One of my favorite authors of all time wrote,
“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his
inferiors, not his equals”
Among the
many commendable and well-thought platforms of the presidential candidates, I
was struck by the Liberal Party’s standard-bearer Mar Roxas’ economic proposal
pertaining to our overseas Filipino workers or OFWs. If successful in the
recent campaigns, part of his program is “to create more domestic jobs so that
working abroad will not be a necessity, but rather a choice for Filipino
citizens; and when a Filipino opts to become an overseas Filipino worker,
his/her welfare and protection will still be guaranteed by the government”.
As a Filipino
considering working and settling overseas, what does it mean to me and other potential
OFWs? Simple – we will be properly and timely accounted for.
This guileless
albeit meaningful program for today’s modern day heroes comes from a deep root
and exudes a lot of meanings. It is a common knowledge that majority of the
Filipinos would want to work abroad, given the chance. In fact, a huge chunk of
the Philippine population is currently scattered across all seven continents. Why
is this alarming? Two words - brain drain.
People often
mistake “capital” as just money or financial investments. Sometimes, their
definition of capital is tangible goods such as machineries and infrastructures
that will be used to manufacture other goods and services. But they fail to
consider the more profound concept, which is human capital. I am not simply
pertaining to the number of laborers and migrant workers available in our labor
pool, I am specifically relating to the knowledge and skill that they
possess.
At a certain
point in time, a worker can perfect a skill, which can cut down production time
that leads to more products produced in less amount of time. Similarly, a
worker, after hours of applying his or her skill, develops techniques and
expertise that can be only be gained with time. In short, given time, a worker
has the skill and knowledge comparable to a master craftsman. So, if they
leave, they take the talent, experience and knowledge with them.
What will
happen to the country then? It will be a training ground for potentially
productive laborers, but the ones who will be benefitting from the training and
skill will be countries and corporations overseas. We will be a country of
dregs.
So where
does Mar come in? After graduating from Wharton, he worked for almost a decade
as an investment banker in New York. In fact, he was skilled and talented
enough to be the assistant vice president of Allen & Company, a New York
based corporation. During his stay, he was involved in mobilizing venture
capital funds for small and medium enterprises. As a former OFW, he is not new to the perils
and challenges that other Filipinos faces everyday overseas. Most importantly
he is at one with the most intimate desire of our OFWs – to bring a dignified
life and better opportunities in our home country.
The
adage “it takes one to know one”, therefore, perfectly sums up one of the
numerous reasons why presidential candidate Mar Roxas is the perfect person for
the job.
He is a person with vision as he has solid programs
and policies that would make our country progress and prosper so that no
Filipinos will be forced to leave their families and loved ones again.
He is a person of experience as he was a former
expatriate and very capable of addressing their needs and protecting their
rights.
He is a person with impressive educational
background that is necessary if we want long-term economic progress.
He is a person with proven track record in the
government service. The laws that he fought for are now reaping social and
economic benefits for millions of other Filipinos.
Finally, and most important one of all, he is
one with the people.
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