Filipino Workers Research Articles

Cultural Adaptation of a Scalable World Health Organization E-Mental Health Program for Overseas Filipino Workers

BackgroundElectronic mental (e-mental) health interventions can address mental health needs of different populations. Cultural adaptation of these interventions is crucial to establish a better fit with the cultural group and to achieve better treatment outcomes.ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the cultural adaptation of the World Health Organization’s e-mental health program Step-by-Step for overseas Filipino workers. We used a framework which posits that cultural adaptation should enhance (1) relevance, wherein the cultural group can relate with the content; (2) acceptability, where the cultural group will not find any element offensive; (3) comprehensibility, where the program is understandable; and (4) completeness, wherein the adapted version covers the same concepts and constructs as the original program. We aimed to have English and Filipino and male and female versions.MethodsOverall, 3 experienced Filipino psychologists provided their perspectives on the program and how it might be adapted for overseas Filipino workers. We then adapted the program and obtained feedback from 28 overseas Filipino workers from diverse industries through focus group discussions. We conducted 7 and 9 focus group discussions with male and female participants, respectively. Per discussion, cognitive interviewing was used to probe for relevance, acceptability, comprehensibility, and completeness of illustrations and text. Participant feedback guided iterative program adaptations, which were again shown to participants for validation and improvement.ResultsSeveral issues were raised by participants about the generic version of Step-by-Step. There were elements deemed irrelevant, like unfitting characters, lack of Filipino values, and unsuitable problems and activities. There were unacceptable components that were stigmatizing, political, inappropriate to context or subgroups, and too feminine for male users. Some elements were incomprehensible, unclear, or complicated. To address these issues, we made key adaptations. To enhance relevance, we adapted the narrative to match the experiences of overseas Filipino workers, incorporated Filipino values, and illustrated familiar problems and activities. To increase acceptability, our main characters were changed to wise elders rather than health professionals (reducing mental health and help-seeking stigma), political or unacceptable content was removed, and the program was made suitable for overseas Filipino workers from different sectors. To increase comprehension, we used English and Filipino languages, simplified the text to ease interpretation of abstract terms, and ensured that text and illustrations matched. We also used Taglish (ie, merged English and Filipino) when participants deemed pure Filipino translations sounded odd or incomprehensible. Finally, we retained the core elements and concepts included in the original Step-by-Step program to maintain completeness.ConclusionsThis study showed the utility of a 4-point framework that focuses on acceptance, relevance, comprehensibility, and completeness in cultural adaptation. Moreover, we achieved a culturally appropriate adapted version of the Step-by-Step program for overseas Filipino workers. We discuss lessons learned in the process to guide future cultural adaptation projects of e-mental health interventions.

Second Language Acquisition: The Case of Filipino Migrant Workers

Many Filipino migrant workers (overseas Filipino workers) in their status as adult learners struggle in learning the local language of their host countries to native-like proficiency level. With the aim of establishing a second language (L2) acquisition pattern that may be useful in designing responsive adult training and welfare programs, this study examines how these workers acquire their L2s and what factors influence their rate and success in L2 learning. Utilizing mixed methods research design with 15 overseas Filipino workers as samples who learned various local languages in 10 different host countries, this study reveals that immersion and actual use of the target language in authentic communicative situations can make language acquisition easier. Findings of this study also confirm that instrumental and integrative motivation coupled with strong target language (TL) community support can make L2 learning faster, while old age and non-necessity of the L2 at work can make the whole process slower. In terms of communication strategies, findings show that syntactic avoidance is the most common communication strategy used, followed by direct appeal to authority (native speakers) and use of gestures, facial expressions, and translation tools. As foreign workers, their motivational orientations in learning their L2 are for employment, cultural understanding, and cultural integration. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to second language teaching among adult language learners and overseas workers.

Work life, relationship, and policy determinants of health and well-being among Filipino domestic Workers in China: a qualitative study

BackgroundOverseas Filipino workers (OFWs) comprise one of the largest populations of migrant workers globally. Within China, they represent the largest group of imported domestic workers. Little is known about their working conditions or how this might affect their health and wellbeing.MethodsThis qualitative study explored the working conditions and risk factors for poor health in a sample of temporary female Filipino domestic workers in Macao, China. Focus group discussions with female domestic workers (n = 22) and in-depth interviews with key informants (n = 7) were conducted.ResultsDomestic workers reported physical (e.g., hypertension, chronic pain, diabetes, poor sleep), and mental health problems (depression, anxiety), and addictive behaviors (gambling, alcohol misuse), along with significant structural, linguistic, financial, and cultural barriers to healthcare access to address these concerns. Adverse working conditions including poor treatment and abuse by employers, lack of privacy and inadequate sleeping areas in employers’ homes or in crowded boarding houses, language barriers, inadequate and poor enforcement of labor protections, and discrimination. Domestic workers also cited exorbitant agency fees and remittances causing significant financial stress. Kinship network ties with family members back home were fraught with infidelity, difficulty parenting, misuse of remittances, and family misconceptions of domestic workers’ situation abroad. Lack of quality social support and peer social networks exacerbated these conditions.ConclusionsIn this sample of Filipino migrant domestic workers, stressors experienced within the host country were commonly reported. Indebtedness and low salaries limits social mobility. Psychosocial and policy-level interventions are needed to improve the health and wellbeing of this population of migrant women.

Factors Affecting the Preference for Living Arrangement of the Overseas Filipino Workers in Bahrain

Factors Affecting the Preference for Living Arrangement of the Overseas Filipino Workers in Bahrain

Governing and disciplining Filipino migrant workers’ health at Hawaiian sugar plantations

Abstract This paper examines an attempt by the Hawaiian sugar plantations to govern and discipline deficient bodies of Filipino workers and their families. Mobilising Foucault’s (1977; 1991) notions of governmentality and discipline, the paper analyses how the diet and reproductive habits of migrant Filipino workers became legitimate, feasible and necessary problems for plantation management to address and medical experts to cure. Filipino workers were a confined population who were a target of constant observation from the time when they left their country for work in the Hawaiian sugar plantations to the time when, having served their work contracts, they returned home. They were vulnerable to a number of control techniques. This paper exposes how accounting in coalition with statistical and medical knowledge, was implicated in such bid to govern and discipline a privately enclosed subject of its gaze.

Filipinos settle in the Canadian North: unsettling a gendered frontier

This paper explores how contemporary accounts of Filipino settlement in the Yukon articulate with the imaginative project of a ‘frontier Yukon.’ Since 2007, Whitehorse, Yukon has been as a prominent site of settlement for Filipino newcomers to Canada. This has been supported by the implementation of a new immigration policy–the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)—inaugurated to address shortages in the territory’s service sector labour market. What happens, we ask, to frontier narratives when they are put into conversation with bodies, peoples, places, and collective experiences that they were never meant to narrate? We discuss how hegemonic notions of race, gender, and frontier masculinity are reworked and unsettled in emerging narratives of Filipino settlement. In working through multiple and contested notions of the frontier, we play on varying meanings of the verb “to settle.” Frontier mythologies seek to settle the disruptive potential of Filipino workers and families as they newly inhabit borderline spaces. At the same time, the hard work of “settling" into a foreign environment is set both within and against the hegemonic facade of frontier mythology. We find that while the examined discourses of arrival in the Yukon reinforce hegemonic accounts of the Yukon’s settlement, and obscure histories of settler colonialism through their celebration of multiculturalism and diversity, they also contain moments of ambiguity that “unmap” hegemonic frontier narratives.

Review of Understanding the Filipino Worker and Organization, 2nd ed

Review of Understanding the Filipino Worker and Organization, 2nd ed

Comparative Analysis of Documented and Undocumented Overseas Filipino Workers in Korea

Comparative Analysis of Documented and Undocumented Overseas Filipino Workers in Korea

Financial Management of Overseas Filipino Workers’ Beneficiaries

The study determined the financial management of overseas Filipino workers’ beneficiaries from selected cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental, Philippines in terms of their financial literacy, the extent of remittance allocation, and level of investment preference. Using a descriptive causal-comparative research design, the data were collected using a survey questionnaire and were analyzed with the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Major findings of the study showed that beneficiaries had a high level of financial literacy, moderate extent of remittance allocation, and moderate level of investment preference. Also, findings revealed that remittance was allocated mainly to household expenses, education, and payment for debts. Both financial literacy and investment preference were significantly related to education and the amount of regular remittance. In addition, a significant relationship was found between financial literacy and the extent of remittance allocation and level of investment preference.

A Review of the Philippine Policies on Mental Health of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)

The Philippines has been lauded for its labor-export programs and is deemed as a global model of migration by other countries. With the economic and employment challenges in the country, seeking work opportunities overseas becomes a promising option. Numerous policies bring forth to the creation of government agencies that focus on labor protection and welfare promotion of migrant workers here and in their host countries, which include advancement of mental health. This paper aims to review and identify the gaps of regulatory policies that intersect the phases of migration: pre-deployment, deployment, and reintegration. Statistics and anecdotal data show that cases of distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are increasing given the presence of adverse working conditions across the continents. This problem is compounded by cultural stigma and financial inaccessibility of seeking mental health services. Post-repatriation issues, particularly the concerns on socio-economic reintegration is further noted. Thus, the management of mental health among OFWs calls for a comprehensive review of our existing policies and the delineation of the interrelated responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders for effective multisectoral program implementation. Synchronized endeavors of different agencies for efficient handling of psychosocial programs for OFWs in all stages of deployment is needed. Realistic and sustainable programs to address mental health issues are attainable through collaborative actions, with the foresight of focusing on prevention rather than treatment.

Associations Between Materialism, Gratitude, and Well-Being in Children of Overseas Filipino Workers.

Children left behind by parents who are overseas Filipino workers (OFW) benefit from parental migration because their financial status improves. However, OFW families might emphasize the economic benefits to compensate for their separation, which might lead to materialism among children left behind. Previous research indicates that materialism is associated with lower well-being. The theory is that materialism focuses attention on comparing one’s possessions to others, making one constantly dissatisfied and wanting more. Research also suggests that gratitude mediates this link, with the focus on acquiring more possessions that make one less grateful for current possessions. This study explores the links between materialism, gratitude, and well-being among 129 adolescent children of OFWs. The participants completed measures of materialism, gratitude, and well-being (life satisfaction, self-esteem, positive and negative affect). Results showed that gratitude mediated the negative relationship between materialism and well-being (and its positive relationship with negative affect). Children of OFWs who have strong materialist orientation seek well-being from possessions they do not have and might find it difficult to be grateful of their situation, contributing to lower well-being. The findings provide further evidence for the mediated relationship between materialism and well-being in a population that has not been previously studied in the related literature. The findings also point to two possible targets for psychosocial interventions for families and children of OFWs.

A comparative study of the retirement confidence level between domestic workers and OFW as linked to their job commitment

The paper investigated the retirement confidence among Domestic and Overseas Filipino Workers in relation to job commitment. Specifically, the study determined the relationship between clarity of retirement goal and retirement confidence that refers to the quality of life that could still be maintained during retirement. For several studies, savings already provided perceived confidence for retirement to would be retirees but this study would check if the perception still applies. Banks in the Philippines today offer a savings interest rate of less than 1% (excluding withholding tax) with the current inflation rate target of 4.3%. The study output could motivate government agencies to review the policy on mandatory retirement package that direct employers offer their employees for comfortable retirement. Purposive sampling was employed to determine the respondents who were the domestic and overseas Filipino workers in United Arab Emirates and New York. Explanatory-causal design was utilized to explain relationship/influence and effect of the variable/s on the retirement confidence. The results of the regression indicated that the predictor for retirement confidence explained 55.4% of the variance (R2=.55, F (4,13) = 4.03, p < 0.05). It was found that job investment (p < .01) significantly predicted retirement confidence. The result of the correlation of retirement confidence to the job commitment proves significant, (r (18) = 0.50, p < .05).

The Philippines as a Pacific Nation: A Brief History of Interaction between Filipinos and Pacific Islanders

ABSTRACT Filipinos are the second largest Asian migrant group in the contemporary Pacific behind Indians and ahead of Chinese. While Filipinos are prominent in local histories of Guam and Hawai‘i, where their populations are concentrated, little is written or known about their presence elsewhere. Pacific connections are similarly neglected by Filipino scholars. This may largely be due to the unobtrusive nature of most Filipino integration into Pacific Island communities. Nor were Filipino Austronesians as isolated from their Micronesian neighbours as is commonly assumed. During the Spanish era, Filipinos travelled all over the Pacific as ships’ crew, pearl divers and Catholic missionaries. The United States’ takeover of the Spanish Pacific in the 1890s ushered in a century of American domination and provided employment and migration opportunities for Filipino workers across the American Pacific. Today Filipino professionals are increasingly common in nations of the Western Pacific and this trend seems set to continue.

The Securitization of Migrant Workers in Sabah, Malaysia

In the past decades, the Malaysia’s economy, particularly in Sabah, faced high dependence on migrant workers, predominantly Indonesian and Filipino workers. This over-reliance on migrant workers made the ruling elites in the country fear that their dominant presence would undermine the government’s policy to move Malaysia from a labor intensive to an automation in order to achieve the status of a developed nation, as well as a policy to prioritize locals over foreigners in all economic sectors. In order to implement this policy and to break the economic sectors from continuing to rely on the foreigners, the ruling elites have continuously associated migrant workers, especially illegal laborers, as a security threat that needs to be flushed out. This paper utilizes the Copenhagen School framework of securitization to explain why the securitizing actors, namely the politicians and the ruling elites, continue to frame Indonesian and the Filipino workers in Sabah as security issue. Two case studies are presented to examine the securitization of migrant workers in Sabah: first, “All-out war against illegals” and Ops Nyah II, 2002–03 and second, Ops Nasihat, 2004–05. However, this paper argues that making illegal migrant workers as security issue and form a sound policy to control immigrants cannot solely rely on the speech act and power of persuasion, as central in the theory because other condition factors, namely the domestic politics of the state, the federal-state relations, nature of state economy, and international pressures, are also significant in explaining why the government has never been consistent in its policy on migrant workers in Sabah.

Education in the ‘New Society’ and the Philippine Labour Export Policy (1972-1986)

The ‘overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) are the largest source of US dollar income in the Philippines. These state-sponsored labour migrations have resulted in an exodus of workers and professionals that now amounts to approximately 10% of the entire country’s population. From a temporary and seasonal employment strategy during the early American colonial period, labour export has become a cornerstone of the country’s development policy. This was institutionalised under the Marcos regime (1965-1986), and especially in the early years of the martial law period (1972-81), and maintained by successive governments thereafter. Within this context, this paper investigates the relationship between Marcos’ ‘New Society’ agenda, the globalization of migrant labour, and state sponsorship of labour exports. In particular, it analyses the significance of attempts made to deploy education policy and educational institutions to facilitate the state’s labour export drive. Evidence analyzed in this paper suggests that sweeping reforms covering curricular policies, education governance and funding were implemented, ostensibly in support of national development. However, these measures ultimately did little to boost domestic economic development. Instead, they set the stage for the education system to continue training and certifying Filipino skilled labour for global export – a pattern that has continued to this day.

The Image of God among Children of Overseas Filipino Worker Parents: Opportunities for Theology of Migration

The Image of God among Children of Overseas Filipino Worker Parents: Opportunities for Theology of Migration

Correlates of expected eMental Health intervention uptake among Filipino domestic workers in China.

Transnational migrant populations face critical barriers to mental health service utilization that perpetuate mental health disparities globally. Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) number over 2 million globally and 25% are female domestic workers. Structural barriers prevent equitable access to mental health services for this population. Electronic mental health (eMental Health) intervention is a scalable alternative to face-to-face treatment. The current study sought to identify key correlates of intention to use eMental Health within a community of female Filipino domestic workers living and working in Macao (SAR), China. Respondent-driven sampling implemented at a community field site was used to reach a sample of 1364 female domestic workers. A multivariable adjusted partial proportional-odds (PPO) model was used to assess relevant correlates of intent to use eMental Health. The majority (62.8%) reported being likely to utilize eMental Health. The adjusted PPO model showed that younger age (18-25, 26-35, 36-45 v. over 55), longer time as an OFW, being likely (v. neutral and unlikely) to seek professional services, willingness to pay for services (v. not), belief that mental health services are a priority (v. low priority), having access to Wi-Fi outside the employer's home (v. not), and higher levels of social support were associated with increased odds of intent to use eMental Health. eMental Health is a promising intervention with high potential for uptake among OFWs. The majority of the study population owned a smartphone and were able to connect to the Internet or Wi-Fi. Future work will rigorously evaluate eMental Health programs for use among OFWs.

Elites and Ilustrados in Philippine Culture by Caroline S. Hau

Reviewed by: Elites and Ilustrados in Philippine Culture by Caroline S. Hau Kristine Michelle L. Santos Caroline S. Hau Elites and Ilustrados in Philippine Culture Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2017. 398 pages. The 2016 presidential election brought back the spotlight on an age-old quandary that has inundated the Philippines: the social and political [End Page 122] predominance of the elite in a destitute country. Throughout the election period, politicians roused the Filipinos' imagination of the elite, as some were vilified while others disassociated themselves from this privileged segment of society. As candidates tried to establish themselves as representatives of the masses, the term "elite" became increasingly conflated with the opulence of rich businessmen, the extravagance of socialites, and even the detachment of middle-class intellectuals from impoverished Filipinos, who end up victims of their economic and intellectual dominance. Caroline Hau's Elites and Ilustrados in Philippine Culture addresses this perplexity as she explores the complex relationship of this favored group with Philippine history and society. One might describe Caroline Hau as constituting the very elite that she examines in this book. Her multicultural background as a Chinese Filipino academic based in Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies exemplifies the privileged intellectual elite. Like José Rizal, Hau represents the modern ilustrado who is open to foreign ideas to produce works that contribute to national progress. She is best known for Necessary Fictions: Philippine Literature and the Nation, 1946–1980 (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2000) and more recently The Chinese Question: Ethnicity, Nation, and Region in and beyond the Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2014). For more than twenty years, Hau has been navigating privileged intellectual spaces all over the globe in an effort to understand the intricate tapestry that is Philippine society. In Elites and Ilustrados, Hau specifically scrutinizes the threads that both strengthen and weaken the elite's ties to the Philippine nation. Given that Hau dedicates this book to Southeast Asian scholar Benedict Anderson, traces of the latter's work can be seen in how she unpacks the Filipino elite's imagined identity. The book maps out the social imagination of this group through the imprints they have left in our history. In the first chapter, she captures the convoluted imagination of the Filipino elite, which conflates their wealth with their intellectualism, as seen through the nineteenth-century ilustrado who came from well-to-do families and learned liberal ideas overseas. Rather than adhere to this popular notion, Hau unravels the elite's intricate social ties to highlight their fluid identity that extended beyond riches, race, knowledge, and nation. Thus, she interrogates the popular imagination of the Filipino elite throughout the book. [End Page 123] The first four chapters focus on Philippine literature, specifically Rizal's Noli me tangere (1887) and El filibusterismo (1891), Ninotchka Rosca's State of War (1988), Nick Joaquin's The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961), and Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado (2010), where Hau gathers different pieces that create the Filipino elite. Hau offers a fascinating notion of the elite that builds upon the transnational character of the ilustrado, a person substantially transformed abroad upon embracing new values and practices. As she thoroughly analyzes the fictional ilustrados depicted in these works within their historical contexts, she manages to tie their imagined identities to Philippine realities. By establishing the links between them and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), she highlights the fluidity of ilustrado identity, which struggles to settle its roots in one place. Neither here nor there, the ilustrados are often displaced in national politics and discourse due to their distance and complicated identity politics. Hau adds that the ilustrado's dilemma becomes increasingly complex especially for those who come from multicultural households. Hau's thorough analysis of Chinese Filipinos and Filipinos who live abroad in the later part of the book strengthens her imagination of the transnational Filipino elite. These two chapters are particularly important given contemporary discourses that question the loyalties of these transnational, if not, transracial, Filipinos. While her analysis of the Chinese elite focuses on the racial politics that emerged during the NBN-ZTE corruption scandal in 2007, similar racial arguments have also...

Local aid workers in the digital humanitarian project: between “second class citizens” and “entrepreneurial survivors”

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the experiences of Filipino workers recruited for technology and communications work by international aid agencies involved in the Typhoon Haiyan response. Filipino workers, many of whom were personally coping with the social and economic impact of this disaster, were hired on short-term contracts to test and implement various digital humanitarian innovations such as feedback and hazard mapping technological platforms. These workers were doubly marginalized: first, as tech workers whose work was viewed by aid officers on the ground as less substantial than that of food or shelter programs; and second, as local voices often drowned out by national and international colleagues. Moving beyond the usual figure of the cosmopolitan and adventure-seeking Western humanitarian acting on distant suffering, this paper draws attention to local aid workers’ aspirations for personal and professional mobility as they seize novel opportunities opened up by the digital humanitarian agenda. It outlines how the digital humanitarian project’s ambition to facilitate the inclusion of disaster-affected communities is fundamentally undermined by labor arrangements that doubly marginalize local aid workers.

HEARTS APART: THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL MIGRATION ON THE LIFE OF LEFT-BEHIND FILIPINO ADOLESCENTS

This descriptive study delved into the impact of parental migration to the academic, emotional, social and spiritual life of left-behind Filipino adolescents. Awareness on the reality of the situation of the left-behinds in different aspects of their life could be of great help to their carers and teachers in creating a meaningful and healthy environment that is facilitative of their growth as persons despite the absence of their biological parent/s. A survey using a researcher’s made questionnaire, mental ability and personality tests as well as interview and the respondents’ scholastic records were utilized in this study. Findings revealed that across the three groups of research participants (those with Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) father, those with OFW mother, and those with both parents abroad), all of them have good grades in school despite no parent/s assisting them to do their home works and projects plus the additional responsibilities at home for some of them. However, majority of the participants expressed that they feel deeply sad, longing for the physical presence of their parents, though they do not feel rejected and abandoned. For them, it is a tiresome cycle of adjustment every time their parent/s come/s home and then later leave/s them again to work abroad. Prayers continue to bind the Filipino families together despite physical distance. This study concludes that parents should support not just the economic, but also the psychological and the spiritual needs of their left-behind children to help them to cope well with the adversaries of life, thus keeping them away from vices and behavioral problems. Future study shall include more number of participants from different cultures to better see the significance of these findings in many varied family experiences of the adolescent left-behinds. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2017.33.301318 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.