Integration of Migrants in Receiving Countries:
Policies and Challenges
By: Maria Regina Angela G. Galias
Commission on Filipinos Overseas
Philippines
Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995
 Salient points:
a. Deployment of migrant workers in migrant-friendly
countries
b. Establishment of Overseas Filipinos Resource
Centers abroad
c. Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs)
d. Philippine Embassies and Consulates
Overseas Filipinos Resource Centers
 Services include:
 Counseling and legal services
 Welfare assistance including medical and hospitalization services
 Information, advisory programs to promote social integration such as
post-arrival orientation, settlement and community networking
services and activities for social interaction
 Registration of undocumented workers
 Human resource development, such as training and skills upgrading
 Gender-sensitivity training programs and activities
 Orientation program for returning workers and other migrants;
 Monitoring of daily activities of migrant workers and other overseas
Filipinos
 Conciliation of disputes arising from employer-employee relationship.
Overseas Filipinos Resource Centers
 Open for service to migrants 24 hours daily including
holidays and staffed by Foreign Service personnel, a welfare
officer and coordinator from the Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration, service attaches or officers of other
Philippine government agencies and local hires or
volunteers
 Funds for the operation from budget of Department of
Labor and Employment
 Majority are established in countries with high
concentration of migrant workers such as the Middle East
and Asia.
Philippine Overseas Labor Offices
 Skills enhancement training such as computer fundamentals,
hardware assembly and maintenance, etc. through the support of
Filipino companies. Livelihood training courses are also undertaken
through the Overseas Filipino Resource Centers and Filipino
community groups abroad.
 Courses include cosmetology, meat processing, simple baking,
candle making, soy sauce, fish sauce and vinegar processing.
 In Riyadh, an Overseas Labor Education Program is made available
for Filipino community leaders and interested workers who wish to
learn more about the rights and duties of workers under the Saudi
Labor Law, as well as other laws affecting OFWs.
 To date, there are about 40 Philippine Overseas Labor Office
Philippine Embassies and Consulates
•
Philippine Embassies and Consulates also include in its core
consular services the conduct of Post-Arrival Seminars for newly
arrived Filipinos within their jurisdiction
• Sessions cover policies of
the host country in terms of
labor and/or residency
• Enables the foreign service
staff to orient Filipinos
abroad about the services
provided by the Philippine
Government
Filipino Associations Overseas
Association of Filipino Photographers in Doha
• 2,000 active hometown
associations abroad.
• Mostly regional groups,
religious groups, civic
organizations, alumni
associations, advocacy
groups, sports associations,
professional groups, etc.
• Voluntary service
• capability and skills training,
counseling, employment
opportunities, promotion of
health and education
activities and fundraising for
ongoing programs including
financial and welfare
assistance
Bayanihan Support Centers (Hong Kong)
• Private initiative of migrant Filipinos in
Hong Kong.
• Converted school building located at
Kennedy Town Centre
• Household service workers can spend
their rest days to take free classes on
cooking, arts, sports, English language
and even regular Sunday service.
• The Government of Hong Kong, in
September 1994, recognized the
importance of establishing centres for
its growing population of overseas
domestic helpers.
• Funding undertaken by a group of
Filipino businessmen based in Hong
Kong.
•
Philippine Schools Overseas
• privately-owned educational
institutions established in countries
with high concentration of migrant
Filipino workers
• 43 Philippine schools in 9 countries
namely, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab
Emirates, Greece, China and Libya
• 31,000 students
• locus of community activities
• promotes Filipino culture, heritage
and values to Filipino children who
were either born or raised abroad
Multi-Cultural Family Support Centers
(South Korea)
• Funded by the Korean government
to promote multiculturalism and
integration among multicultural
families in South Korea
• Established 208 multicultural family
support centers all over South Korea
• Services include family education,
counseling, cultural seminars,
cooking, language training,
translation services, childcare
support, and employment and
venture support services
• Korean government also funds
capacity building for pre-departure
service providers in origin countries
of marriage migrants
Welcome Centre Immigrant Services
(Canada)
• Funded by Government of
Canada
• one-stop service center for
newly arrived immigrants in
Canada
• Conducts regular English
classes (Enhanced Language
Training), job search
workshops, settlement
orientation which covers
housing, banking and welfare,
accreditation of skills and
degrees and translation
services
CHALLENGES
 Most programs only address integration requirements of migrants
and not the protection of their fundamental rights
 Funding and other resource requirements for certain integration
programs are insufficient which makes the services unsustainable
in the long run
 Need to continuously enhance the capability of service providers,
including POLO officers and embassy/consular staff, to make it
more responsive to the needs of migrants
 Need to enhance partnership with governments of receiving
countries in terms of integration program for migrants
 Need to expand programs in migrant centers
 Improved administration of welfare funds of migrant workers
Office of the President of the Philippines