Belittling the Overseas Filipinos

**sea.piper** · August 14th, 2007 11:11 PM

Appreciate your inputs and comments on this letter. Specially to my fellow OFW's
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[SIZE=3]During the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed the strengthening of the peso against the dollar. Whether this strengthening is real or artificial does not matter. The fact is that the pesos’ strengthening has adversely affected the Overseas Filipinos and their families.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]In school we were taught that a strong peso means higher purchasing power. In layman’s term it simply means that with a strong peso we should be able to buy more goods and services. If that statement is true, the decrease in the dollar’s exchange rate should therefore not worry the families of Overseas Filipinos in the [/SIZE]Philippines since the decrease will be cancelled out by an equivalent decrease in the prices of goods and services.

However the laws of economics do not seem to apply in the Philippines. While the government has continuously announced that the economy is improving, this is not being felt at all by the consumer sector. In fact, instead of prices going down, prices of prime commodities continue to rise. The failure of the ‘strong peso’ to provide better purchasing power has caused a double edged problem to the Overseas Filipinos and their families.

To maintain the present peso equivalent of their dollar remittances, Overseas Filipinos have to tighten their belts to be able to remit more dollars to their families back home. In the Philippines, the families of Overseas Filipinos also have to tighten their belts to make the best of what they received from family members abroad.

But to Secretary Neri, Overseas Filipinos should even be thankful
because they are not being taxed anyway, obviously referring to the aborted plan to tax the Overseas Filipinos’ income. To him it is more important for government to provide a peso-dollar protection for the Filipino exporters because their peso earnings are getting smaller, unlike the overseas Filipinos whose remittances are, according to him, getting higher due to better quality jobs they land into. Neri sees the diminishing income of the export sector, but his eyes are closed to the Overseas Filipinos’ dilemma. He thinks that the remittances are getting higher because Overseas Filipinos get higher pay for better jobs, but fails to see that Overseas Filipinos have to send more dollars to maintain the peso equivalent of what families back home are receiving.

[SIZE=3]I wonder what could be the reason why it is too easy for cabinet members like Neri to belittle us Overseas Filipinos. They are aware that there are millions of us spread all over the globe; they know that if we want we can bring down the economy, and make the government officials fall to their knees; they know that if we cut our remittances by half for three consecutive months we can bring back the exchange rate to 56 pesos to the dollar or even higher and make the members of the Makati Business Club cry; they know that at any point in time we can make or break a sitting President. Yet why are they so brave to give us so little importance, if any?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]My history teacher in high school once told us that there is power in numbers. I believe him because I have seen it worked in several occasions, most recent of which are the two impeachment cases filed against GMA. Those two cases did not prosper because the opposition in the lower house did not have the number of votes needed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]How about us Overseas Filipinos, do we have the strength in number that would make Malacanang tremble? The latest estimate places the number of Overseas Filipinos to about eight million. If on the average there are three voting members in each Overseas Filipino family, the eight million will easily translate to twenty four million votes - enough to send a presidential candidate to Malacanang. Do we have the number? The answer of course is yes. Yes we have the number, but we do not have the strength![/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]I know it is sad to admit that while we Overseas Filipinos have all the power in our hands, we have not been able to use it. The reason is because up to now, [/SIZE][SIZE=4]we are still so disorganized; we are just like broomsticks scattered on the floor[/SIZE][SIZE=3] – sometimes stepped on, sometimes kicked to the corners, sometimes picked up and broken into pieces. And for as long as we remain scattered, the high and mighty, the Neris and his kind, will continue to step on us, kick us to the corners, or even break us into pieces. I can only hope and pray, that one day one of those kicks will be strong enough to awaken the sleeping giant in us.[/SIZE]

**srbogoy** · August 14th, 2007 11:30 PM

nadale mo 'pre, kaya lang 'la tayong kakamping politiko..bawasan na lang natin ang padala ng special remittance kung di man lang talagang emergency.

**Tyanak** · August 15th, 2007 01:56 AM

agree with what you've said. tama ka bro seapiper wala tayong organisasyon na mga OFW's. dapt meron tayong Overseas Filipino Workers Union ofthe Philippines OFW-UP. problem is who will organize and lead at kailangan din natin kakamping politiko sabi ni brod srbogoy.

if somebody could make up something about this all i could do to help is to dissiminate the idea with my fellow seafarers among and beyond our fleet.

I'm a cruise-ship based OFW at lahat dito na mroblema na rin sa issue na pagbaba ng dollar against peso. hindi naman lahat na OFW malalaki ang sahod. baka 1/4th lang siguro sa kabuuan ng mga pinoy OFW's sa buong mundo ang kumikita ng maganda.

**sea.piper** · August 15th, 2007 03:21 AM

sir tyanak and sir srbogoy...thanks sa inputs ninyo...kailangan magka isa tayo..tulad nang ginagawa nang mga jeepney drivers sa atin...
Padala lang yan sa akin nang aking kasamahan sa trabaho dati.

**VtEC** · August 15th, 2007 03:34 AM

count me in.i can cut my remittance into half.dito ko nalang papatubuin dollars ko.actually we dont need a politician on this.sila dapat ang lumapit sa atin at hindi tayo.ok lang sana kung bumaba din mga bililihin para magcompensate kaso pataas pa.

**sea.piper** · August 15th, 2007 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by VtEC

count me in.i can cut my remittance into half.dito ko nalang papatubuin dollars ko.actually we dont need a politician on this.sila dapat ang lumapit sa atin at hindi tayo.ok lang sana kung bumaba din mga bililihin para magcompensate kaso pataas pa.

thanks Vtec..That's what i did, I cut my remittance to 50% anyway the remaining 50% of my remittance to my family is more than enough with their monthly expenses.
Kasi sabi nang iba...sino raw ba tayong OFW's d b? What so special about us?

**CoDer** · August 15th, 2007 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by sea.piper

They know that if we cut our remittances by half for three consecutive months we can bring back the exchange rate to 56 pesos to the dollar or even higher and make the members of the Makati Business Club cry; they know that at any point in time we can make or break a sitting President. Yet why are they so brave to give us so little importance, if any?

Originally Posted by sea.piper

Kasi sabi nang iba...sino raw ba tayong OFW's d b? What so special about us?

Ano ba yan.

**Tyanak** · August 16th, 2007 04:07 AM

Paging OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) di ba dapat tong ahensya na to ang magdinig kung ano man mga hinaing natin? Each time we leave the country nagbabayad tayo ng OWWA baka naman matulungan tayo dito for example i-subsidize muna nila discrepancy na hinihingi natin hanggat sa maka pick up ang US dollar. problema daw kasi pag pinag bigyan tayo baka hihingi na rin ng ganon mga negosyante. Pero pag OWWA ang gumawa ng paraan para sa atin walang masabi ibang sector at sarili nating pera ang idiniposito dyan.

opinyon ko lang yan.

**Horsepower** · August 16th, 2007 01:36 PM

Honestly, I know what you guys want but i know that you know it's not fair.

If we insist on a P50/$1 exchange rate, kawawa naman yung mga nasa Pilipinas. We're not paying any taxes, they do and it's 1/3 of their salary/income. We also live in places where commodities are dirt cheap with our lodging and transportation provided for free.

If we insist on this exchange rate, our countrymen will be the ones to suffer, not those whom you want to send this message to. Don't think for a second that they care, they have the country's coffers at their disposal.

Shouldn't we be happy that our economy is climbing? Shouldn't we be happy that our currency is finally appreciating value? In light of this, God willing, they will be forced to bring down prices of basic goods and commodities.

**rion** · August 16th, 2007 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Horsepower

Honestly, I know what you guys want but i know that you know it's not fair.

If we insist on a P50/$1 exchange rate, kawawa naman yung mga nasa Pilipinas. We're not paying any taxes, they do and it's 1/3 of their salary/income. We also live in places where commodities are dirt cheap with our lodging and transportation provided for free.

If we insist on this exchange rate, our countrymen will be the ones to suffer, not those whom you want to send this message to. Don't think for a second that they care, they have the country's coffers at their disposal.

Shouldn't we be happy that our economy is climbing? Shouldn't we be happy that our currency is finally appreciating value? In light of this, God willing, they will be forced to bring down prices of basic goods and commodities.

Oo.

overseas worker (which I will joining the club soon) are Family heroes. accidental/un-intended lang po yung para sa country imo.