Conditional Cash Transfers for Children of Displaced OFWs

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-government organization that looks after distressed overseas Filipino workers, called on the government to extend conditional cash transfers to keep children of displaced OFWs in school.

The Center issued this call in light of an announcement that up to 40,000 Filipino seafarers working for Japanese shipping companies could lose their jobs this year as shipping vessels are laid up due to the global financial crisis.

“Enrollment this year will definitely be affected by the slowdown in dollar remittances and a decrease in the number of Filipinos gainfully employed abroad,” the Ople Center pointed out.

Current projections by the Department of Labor and Employment place the number of displaced overseas Filipino workers at around 6,000. The Ople Center notes that this number does not include OFWs whose contracts were no longer renewed or prospective job applicants whose employment contracts were deferred or cancelled by foreign employers.

“Overseas employment has enabled millions of children to enter formal education. The challenge is how to help our OFWs keep their kids in school while waiting for a callback from their foreign employers,” Susan Ople, president of the Center, said. The challenge is to keep the drop-out rates from rising even further due to the financial crisis.

The daughter of the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople proposes that the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare and Development enter into an agreement wherein displaced OFWs particularly those previously employed in vulnerable and less skilled occupations, can receive a monthly stipend for the incoming school year but on a condition that their children would stay in school and undergo monthly medical check-ups. Conditional cash transfers have been proven to be effective in Latin American countries as a poverty reduction tool.

“A CCT program for children of displaced overseas workers is doable because it can have clear and specific targets, a transparent mechanism for cash transfers, and a stable, legitimate source of funds,” Ople added.

She noted that most Filipinos leave the country to provide for the education of their children. “It is the number one priority of OFWs. Our overseas workers are not the type to seek dole-outs. This is why even an ex-Taiwan factory worker would seek all other means of employment before running to the government for help.”

The social payback scheme is justifiable considering the overwhelming contributions of overseas Filipino workers to the country’s economy. “We keep extolling their virtues and heroism during good times. During this crisis, it’s but right to substantiate all the accolades with real investments in their children’s health and future,” the Center stressed.

The Ople Center said that the participation of DSWD may be needed because of its experience in implementing CCT programs while DepEd can instruct school principals and teachers to closely monitor the progress and health of children of displaced OFWs.

“Criteria can be easily drawn to ensure that beneficiaries do belong to OFW families affected by the crisis, a fact that can easily be verified with the help of our posts and the recruitment agencies who deployed them. Many of these displaced workers also have active OWWA memberships and so we appeal to the Board to consider the CCT program as a temporary additional benefit to help keep children of affected OFWs in school,” the Center explained.