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The Philippine government said it projects a minimal displacement of
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) despite the sweeping global
financial crisis, because Arab countries could absorb a large number
of Filipino workers.
President Gloria Arroyo, who arrived in Doha,
Qatar, on Saturday evening, told OFWs that instead of retrenching
expatriates, Qatar needs 37,000 more workers.
The 37,000 job openings, she said, more than
offsets the displacement of Filipino workers in other countries. One
thousand Filipino workers in Taiwan were retrenched recently, while
5,000 other OFWs are expected to lose their jobs there next year.
As other countries cut down their overseas
manpower requirements in the cusp of the global economic downturn,
Qatar, on the contrary, continues to beef up its roll of foreign
workers to fill the needs of its booming economy, she said.
Employers in Qatar and other Middle East
countries prefer Filipino workers because of their diligence,
trustworthiness, efficiency and skills.
The President attributed the preference of
Qatari employers for Filipinos to their good work ethics, adding
that Filipino workers were well-liked by their employers.
”However, notwithstanding the continuing
bright prospects for Filipino labor abroad, it’s always prudent to
be prepared for the unexpected,” she said.
She added that her administration launched a
P250-million livelihood support fund to help displaced OFWs.
Recipients could use the assistance to pursue their studies or
engage in livelihood projects.
The President assured the Filipino workers that
her administration would do everything possible to help overseas
Filipino workers, especially those in distress.
Compared to other countries now in the throes of
economic difficulties arising from the global economic crisis, the
Philippines is stronger because the government was able to collect
additional taxes such as the expanded value added taxes (EVAT), the
President said.
She thanked Filipino expatriates for their
sacrifices and concern not only for their families but also for
their country as she wished them joyful holidays.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar’s
emir, personally welcomed President Arroyo when she arrived at the
Qatar International Airport.
The President’s three-day visit will center on
generating investment, ckecking on the conditions of OFWs, and
asking the Qatari government’s participation in the Mindanao peace
process.
Accompanying the President are Trade Secretary
Peter Favila, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, Energy Secretary
Angelo Reyes, Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman,
Presidential adviser on the peace process Hermogenes Esperon Jr.,
and a small group of congressmen.
Layoffs in Taiwan
In Taipei, the Manila Economic and Cultural
Office (MECO) said that to date, around 2,000 overseas Filipino
workers in Taiwan have already been displaced, as the island-country
projects another 5,000 job layoffs from various sectors in the first
quarter of next year.
Some 50,000 workers overall— not
Filipinos—are expected to lose their jobs in Taiwan in 2009.
According to Antonio Basilio, MECO’s resident
representative, about 800 more OFWs in Taiwan lost their jobs as of
their latest count. MECO earlier reported that, as of end-November,
1,263 OFWs here were dismissed from their work this year, primarily
as an effect of the global economic meltdown.
He said some 49 companies employing these OFWs
have either shut down or scaled back operations, resulting to these
job losses.
Most of these OFWs retrenched were from the
export-manufacturing sector, as Taiwan’s exports slowed down,
because the downturn’s impact on its major export destinations,
such as the Europe, Japan and the US.
Basilio said they still do not know how many
OFWs are included in the Taiwanese government’s projection of
layoffs early next year. Taiwan said it may be able to create a
total of 45,000 new jobs for both locals and foreign workers next
year, but this would still fall short of the bigger number of
workers who would lose their bread and butter, he added.
He maintained that Taiwan continues to source
OFWs for other industries, including caregivers, construction
workers, fishermen, household workers and professionals.
Basilio added that MECO is confident that the
Taiwanese government’s about 500-billion new Taiwan dollars
(around US$15 billion) economic stimulus package to revitalize its
domestic economy would benefit OFWs, as they hope that more OFWs
would be hired once the Taiwanese economy stabilizes.
About 90,000 Filipinos are currently still
working in Taiwan, according to MECO.
BPOs booming
Vice President Noli De Castro over the weekend
said prospects of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector in
the Philippines are bright despite the global economic crunch.
Speaking during the inauguration of the EXL
Service Facility at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, de Castro
said such a positive outlook is based on the solid fundamentals of
the country’s outsourcing sector.
De Castro said the Philippines has enough supply
of educated, English-speaking labor force.
“Thanks to the importance Filipino families
give to education, we have a steady flow of graduates from
universities, colleges, and technical institutions,” he told
foreign investors during the event.
He added that the new breed of Filipino workers
is familiar with the latest technology.
“Many first-time visitors to the Philippines
marvel at the extent by which cellular phones, computers, Wifi
hotspots, and internet cafés have penetrated the lifestyle of our
young,” he said.
He pointed out that there are other locations
outside Metro Manila that can effectively host process-outsourcing
centers. This can be attributed to the support that government gives
to the local outsourcing sector, which he described as one of the
country’s sunrise industries.
EXL recently entered invested $8 million in
Manila to set up a world-class facility that would generate around
1,500 new jobs in the next 12 months.
The firm is an addition to the leading global
names in the outsourcing that are operating in the Philippines.
-- Angelo S. Samonte, Ben Arnold De Vera And Francis Earl A.
Cueto
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