (the poorest region where the smallest
proportion of migrant workers come from), Central Mindanao (region 12), Southern
Mindanao (region 11), Northern Mindanao (region 10), and Western Mindanao (region
9).
Poverty incidence versus number of OFWs per region
The National Capital Region, according to the 1997 FIES, has 6.4 percent of its residents
at or below the poverty threshold, and contributes 19.1 percent of the country's total
OFWs.
Impacts on OFW, family, community vary accordingly
Urban families benefit more from migration than rural families
'The most disquieting aspect of international labor migration'
                Table 1: Remittance figures (from Go, 2002; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)
                                                                                             January to July
                              1997      1998         1999       2000         2001         2002      2001
        Total (in US$
                            5,741,835 7,367,989 6,794,550 6,050,450 6,031,271 4,263,594 3,416,044
        million)
        Land-based (in
                            5,484,223 7,093,440 5,948,341 5,123,773 4,937,922            3,560,995 2,804,910
        US$ million)
        Sea-based (in
                              257,612   274,549      846,209    926,677 1,093,349         702,599   611,134
        US$ million)
        Remittances as %
                                 22.8       16.7         19.4         Not       Not
        of Export
                              percent    percent      percent   available available
        Earnings 1
        Remittances as %
                                  6.6        7.1          8.7         Not          Not
        of Gross National
                              percent    percent      percent   available    available
        Product (GNP) 2
        Remittances/OFW      $7,679.4   $8,859.6     $8,117.5   $7,189.0     $7,194.7
        (US$)Total
        Land-based           $9,806.8 $11,112.3 $9,289.5        $7,964.8     $7,770.9
        Sea-based            $1,366.9   $1,420.3     $4,302.3   $4,672.5     $5,334.5
        1 - From 1990 to 1999, the percentage of remittances to export earnings is 20.3 percent
        2 - From 1990 to 1999, the percentage of remittances to GNP is 5.2 percent
     Table 2: 1997 Distribution of OFWs and Poverty Incidence of Families by Region (Go, 2002)
                                          % Distribution of                 Poverty Incidence of Families
        Island Group / Region                                     Rank                                         Rank
                                               OFWs                                     (%)
Philippines                                        100.00                                 31.8
National Capital Region                             19.1            1                     6.4                  15
Luzon                                               53.2                                  30.1
* Cordillera Autonomous Region                      2.0             12                    42.5                  5
* Region 1: Ilocos                                 12.6              3                    37.8                  10
* Region 2: Cagayan Valley                          5.0              6                    32.1                  12
* Region 3: Central Luzon                           12.0             4                    15.4                  14
* Region 4: Southern Tagalog                        18.9             2                    25.7                  13
* Region 5: Bicol                                   2.7              9                    50.1                  2
Visayas                                             15.4                                  38.2
* Region 6: Western Visayas                         9.4              5                    39.9                  8
* Region 7: Central Visayas                         4.2              7                    34.4                  11
* Region 8: Eastern Visayas                         1.8             14                    40.8                  6
Mindanao                                            12.3                                  44.6
* Region 9: Western Mindanao     3.0   8    40.1   7
* Region 10: Northern Mindanao   1.3   15   47.0   4
* Region 11: Southern Mindanao   2.6   10   38.2   9
* Region 12: Central Mindanao    2.4   11   50.0   3
* Autonomous Region of Muslim
                                 1.9   13   57.3   1
Mindanao