Filipino Workers Research Articles

City of Cabuyao Hatid-Sundo Program and Overseas Filipino Workers Satisfaction: Basis for Action Plan

This study was conducted to identify the level of implementation of the Hatid-Sundo Program as a mode of transportation for OFWs going back and forth to the airport and their level of satisfaction which was the basis for the action plan of the program. Hatid-Sundo Program is an initiative implemented by the City Government of Cabuyao, Laguna to provide free transportation services for the OFWs. The researcher utilized Cronbach’s Alpha to test the reliability of the questionnaire being distributed. A total of 150 OFWs were involved through simple random sampling in answering the survey questionnaire. Descriptive correlational methods were utilized as the research design. Results were evaluated and analyzed using Mean, Four-Point Likert Scale, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The result revealed that there was a substantial link between the Level of Implementation of the City of Cabuyao Hatid-Sundo Program and Overseas Filipino Workers’ Satisfaction. The probability values were all 0.000 which was less than the level of significance at .05, thus the rejecting null hypothesis. This also indicates that the better the implementation of the City of Cabuyao Hatid-Sundo Program, the more Overseas Filipino Workers satisfaction. Furthermore, the study proposed an action plan that aims to meet the goals outlined and improve the City of Cabuyao Hatid-Sundo Program by incorporating the satisfaction and inputs received from Overseas Filipino Workers such as procurement of new passenger seats, regular maintenance of air conditioning system, additional personnel, orientation for safety guidelines, values training program and conduct of forums in barangay. Modifications can be implemented based on the circumstances and available resources.

Parent-Child Closeness and Study Attitudes and Methods of Children of Overseas Filipino Workers

Parental support and guidance are essential to the education of children of OFWs. These students feel pressured to repay their parent’s sacrifices through their academics, and are overwhelmed with balancing their school assignments and household responsibilities. This study aimed to determine the levels of parent-child closeness and study attitudes and methods, and determine its relationship. It sought to compare the level of parent-child closeness, in terms of sex, birth order, and number of years abroad. A quantitative research approach, specifically a descriptive, comparative, correlational design, was used to examine the parent-child closeness and study attitudes and methods of 100 adult children of OFWs studying at university. Findings revealed that children of OFWs are moderately close to their mothers, and very close to their fathers. They have a high academic interest and study methods, and have low academic drive-conformity, study anxiety, manipulation, and alienation towards authority. Maternal and Paternal closeness to the adult child was not found to significantly differ, in terms of sex, birth order, or number of years abroad. Furthermore, maternal regard was found to be positively correlated with academic interest (r=0.43), academic drive-conformity (r=0.38), and study methods (r=0.27), while maternal responsibility was negatively correlated with academic interest (r=0.29). The study’s findings can be a basis for the development of programs and activities for children of OFWs, to assist them in balancing home and school responsibilities.

Saving, Buying and Spending Patterns of Overseas Filipino Workers in the Ilocos Region

This research study discusses the saving, buying and spending patterns of Overseas Filipino Workers. It used quantitative research design and has 772 OFW-respondents coming from all parts of the country. The sampling design was convenience-snowball non-probability sampling design. Findings suggest that most of the respondents were female, college graduate, have 1-2 dependents and are currently working in Hong Kong. As to buying and spending preferences of OFWs, they intend to plan ahead of time what they are buying. They are responsible spenders since they know how hard it is to earn money abroad. Food, remittance and health and wellness are the major expenses of OFWS. Many OFWs also allot portion of their income to savings. One of the limitations of this study is that this research paper only considered one point in time.

Pag-IBIG Awareness and Financial Habits of Overseas Filipino Workers

Many Filipinos prefer to work outside of the country because the opportunities and earnings are far superior to those offered in the Philippines. This correlational study aims to determine the awareness on Pag-IBIG Fund services and financial behavior and habits of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) members. The level of awareness of the Pag-IBIG Fund services includes Knowledge, Trust and Credibility, Sources and Channels, and Perceived Benefits, Barriers, and Engagement of OFW members while the efficiency level of financial behavior and habits of the members considers Savings Behavior, Investment Behavior, and Debt Management as factors. Furthermore, this study utilized a researchers-made survey questionnaire conducted to 300 respondents. Results revealed that OFW members are highly aware of the services offered by Pag-IBIG and they have high efficiency level when it comes to financial behavior and habits. Moreover, the correlation between years of employment and level of awareness on Pag-IBIG Fund services of the respondents as well as the efficiency level of financial behavior and habits and respondents’ demographic profiles are not significant. Further, the study exposed that OFW members exhibit a high level of efficiency in their financial behavior and habits, especially in savings and investment and a highly satisfactory awareness on Pag-IBIG Fund services. Specifically, age, gender, and civil status do not strongly influence financial efficiency while educational attainment impacts savings and debt management efficiency. Hence, these findings highlight the importance of education and awareness in fostering better financial habits among OFW members.

Social Security Provision for International Migrant Workers: Comparing Indonesia and the Philippines

Despite migrant workers’ contribution to economic development, their social security protection remains inadequate. This article examines social security provisions for Indonesia’s international migrant workers and compares them with another labor-sending country, namely the Philippines using a desktop study. The Philippines is interesting to discuss due to their recognition as role model in managing labor migration and providing excellent social security protection for their national abroad. The purpose of this thesis is to answer the research question on how do Indonesia and the Philippines manage social security programs for their international migrant workers? What can Indonesia learn from the Philippines? This study demonstrates that both countries have implemented several schemes to protect migrant workers. Indonesia has provided a range of social security programs with the operation of a special insurance scheme under BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. The Philippines has covered their migrant workers through social insurance schemes under SSS, OWWA, and PhilHealth. The Philippines also complements its national scheme with bilateral social security agreements. It is concluded that Indonesia’s social security protection for migrant workers is still lagging behind the Philippines. Indonesia is considered inadequate to extend the protection for their nationals abroad due to a lack of bilateral social security agreements with receiving countries, which eventually hinders the portability of benefits for the migrant workers. While bilateral social security agreements are significant instruments for the Philippines ensure overseas Filipino workers acquire appropriate social security benefits in the receiving countries and enjoy the portability of social security benefits.

Should I stay or should I go? Analysing returnee overseas Filipino workers’ reintegration measures given the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACTThe paper sought to determine if the varied forms of assistance to returnee overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during this COVID-19 pandemic prompt them to stay home or return overseas. This mixed methods study combined a logistic regression of a large-scale survey of returnee migrant workers (N = 8,266, done by the International Organization for Migration) and a documentary analysis of efforts by the Philippines to assist returnees. It was found that the Philippine government's migration and non-migration agencies have laid out the red carpet to provide multifarious economic and non-economic forms of assistance to returnee OFWs. However, logistic regression results reveal that in spite of business capital, skills training and income support given to returnees, amount differentials between local and overseas earnings plus pandemic-induced income disruptions propel their desires to repeat their overseas labour migration. The paper methodologically contributes the logical connection between logistic regression results with the running documented efforts of the Philippine government for returnees as part of that Southeast Asian country's overall COVID-19 containment strategy. Meanwhile, as overseas work and remittances provide enduring solutions for returnees and their families to move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine government's instrumentalities may have to reconfigure the country's overall approach to migrant reintegration.

The ship as home: homemaking practices amongst Filipino seafarers at sea

The complexities that attend global mobilities have shown us how migrants recreate home by drawing from their countries of emigration and immigration. In so many ways, any homemaking practices are embedded in home’s mobile and sedentarist aspects. Amongst overseas Filipino workers (OFW), this means the performance of Filipino traditions like fiestas, and consumption of Filipino food whilst at the same time learning the language of their destination countries and partaking of their cultural and social practices. Filipino seafarers, however, present us with an interesting case: they perform homemaking practices within the constrained and limiting spaces of the ship where they both work and live. Filipino seafarers have a transportable home ready for unpacking and reconstruction on every ship that they board, drawing less on what the ship offers, but more on what reminds them of home back in the Philippines. Drawn from data gathered from more than a decade of engaging with seafarers on board ships and ashore, this article focuses on the homemaking practices of Filipino seafarers viewed as a means to meaning-making, where ships conceived as non-places could be turned into home, and seafarer wellbeing is specifically defined as self-preservation on board and continuing authority back home.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND SCHOOL BEHAVIORS OF GRADE 7 OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS’ CHILDREN IN TAGUDIN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

This study aimed to assess the academic performance and school behavior of the children of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) enrolled at Tagudin National High School during the school year, 2022-2023. Specifically, it sought to answer the following: 1. What is the profile of the learners along a. Sex; b. Medium of communicating with parents; and c. Frequency of communicating with parents? 2. What is the level of academic performance of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) children? 3. What is the level of school behavior of Grade 7 OFW children along Hyperactive, Withdrawn, Poor attention/Concentration, Aggressive, Uncooperative, Disruptive, Manipulative, and Inappropriate Social Behavior; 4. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of the OFW children and the level of academic performance? 5. Is there a significant relationship between the level of performance of the OFW parents and children's level of school behavior 6. What plan can be proposed to improve the behavior of learners? 7. What is the level of acceptability of the action plan? The researcher used a descriptive correlational research design. The Grade 7 OFW children of will be the respondents. The study was conducted among the 91 OFW children enrolled at Tagudin National High School during the school year 2022- 2023. A total enumeration of the children of OFW enrolled were used as respondents. Based from the salient findings, the following conclusions are draw: 1. The respondents have distinct profiles from one another and no two individuals are exactly alike; 2. Classroom behaviors of the OFW children differ from one another but they execute favorable and unfavorable behaviors inside the class; 3. Sex affects the disruptive and uncooperative school behaviors of the OFW children of TNHS; 4. An action plan is a helpful material that contains strategies to improve the school behaviors of the TNHS OFW children; and 5. The developed action plan is simplified and down to earth but carries solutions to gauged problems of OFW children. From the findings and conclusions drawn, the following recommendations are hereby offered: 1. It is suggested that OFW children should be given more kindness and understanding as to their unfavorable behaviors yet they should establish a closer bonding with their OFW parents through the help of the social media's chat or messenger; 2. Misdemeanors conducted inside the class should be immediately settled by the teacher or guidance counselor with the guardian but teachers should possess many strategies to address issues and concerns like poor attention and low academic performance; 3. It is suggested that male students should be given roles inside the classroom to feel their importance and to deviate from untoward behaviors; 4. The action plan developed for the purpose of helping the OFW children focus their attention to their studies should be brought to the principal's office and when found worthwhile, be endorsed to all teachers of TNHS for their benchmark of their own classroom action plan; and 5. The action plan is timely and appropriate and it is a nice material to be used as benchmark to improve the school behaviors of OFW children.

Academic Performance among Filipino Students with Parents Working Abroad

This study aims to evaluate the academic performance of students with OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) parents in selected schools on Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte. It utilizes a descriptive quantitative research design through the survey method. The researchers employ a purposive sampling method, selecting only students whose parents are OFWs to participate as respondents in this study. Based on the study’s findings, the outstanding academic performance of respondents in their classes, as measured by the General Point Average (GPA), is not significantly affected by the absence of their parents. In addition, using one-way ANOVA, no significant difference in the academic performance of the respondents was observed when categorized according to their socio-demographic profiles

Home Sweet Home: Strengthening Pagibig Fund’s Housing Programs towards Building Sustainable Homes

A global housing crisis is caused by a number of things: overpopulation, inflation, the lack of affordable housing units, low income, land and labor shortage, and there are many international and nationwide efforts to combat this housing shortage. Among the several sustainable and affordable housing initiatives and programs by the Philippine government is the conception of the Pag-IBIG Fund, tasked to be responsible for national savings and affordable home financing. The objective of this study is to formulate and propose an action plan that would help strengthen Pag-IBIG Fund’s housing programs to promote sustainable housing among low-income Filipino workers. To formulate this, various literature suggest the need to gather the perceptions of both low-income and minimum-wage individuals who are members of the Pag-IBIG Fund and the Pag-IBIG Fund housing developer partners. To determine the housing problems, perception of sustainable housing, and effectiveness of Pag-IBIG’s housing programs, the researcher employed a quantitative approach with the use of a survey with data analyzed through various statistical treatments. Results show that the respondents concur that physical inadequacy, limited selection, and proximity are common housing problems of Filipino low-income earners. The study’s results served as the researcher’s basis in formulating the action plan containing a policy brief and a public relations plan for information dissemination.

Disparities of Self-compassion and Job Satisfaction across Decision-Making Styles among Filipino Workers

Self-compassion and job satisfaction of Filipino workers across their decision-making styles are constructs of the present study being presented in the field of work. This paper aimed to identify the decision-making style; describe and measure the degree of self-compassion and job satisfaction; and determine the difference in self-compassion and job satisfaction across decision-making styles among respondents. The General Decision-making Styles Questionnaire (GDSQ), Self-compassion Scale, and Job Satisfaction Survey were administered to 359 respondents who aged from 28-60 years old, regardless of gender, across different companies in Calabarzon. The respondents were employees from entry level positions, supervisors, as well as executive level positions. Results have shown that rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant, spontaneous, and dependent were the decision-making styles among respondents. The degree of self-compassion was at a high level (M=142.78, SD=21.16), while the degree of job satisfaction showed respondents’ ambivalence towards their job (M=3.51, SD=0.46). The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) confirmed a significant difference (Fobt= 5.054**, p of 0.0001) in the self-compassion and job satisfaction across decision-making styles among Filipino workers and was validated by Fisher’s LSD as a post hoc test. Outcomes of the study is recommended as a basis in proposing intervention programs in human resource management and industrial psychology. Mixed-method research is recommended to strengthen the concepts of self-compassion and related variables in this study.

Family Resilience in the Context of Migration: Exploring the Lived Experience of Filipino Migrants' School-Going Older Adolescent Children

Using Froma Walsh's Family Resilience Framework, this study explored the experiences of overseas Filipino workers' (OFWs) families as narrated by adolescent children of migrant parents. Ten (10) Filipino college-level older adolescents (five were female) served as participants in an in-depth interview. Their narratives explored key family resilience processes using a Deductive Qualitative Analysis using various domains of family resilience (i.e., family belief system, communication processes, and organizational patterns). The study found that: (1) The family adjusts belief systems to accommodate unsettling realities of international labor migration; (2) Roles change in the family to compensate for responsibilities fulfilled by the parent before leaving for another country; and (3) Communication processes were strained, but family members serve as moderators to ease tensions and maintain a pre-migration relationship. This study concluded that the family resilience framework is a robust lens through which migrant families' experiences can be understood. Families generally exert effort to maintain homeostasis and cope with migration's psychological and social costs. A resilience-focused model for addressing psychosocial needs is proposed. Processes more apparent to the Filipino family and opportunities for future research are also discussed.

Left the caciques behind: A commentary about contradictions of migration and development in the Philippines

In this research, I will try to develop a study of the Philippines through a brief review of the bibliography and statistical data analysis. I aim to gather empirical evidence of the causes of extended poverty and unemployment in the country and the high levels of overseas Filipino workers. These social problems and the surge of authoritarianism in the figure of Rodrigo Duterte cannot be adequately explained without referring to the historical legacy of colonialism in the Philippines, the subordinated position of this country in the global division of labour and the structural changes fueled by hegemonic globalization since the last decades of 20th century. Based on scientific research and official data, this article will critically analyze the historical, social, and economic causes that lead to poverty and hardships affecting many Filipino citizens.

Nihonggo No Benkyou: The Case of Filipino ESL Teachers in Graduate School

In 2010, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) institutionalized the offering of foreign languages in the curricular programs of higher education institutions to accord global acceptance of local graduates in the Philippines. In graduate school, Nihongo is one of the foreign languages commonly offered in the local university. Theoretically, the second language acquisition of adult learners (i.e., graduate students) is crucial and different from adolescent language learners. And there is a dearth of literature on Filipinos learning Nihongo; most of them involve college students and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and less among ESL teachers in graduate school. This study: (1) contributed to the limited evidence in Japanese language learning of Filipino students; showed qualitative evidence on the CPH of adult learning a third or fourth language. Results revealed that though most of the ESL teachers in graduate school were middle-aged, they partly considered their age crucial in learning Nihongo and declared that their age was not the only factor in recognizing their difficulties in learning a foreign language rather other learning limitations such as affective factors, learning environment, workload, etc.; (2) presented the ESL teachers’ difficulties in learning Nihongo language in the graduate school such as writing and translating sentences and phrases, vocabulary and pronunciation; and (3) showed their strategies in learning the Japanese language as an academic requirement were creating mental linkages, applying images and sounds, reviewing well, and employing actions. Thus, this study presented recommendations for the effective teaching of Japanese language among graduate students in the Philippines.

EMOTIONAL CAPITAL AND JOB SATISFACTION OF OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS: BASIS FOR HAVILLAH INTERNATIONAL MANPOWER SERVICES INCORPORATED’S SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

The purpose of this study was to create a sustainability plan for Havillah International Manpower Services, Inc. that gave overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs’) accomplishments and well-being a top priority. The connection between emotional capital and job satisfaction among OFWs was examined using a descriptive-correlational methodology with descriptive and inferential statistics. To choose a sample of 203 OFWs, stratified random sampling was used. A modified questionnaire with five components served as the survey’s measurement tool. The study’s findings, which indicated that emotional capital was an important factor in determining job satisfaction, emphasized the necessity of including emotional intelligence training in an organization’s sustainability plans. The findings offer crucial information for researchers, decision-makers, and organizations interested in understanding the profile of OFWs and how it affects their well-being, personal growth, family ties, and emotional intelligence, among other aspects of their lives. According to the study’s conclusions, a sustainable plan for OFWs should prioritize their emotional health and take advantage of emotional intelligence training’s advantages to raise their level of job satisfaction and general quality of life.

Keeping up with the New Normal: The Impact of Working-from-Home on the Psychological Well-Being of Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major disruption in the lives of many people around the world. In this systematic review of literature, I intend to examine how the recent pandemic impacted the psychological well-being of Filipino workers and their means of coping with the challenges of working from home. A total of nine papers were reviewed that met the set inclusion-exclusion criteria and were analyzed thematically. As shown in the existing studies, the alternative work arrangements brought positive and negative impacts on the workers' psychological well-being with improved employee engagement and experience; various challenges were rendering adverse effects. Employees use physical, social, and cognitive mechanisms to achieve work-life balance to cope with the challenges at work. Although onsite working is slowly being imposed, the possibility and feasibility of working from home remain viable for public and private offices because it was evident that workers could still maintain work productivity and carry out their tasks even remotely. Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic, Working from Home, Psychological Well-being, Philippines, Coping, Literature Review

The Effects of a Corporate Wellness Program on the Physical, Occupational, Socio-emotional, and Spiritual Wellness of Filipino Workers.

The study determined the effects of corporate wellness programs (CWP) on Filipino workers' physical, occupational, socio-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wellness. The study looked into the components of a CWP, its forms of communication, the respondents' level of participation, motivation, and their physical, occupational, socio-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being to determine their wellness status during the pandemic. The study utilized an online survey to examine questions related to the efficacy of such programs, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis to assess the respondents' socio-demographic profiles, and point biserial correlation to test the association of CWP to their wellness status. The research showed that 90% of the respondents participated in their organization's CWP, contradicting most studies that state CWP suffers from a low participation rate. CWP initiatives are mostly publicized through electronic mail, printed in memos, then posted on the bulletin board, and shared through the company website and social media. In addition, the study showed that overall wellness mean scores were higher in employees who were aware of their wellness programs than those who were not and in participating vis-à-vis non-participating employees. The study's six assumptions showed positive results, indicating that CWPs are beneficial in improving employees' overall wellness. However, the per paradigm and overall wellness scores were weakly associated with participation and awareness status based on the point biserial correlation. No adverse effects were recorded in the study. In addition, the study discovered that employees were active in personal wellness initiatives, leading to high scores in their wellness dimensions. The study showed different individual wellness initiatives implying that employees were also proactive about their total well-being.

Balancing Act: Underemployment Patterns and Age-Gender Diversity in Northern Mindanao

Underemployment continues to persist at a significantly higher rate than unemployment. Over half of the working population in Northern Mindanao falls into the category of visible underemployment, indicating that they work fewer hours than the standard work duration and are actively seeking additional work hours (Felipe & Estrada, 2018). This research aimed to comprehend the various forms of underemployment among Filipino workers in Northern Mindanao and assess the reasons for their underemployment status. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed in this study, which analyzed data from the July 2021 Labor Force Survey (LFS) involving 31,271 workers in the region to determine the relationship between underemployment of workers and their age and sex. The study’s timeframe corresponded to the post-pandemic period, during which the region underwent economic reopening to establish resilience and facilitate the transition to recovery. The findings revealed that 74.90% of the respondents were visibly underemployed, while only 25.10% were classified as invisibly underemployed. Notably, the leading reason for underemployed workers working fewer than 40 hours was the variability in working time or the nature of their work (43.71%). Conversely, underemployed workers primarily sought more than 40 hours to increase their earnings (64.77%). Moreover, the findings revealed that age and sex have significant relationships to underemployment regardless of type, and workers of any age and sex experienced being underemployed.

Many Q's Understanding and Perceptions of Filipino workers on Community Quarantine Terminologies and Classifications as Risk Communication Strategies in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Many Q's Understanding and Perceptions of Filipino workers on Community Quarantine Terminologies and Classifications as Risk Communication Strategies in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Repatriation Management of Deported Filipino Workers From Sabah, Malaysia: Focus on the Department of Social Welfare and Development

Repatriation Management of Deported Filipino Workers From Sabah, Malaysia: Focus on the Department of Social Welfare and Development