MARCELO TECSON, 1 Sept 2009

For Leaders/Members of OFW Organizations

and Others Who Care for Suffering Filipinos:

When the subject HOW TO UNITE THE FILIPINOS was offered as topic for discussion, the implied objective is that it is a SOLUTION to an existing PROBLEM (or problems), otherwise why waste time and thoughts on it.



If so, my APPEAL then to LEADERS and MEMBERS of OFW organizations is--why not directly attack the PROBLEM intended to be solved? (In other words, WHAT IS THE BEST SOLUTION to CORRUPTION, if it is the problem to be solved, or inefficiency in government; lack of classrooms, hospitals, roads and bridges; maltreatment of OFWs abroad, etc.? How will UNITY solve the problem? Can't the problem be solved without UNITY, which is so hard if not impossible to attain because of our major cultural, social, political, geographical, economic, educational, and religious differences?)

Moreover, why talk just of the particular problem intended to be solved? Why not look at ALL major LOCAL and NATIONAL PROBLEMS, prioritize them according to urgency and severity of adverse impact to the people, then start with the emerging first problem that have to be dealt with within the capability of existing OFW organizations? This is the general approach--which involves determining the BEST USE OF OUR TIME right now.

In pursuing the general approach, the following steps may be helpful:

1. Itemize and define all major LOCAL and NATIONAL PROBLEMS and, very important, determine the ROOTS or CAUSES of the problems. (Of course, specialized OFW organizations can limit the listing of problems to those that affect them, their loved ones, and their immediate community directly or indirectly.) If the roots of the problem are not identified, the solution may uselessly address the symptom of the problem but not the problem itself.

2. Classify the problems as to local and national. Solving national problems will generally benefit more Filipinos--this point should be considered in the prioritization of projects.

3. Very, very important: Classify the problems as to:

First, those that need huge government budget and/or substantial donations for their solution (like lack of enough classrooms, irrigation facilities, roads and bridges, working capital for livelihood projects, etc.), and,



Second, those that do not need huge budget, just warm bodies who will volunteer for the cause, submit petitions to, and follow up with government offices concerned their submitted petitions on problems affecting many Filipinos, such as on the need for transparency and proper utilization of OWWA funds; needed remedial measures for non-payment or underpayment of OFW salaries, inhuman treatments of OFW's abroad, and so on.

Simultaneous with solicitation for operating funds, the first step should be to gather committed capable members/volunteers who will devote time and effort for the cause of OFW's and other marginalized Filipinos. In my observation, OFW organizations have not progressed as much because they do not have a WORKING GROUP HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES who can personally meet here regularly, formulate plans and programs, then oversee and monitor the implementation of the plans and programs. If a particular OFW organization can afford it, it should hire here at least one salaried employee who can work full or part time in the handling of coordination and paper work for the organization's projects/activities in the Philippines. The employee can serve as local secretariat or coordinator of the organization in the formulation and implementation of its plans and programs, with postal/email addresses and telephone number, and to whom any questions/comments/suggestions can be directed, for referral to appropriate OFW officials and/or members.

There maybe an excuse for inability to undertake projects that need large financing, but there is not much excuse for inability to pursue missions that do not need much money or substantial funding--just small out-of-pocket expenses--like working for the cause of OFW's.

For example, to address the rampant problem of non-payment or underpayment of salaries of OFW's, the Philippine government should be urged to enter into agreements with HOST COUNTRIES to the effect that the foreign employers should deposit the salaries of OFWs in specified BANKS. This way, it will be quite easy for Philippine embassy personnel to verify and prove non-payment/underpayment of OFW salaries once they receive complaints from OFWs. It will also be easy to pin down and penalize erring foreign employers.

In the case of foreign employers' inhuman treatments of OFWs, like overly long working hours and physical abuse, such maltreatments should be considered CRIMES in the HOST COUNTRIES.

For the Philippine government to have clout in dealing with HOST COUNTRIES, it should work in concert with other LABOR EXPORTING COUNTRIES, invoke the name of ASEAN if possible, and, together with other aggrieved countries, present a united stand to HOST COUNTRIES.

While at the start, tackling problems of national application should be prioritized, as sound management practice, THINGS SHOULD BE DONE IN PARALLEL, NOT IN SERIES, depending on the availability of manpower and other resources.

Thus, local projects that I encountered in past emails, even if of limited area of application, are very important. These can be viewed as PILOT PROJECTS which can be eventually replicated in other applicable areas. What's more, succeeding projects need not suffer from the growing pains of the pilot projects because these can impart valuable LESSONS for the success of future projects in other regions. In short, these local projects form part of the big (macro) picture, or of the general scheme of things that OFW organizations have to visualize.

If the foregoing points merit consideration, OFW organizations have to systematize their approach to problems, define and set their priorities, then do first things first. I am sure OFW organizations are in some ways already doing this, but taking a critical second look at what they are doing may still yield them some good.

Mar