Why 30% of Sailors are Filipino
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- čas přidán 21. 04. 2022
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Ratio
Just a point about the statistics: dollars earned from tourism are also counted under remittances, and so are the salaries of some workers in the in-country BPO industry.
@@moruxuss8313 + L + late video + oof
8:24 A Typo - DOESTIC HELPERS
Very interesting video, PolyMatter :)
Next: Why 30% of the comments are Filipino.
I wonder why
swagapino 😎
30% are not "PROUD PINOY" comments
It's going to be way more than 30%
make that 99.9%
Filipino sailors, nurses, domestic helpers, engineers, and all sorts of workers abroad who send money back home - they have my utmost respect.
I hope that the day comes when they no longer need to work abroad and be able to make a sustainable living back home.
Thank you for you kind word for us Filipinos. Im also thinking about working abroad because Im only earning $440 dollars a month here in Ph as a Engineer I
15 percent of the GNI and I think 9 percent of our GDP when converted for production comes from massive remittances of these Overseas Filipino Workers so yeah Respect.
The US always blocks "rogue regimes" from receiving money from their people working abroad, but the right path to solve the poverty problem is for everyone from a poor country to just emigrate and not send money back to their country of origin since it just perpetuates evil regimes (any government, even democratically elected ones are evil if their people needs to send remittance)
agree...i hope someday Filipinos can be happy and have a good job in the home country rather than working in jobs that you know are considered like low or something, not saying they are bad, those jobs are good in their own way but I feel like Filipinos are serving others which in reality yeh it is, which is sad cause that's just how they could earn better to have a better life for themselves and their families.
They don't want to. Even if the country improves, they will never want to return.
I graduated with a Business Degree, my other siblings are a Doctor of Medicine and a Nurse. We were able to finish our education through our mother who worked as a Domestic Helper in Kuwait and Hong Kong in 25 years.
Are you or any of your siblings leaving the country?
No. We are happily working here at the motherland
Your mother is a hero.
make sure to give your mother a well deserved retirement plan and also lots of love then
We are proud of you
I'm a european captain of a chemical tanker, i have filipino men on my ship. They are the absolute best crew i could ever ask for. Hardworking, good at their jobs and very motivated. These men do not skip a day without performing their duties 110% and all that with a smile on their face. Only i wish they would be appreciated more economically since they are worth double of every single cent they are given. I could not give more praise to them. Salamat kaayo ug mabuhay❤🇵🇭
It's also important to point out that in Philippines, the qualifications are very high and the wage is very low. For instance, if you are a fresh college graduate and looking for a job, most of the company or businesses here requires many years of experience and expertise in the job field and in order to get that qualification, you need a job. This problem is similar to "which came first? chicken or egg". The job requirement here in the Philippines is unfavorable to college fresh graduates and our government does not do anything about it.
Coming from at least one perspective (Those from STEM fields); I've heard that there are way too many people coming into Engineering-related courses for example - hoping to be part of a 'lucrative' industry, yet - demand is way too low for the eventual supply of Engineering graduates. Therefore, the wages are extremely low as well. It's unfortunate that this is the reality of not just STEM graduates, but of nearly all career prospect options here.
I guess in a sense, our migrant worker and remittance situation kind of.... Perpetuates this? We're all directly or indirectly living off of a large sum of resources, bought with money made by service work abroad. I believe that OFWs are alright, and of course - I'm not blaming any of the situation on them (it's all circumstantial). However, in a sense - we've artificially inflated the ability for Filipinos to be able to engage in the economy, by buying resources. I guess that's the "Currency Devaluation" mentioned made in the video. When it becomes easy enough to have 10% of the economy depend on work and production that occurs outside of the country, you have less of an incentive, or I guess - a 'need' to create work here, because people who stay here either stay out of circumstance (can't go abroad) or are rich enough to stay, or they're simply gonna leave and bring back a larger sum of money back to the Philippine economy anyways. The Filipinos who stay need a job, so they'll settle for what's there. If you don't count among those people, then you're going abroad. Who needs to create, let's say - more engineering jobs, when you can always get a large supply of willing workers for low wages because they can't or aren't going abroad, and why would the government push you to do something like that when even in the short term - it's able to collect more money off of OFWs than they would've with low-wage local engineers for example. In reality, the better investment would've been to keep encouraging these engineers to stay, because that's what's gonna encourage growth in wages, production of value, and such, but I digress (And I could be very wrong, as well). Just a little thought.
Add ageism to this where the Philippines one of the few countries left who put age limits on jobs and discriminate against the more elderly. This creates another vicious cycle in a country where the social safety is very weak and close to being nonexistent.
@@LA-qv1ir what low are you talking about btw? Is it the retirment at 60?
Incredible! Its similar here in Brazil.
those qualifications apparently doesn't apply to running for president of the country -- nothing can stop even someone with a fake degree :D
I worked on crude tankers years ago and the Filipino crews were the nicest and hardest working people I ever dealt with, they were great to work with.
I lived in the Philippines for several years and went house to house with them. I have never loved a people so much. It broke my heart to see the social & community gap that migrant workers would make. I saw lots of basically single-parent houses raising children because one parent would be off in Saudi or wherever. I could walk down a street and tell which house had an OFW and not. There are many more problems than economic caused by this. Pusong Pinoy!
I once knew some US Navy sailors who joked about the "Filipino Mafia" in the fleet. Not an actual crime syndicate, but simply the fact that 1) there were an abnormally large percentage of Filipinos in the service relative to the size of the Filipino-American population, and 2) the Navy's F-A sailors tend to look out for each other.
The facts of the global labor market mentioned in this video probably have some connection to why that "Filipino Mafia" exists. Of course, the USN has to pay all sailors of equal rank the same regardless of background due to a small thing called "Civil Rights law", so the Navy doesn't benefit financially from having a large Filipino/ Filipino-American crew, but from the other side the USN probably looks like a pretty great job. If you're going to sea anyway, would you rather have a temp job with zero security working for a captain and shipping company which sees you as completely disposable and replaceable and can get away with treating you as such, or for an organization with a very clear 20-year career track. At least that's my theory, but I'm spitballing here.
Most of the 1st generation really joined the USN because of the promise that they could become a US citizen. At that time the US was seen as the land of golden opportunity, where the remittance brought back at home get the interest of a lot of neighbors. This drive the drive Filipinos to enlist, or get a US citizen spouse to be a citizen. Having a single US citizen in your family opens up opportunity, for they can request for other members to migrate also.
I worked with a US military contract firm that was staffed nearly entirely of Pinoy. They have a rich culture, delicious food, and always willing to share. One of the greatest groups of guys and gals I had the pleasure of working with.
Because the Philippines was a former US colony and culturally affiliated with the US.
@@ryancruz5026 Technically true.
INTERESTING THAT HE DID NOT MENTION THE RISE OF THE PHILIPPINES AS THE CENTER OF THE BPO Industry in the world. That what we earn from the BPO Industry has actually surpassed the OFW remittances.
@@leticiaperez9146 who is good it means jobs are finally here but also bad since reliance but hey look at it this way instead of relying on war profiteering and oil why not both its basically that but for OFW and BPO
WTF??????
I'm a product of such system. Migrate to Educate to, at some point, migrate to other countries. The promise of a better life, that's we want for our families, regardless if we'll only be complete, once a year. With the current economic conditions of our country, such ideals will not likely change anytime soon. Still, thank you for providing an objective view of what is being considered as 'normal' in our country.
I am from India and we had a similar system. I have personally felt the struggle. Things are improving in my country as of now and I hope things improve in Philippines as well.
I was told by a Filipino coworker of mine here in Greece that there is a so-called tradition to provide 10% of your monthly payment to the church(I believe she was catholic). Is this true? Because then the church is also interested to keep this practice going long into the future.
@@εγεω The Catholic Church no longer has a policy of tithing. 10% maybe a voluntary gesture. But also, your co-worker maybe a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), which is a Protestant denomination based in the Philippines and have an official tithing policy.
@@εγεω Not Filipino here, but Chilean, that tradition exists here for Protestant families while Catholics pay 1% (but nobody does it anymore because we aren't that catholic as before)
IIRC the 10% wage monthly payment is very common in Latin America for protestant families and I suppose in the Philipines would be the same or similar
@@graystoke8229 As a former INC, that's not true, but apparently some families religiously (pun intended) follow through with the 10% thing
Suprised you didn't mention the Navy. The US Navy at one point had alot of enlistment programs for Filipinos in the 1990s. Many in exchange for US Citizenship. As a result, tons of Filipinos flooded to the force establishing the "Filipino mafia". This combined with American GIs marrying local Filipinas via Clark Airbase and Subic Bay cemented the culture on the DoD as a whole. Even 30 years later you'll be able to go to an on post Army/Navy grocery store and you'll see tons of Filipino food for sale.
I even had a classmate who his mom was American working in one of US bases here in Philippines.
Filipino in the U.S Navy are not OFWs.
Wait Filipino mafia?? 🤣 In the US? Haven't heard of it. Are they like mafia gang?
@@accelerator7952 Filipino Mafia is a meme for Filipinos in the U.S Navy because there's a lot of them.
@@hangten1904 ohh lol haha
I never met a Filipino until I went to US Navy. Lots of fun, good food, and friendly banter.
The introduction to Filipino food was a great experience for me as a young man.
Used to work with a team of Filipinos, probably the nicest most diligent people in the entire company. I was really happy that you made this video, it allows me to understand them and where they come from, this video gave me a lot more insight into their life.
Thank you sir...for appreciating our filifino brother and sisters
thank you sir
I think this is known world over that the Filipino people are by far the nicest people you will ever meet. Black and Hispanic men who go to retire in the Philippines feel welcome when they go there more than they feel in their own country
What company?
@@kramzkie3872 a small repair workshop for aircraft parts run by ST engineering, we repaired thrust reversers, flaps and air intakes for airplanes
I was in the US Navy and 20% of my ship's crew were Filipino. My Company Commander (Drill Instructor in the Navy) was Filipino. Lots of the US Navy are Filipinos (or were in my time) because there was a treaty with the Philippines and the US when we had Subic Bay there for the US Navy to enlist a number of Filipinos every year.
I was part of “Filipinos in the US Navy:” July 1987- July 2007……. Still serving with the Federal civil service……….. thanks for noticing⚓
If you were in the US Navy, you know the Filipino Mafia is the one that runs things behind the scene
@@RockofArizona Thankyou for your service!
The Filipino Mafia in the USN. They exist. LOL
@@ialexander8715 I am totally pamimiar wid da mapia.
Filipino people are one of the most cheerful, fun, kind and hardworking people I have ever seen. I am from Myanmar and our country relies on foreign remittance from people working abroad as well. I hope quality of life and livelihood of all of us improve soon, without having to separate from your home and family.
Without watching the video, but based upon personal experience- Because, unlike many people, Filipinos are not afraid of hard work and aren't afraid of the ocean. Met a lot of Filipino sailors in the US Navy working to improve the lives of their families. Admirable people.
According to some of my veteran friends, they like to joke around that the US Navy is actually the Filipino Navy and the US Army is actually the Latino Army.
True, there's so many military memes depicting this.
And there are also a lot of Latinos in the USMC too, right?
@@theobuniel9643 A lot of Martinez's
@@theobuniel9643 having been in both the Army and the Marine Corps there are WAAAAY more Latino’s in the Marine Corps per capita than in the Army.
Probably true. My classmate, eldest of 6 siblings, was the first to enter the US Navy when their family migrated. Soon, her 4 siblings followed suit. Wouldnt be surprised if their youngest, who is still in uni would enter the Navy after graduation. Unlike migrant workers though, they're probably living their best lives as US citizens
This makes me so sad. I’m friends with a Filipino guy and he’s so sweet and a hard worker who loves his wife and kids. Filipinos are some of the happiest, funniest and nicest people I’ve ever met. Knowing they are being exploited makes my heart hurt.
Don't be sad for them, it's their choice to want a better life. Life here in the Philippines is hard and most of us agree to the point that we just laugh at it and try to solve it in our own ways.
@@nooblangpoo maybe so, but I know there is definitely abuse overseas that people are to afraid to speak up about for fear of losing their income. And also kids, I’m sure kids miss their parents so much. I can’t help but feel that a situation like that is so open for exploitation. :(
But I totally get doing what you have to to give your family a better life.
@@Nikki_Catnip There definitely is abuse and mistreatment, It's very sad. Elections are coming up here so we hope to elect a worthy President. Although due to disinformation and misinformation, it currently is difficult.
@@Nikki_Catnip what type of exploitation are you talking about exactly?
@@angadgrewal9324 passports being taken away so they can’t leave, Sexual abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse. If a person is thousands of miles away in another country it’s very easy for someone to have a lot of control over them. And since they aren’t citizens of their host country I’m sure a lot would be scared to seek police help for fear of retaliation or not being taken seriously. So they don’t have many avenues available for help if exploitation occurs.
As a helmsman on a river barge in the EU, I've seen more and more Filipino colleagues! I'm happy they come over :) They are a wonderful friendly people! Always have good fun working with them! And we have a HUGE labor shortage in "inland" cruises/cargo shipping. (So, on rivers, canals, lakes etc. Not the sea.)
luckily the IT industry in the Philippines has started to get traction. providing people with competitive salary locally. And with recent law changes giving investors easier access to build business.
the narrator was right. overseas Filipino workers are fulfilling the role of the government.. remittances is what provides food, shelter, clothes and education to family's back home. while politicians doesn't bother to do their primary role as an elected officials.
You give birth to them, you provide for them. It should be the parent’s responsibility to begin with.
I keep urging them to vote wisely.
They keep electing them mfs on public officials so it's thier fault
We are a capitalist state
@@Panzer_ze_tank Exactly!
The "cheap" labor that is perceived by foreign employers is the opposite for Filipinos. As you said, a nurse earns 15x more working overseas than here. The OFW (overseas Filipino workers) business is also a gateway for Filipinos to eventually live abroad as citizens who can bring their families, and I can attest to this. The conditions here in this country are more than just a bad workplace and low pay, it also has problems with the government, crime, environment, etc. My parents have suggested multiple times that I should work abroad simply because it is much better. At first, I thought about working here in the future to be separate from the norm, but seeing how our country is managed, I now think my parents were right. Unless the government does something about this, which will not happen since they earn a lot of money from this, then this brain drain that we are experiencing will just keep going.
That’s how cheap labor works - it’s cheap to one party but high paying (relative to options) for the other party.
I really hope that your country can one day bring the whole nation of Filipinos back home. We Greeks have migrated from 1950 up to 1980 and the trend picked up steam again after the financial crisis of 08 to this day. We have a saying that the third largest Greek city is Melbourne.
@@facelessvoice The choice between oneself and one's country has to be the hardest decision to ever make. The choice to stay is still logical although it is selfless and goes for the long term rather than the short term reward of going abroad. Either way, it is the reality of poverty and I wouldn't judge anyone who does one or the other.
The government in the Philippines no matter who sits at the top is hopeless. 6 yrs isn't enough for radical change.
@@rodaxel7165 i feel like the govt issue is itself also a self-perpetuating cycle. with the brain drain, the most prospective leaders of the next generation see migration as their best goal, so they don't aspire to local politics. this means the people most likely to be able to lobby their own govt with facts and leadership are also gone. who's left behind? either people who can't leave (i.e. less educated or less brilliant people) and those who are comfortable exploiting this cycle of stagnation for their own benefit.
corrupt politicians and their cronies are the ones who benefit from stagnation. why improve a system when it already works for you? this exact cycle is present in the US as well, and in china, just that they've already largely progressed beyond the far less functional developing country status, so the bottom rung in those countries are still higher than the middle rung in developing countries.
I served in the US Navy. Even before that my stepdad US Marine taking us to Camp Lester Naval Hospital. Filapino sailors as corpsman getting us medical examed and immunization. My Company Commander in bootcamp was Filapino. We had 3 Recruits in our company that were Filipinos and he made sure they were taken care of and not involved in harsh treatment like rest of the guys no matter where we came from. They stick to each other and there was serious unequal, unfair treatment. I even saw them in Dubai in mid 90s to Hongkong, South Korea, Japan (on/off base) to California at VA Hospital met a filapina nurse. Their everywhere. Alot of them I ran into. They mentioned putting their nephew, nieces to school, building business or home, etc. The poverty is beyond belief.
The situation of the Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong breaks my heart. The Philippine government should purchase a building in HongKong that can be used as a community center for them.
They bring in so much money to the country it’s the least that the government can do. Also in Singapore and the Arab states.
But will the CCP approve? CCP might use these nurses in their hostage diplomacy.
In the Philippines, aspiring to work abroad, even as a domestic helper, is an honorable act to uplift your family from poverty, unlike staying in the Philippines and work in the civil service where being a civil servant, while will give you juicy high and stable salary and benefits without restoring to leave the country, will deem you by the general public as an accomplice to a corrupt politician.
Getting 3rd worlds ppl to call subjecting your family to slavery and disunity an honorable act is capitalism at its finest.
but that's why the Phillipines stays poor...
@@user-cr3pn7rk2v Does it matter? The old world is ending.
yes CZcams there's definitely 4 replies here
they complain about corrupt politicians 24/7 but dont do anything about it. if the average person became a politician they would also be corrupt. the entire society is corrupt, not just the politicians.
Working with them on ships has always been a pleasure. They are always thoughtful, polite, hard working, smart, and safe. They also have some of the best food on the planet.
@@barbaraescuela60 r u being sarcastic?
This article speaks exactly about me and this is true . I’m a Filipino domestic helper in Singapore - after I graduated in college I tried to look for a job but they require experiences and with pleasing personality . I was a fresh graduate with zero experience , months and months no return call I was devastated . So I decided to apply to work abroad and by far the best decision I’ve ever made .. Maybe there’s a reason why I came across this article to gain more subscribers . 😄
I'm a Filipino nurse working in the US and been here for almost 17 years. Most of my nursing class are here working while some are in the Middle East or the UK. I tell my American colleagues that I used to earn only $125/month back when I started my nursing career in the Philippines and they couldn't believe it. Now I earn significantly more. You earn a bit more when you work in a goverment hospital, mine was a private one. So, there is your answer.
We do yearn for the mother country and would want to go back to a more laid back lifestyle and not the rat race of Western life, it's tiring in the long run. But the Philippines stil has a long way to go in improving the quality of life especially the elimination of corruption and ineffeciency of goverment. Maybe one day I will go back for good. Keeping my fingers crossed though.
I went to secondary school in an international school. Most of the curriculum was is English despite it not being the language of my country. The majority of the teachers were Filipino, since they were fluent in English and were cheap to hire.
The Philippines is just an interesting scenario, since with Vietnam or Cambodiia you get that a lot of the immigrants are probably the product of 20th century wars. But the Philippine government actually wants to send their workers overseas.
The Philippine government is like a parasite draining all the things it can from its people. It drains more than it provides.
Which is sad.
The government just wants to save face, of actually admitting they'd can't pay for own damm bills.
INTERESTING THAT HE DID NOT MENTION THE RISE OF THE PHILIPPINES AS THE CENTER OF THE BPO Industry in the world. That what we earn from the BPO Industry has actually surpassed the OFW remittances.
Umm. English is actually considered as our official language mandated by 1987 Constition. Skl
As a Filipino with my aunt and uncle in Singapore, and another uncle who's a sailor, yea imma just say, we do this because money from richer countries really benefit us back here
You're not telling the full story.
You're actually in Singapore because you cannot imagine a life without chilling out with us Singaporeans on a weekly basis lah.
@@spacecraftcarrier4135 lol ofc singaporeans on par with us with hospitality.
I don’t like Singapore because the only Singaporean I know stole $20 from me
@@TimSmith-ne5zs 💀
@@spacecraftcarrier4135 Lmao this is wholesome
It's sad. Working abroad has always been my goal while studying, because I wanted to travel and experience living in another country. That was the only way I knew how.
Now before I graduated college a lot of my classmates were adamant that they wouldn't leave the country because they love living in the Philippines. It was only after a few years of employment that many realize they can't support their family with the wage they've been given. It's enough to feed and cloth, but what about a house? Car? Land? You would need to open a successful business to acquire any of those on your own in the Philippines.
This is a well researched. Thank you.
When i was severly ill in the hospital 3 years ago, one of the nurses was from the Philippines, she had been in Germany for a very short time. Sometimes we had a hard time communicating as her German was really not there yet, which can be somewhat frustrating when you feel like crap and can't properly explain what's going on. But she'd find a way to help me, she was so calm, patient, and focused but also friendly and empathetic. She'll be one of the rather few good memories of that time and I'm glad her path far away from home crossed mine. :)
@@joehinds29988 *Good question!*
❤️❤️❤️
But you're fluent in English and does the Filipina Nurse you met? How come you did not converse in English since obviously as a Nurse in some part of Europe, she must to have such proficiency in English Language right? 😅
So y dont u speak her in english?
@@gatasalvaje8611 She wasn't fluent in English either
As a son of a Filipino who migrated to the US, I can say this is a pretty good explanation of the situation, but would have appreciated at least a mention of how this practice first became ingrained into the culture due to the need for nurses during WW2. Still, thanks for this great video!
In WW2 the Philipines was under Japanese occupation, as I'm sure you're well aware. Could you elaborate on how they were able to migrate & fill a demand for nurses?
@@rhynosouris710 apologies, I meant WW1. But while we're speaking about WW2, the 2nd wave began around the end of the war and really kicked into gear with 1948's Exchange Visitor Program.
@@AdmiralThumbs in world war 1 Philippines actually isn't that involve in it, Philippine overseas employment started around world American colonization and world war 2, there was a time that the Americans needed workers for the sugar cane industry and many of the Filipinos would work like Hawaii or areas with a much more similar climate to the country, In world war to the demand of Nurses increased and many Filipinas and Filipinos were taught about it and had to do them to serve and help in the war.
wasn't it already a thing since the start of the American occupation of the islands back in the early 20th century?
It began much earlier than that. Some of the ilustrados who left the country in the 1860s also brought their skills with them, most of them doctors.
Because the qualtiy of skills of the Filipinos are at par if not the best in so many departments. Plus a really good character and attitudes, you really cant go wrong. They are easy to deal with and generally good in communications. ❤️
Smooth ad transition, love it
In Israel, such a big part of elderly care are Filippino, that some use the words care-giver and Filippino intermittently.
How are Filipinos behaving there?
Filipino*
no such thing as "Philippino". the country name is anglicized. the original demonym stays true to the original spanish name of the country
@@xXxSkyViperxXx thanks for correcting me, changed it
@@nunyabiznes33 as normal hard-working people, just like the video described
@@nunyabiznes33 No jihad shit
While I appreciate the effort that goes into writing seamless segues into sponsors, I find that they weaken your videos' structure by leaving them without a proper concluding statement. The takeaway should be something more than "...and that's why you should subscribe to Brilliant".
making a proper conclusion can't pay the bills
It's cool and clever at first but since it became the staple for Polymatter, it does feel annoying over time.
This video was doing great until he did that yeah
@@d9zirable but the best segues into an ad are those in the middle or at the start. Messing with the conclusion like this just seems off. Adam Rogussa and internet etiquette have great ads in the middle.
the concluding statement was that higher education is largely ineffective as it teaches things the phils dont have jobs for
nicely scored at the end, like a subtle barrage of ninjas cutting onions + amazing transition to spon.
also important to note that corruption plays an incredible role, especially during the dictatorship wherein every province in the philippines suffered lower standards of living
I'm a seafarer, and yes the work outside pays substantially, but the problem in the most part is; the labor is hard and the protections for our labor are never properly justified such as lack of medical insurance etc. all because of our timidity to complain(we are scared to lose our jobs because in every household, those who work abroad will become the breadwinner, that is why most elders prefer to raise their children to be competent so they could work outside of the country. and this is the most problematic part, nothing really matters until you produce your intended result - we are living in a shoestring) - and this is why most companies or individuals easily manipulate the rights that should have been served from the very beginning. For me, this is a vicious cycle of OFWs' life that should be changed or in the most part or be destroyed.
The system is obsolete. The 1987 constitution limits the foreigners to set up bizniz or factories in the Philippines. To many engineers and technicians without factory to work.
When I was in the US Navy the Steward rating was mostly manned by Filipinos. The Steward provide services to the commissioned officers. They cook for them, launder and iron their clothing, clean the wardroom. The Wardroom is the section of the ship where the officers live. It's off limits to other enlisted personnel. On shore stations they are assigned to the Officers' Mess. Bachelor Officers eat there and it operates as a private club for dinners and dances.
There were problems though. The Filipinos acted as a sort of Mafia. They were privy to a lot of overheard conversations. They had an international communications network. A lot of times their fleetwide exams for advancement ere canceled and rescheduled because the answers to the tests had been compromised.
Few of them were advanced beyond E-5. That's because they had to become a US citizen to advance to E-6 and above. If they did that they would lose their Philippines citizenship. Their plan was to retire from the US Navy and live like a king on their pension. Even retirement as an E-5 was a great deal of money compared to what Filipinos made.
The Navy decided to bust up the clique. They were forced into other ratings or to advance. I should have mentioned that what Stewards weren't Filipino were Black. This affected them too. Most went into other service ratings like Ship Servicemen or the Commissary rating cooking in the galley. Others went to supply. I worked for one who was a Chief Construction Electrician in the Seabees. And they would have access to medical care on the US military bases.
One thing that greatly affected them was the Philippines forcing the US military out of the country. There were Naval Bases, Army and Air Force Bases. Thousands of civilian jobs were lost which didn't help their economic problems.
After all the turmoil things changed. Many were married to US citizens and decided to stay in the US.
ah yes, the supply mafia. befriend them and you get first dibs
*international communications network*
As a Filipino this is true, plus we like to gossip alot about eachother
international communications network? damn , imagine if the philippines could use them as spies LOL.
@@fcuagency2163 *marites intensifies*
Very interesting, I am surprised that they didn't want to become US citizens by advancement into E-6, I thought the prospect to become a US citizen is more attractive to them. But you are correct, given that the pension is probably not that much (don't see a lot of US vets living in luxury) it probably make more sense for them to return home and live like kings.
I think if USA is able to negotiate dual-citizenships with Philippines, then more will be willing to advance to E-6 and become citizens. But it's probably something after the the current Philippines president who is hostile to USA
I am part of the young Filipino generation and it's sad to see first hand that my peers and I, myself included, aspire to finish school just so we could flee the country and work abroad. That's how bad we think our country's shape is in right now.
"Overseas workers are fulfilling the responsibilities of the state" - nothing could be said truer detailing a broken system.
Nope. They don't even pay taxes in the Philippines. Many are OFWs because of money, and prestige of working abroad not realizing they are NOT contributing to nation building.
They don't pay taxes, and their efforts are not for the betterment of the country. Then when they're old and spent,they go back here to retire and live off from social welfare. Where would that money come from if they have not paid taxes here?
How could anyone say OFWS ARE NOT contributing to Nation building!!! Wow!
Pls check out how much remittances are flowing into the country. How much the families are contributing to the economy since they have the money to spend for their needs.
Sp, to claim that OFWS are not contributing any to the country is not fair.
Social welfare?!?/?
OFWs are not paying taxes? Do you mean income tax?
@@islandgirl8199 Yeah, duh!
My Senior Chief is Filipino, solid guy looks out for the whole division.
8:26 "No private room" applies to most people in HK, domestic workers or not....
I was reading an article on this recently and here I am. Thanks for the great explanation
Excellent journalism and analysis.
I recall reading something years ago. The Filipino government considered what the economic impact of exporting so much labour was on the country, and whether it would be better to develop industries locally so that the workers could stay at home. They discovered that the Phillippines made more money by exporting workers rather than keeping them at home, so have continued this system.
They think in the short term
@@sotch2271 Let's be real here, we can't afford to think in the long term. You can't really think of the future if the present isn't secured.
That only applies to Factory work. How can you stay home as a Sailor your job is out in the Ocean,
And that will bite them in the ass once countries start to look elsewhere, like Vietnam. The Philippines really needs national industrialization. And that's what the Filipino Left like Makabayan and Laban ng Masa is pushing for
After the great Oil crisis and it's effect to the economy and to the workers that is Marcos's plan, invest on large scale developements and construction. From Nuclear power plant for cheap electricity to building large road network for better transport. Making new dams for more water. All this to entice foreign investors
The Aquino got himself killed and all broke loose, specially all the Communist union sabotaging companies, all American big companies like Ford motor, GM moved to Thailand. You'll notice that in the chart starting in the late 80's that surge in migration to other countries really went up. The Aquino family really messed up our country. The American government even gave us Billions of US aid after the "Edsa Revolution". All suddenly dissappeared. Then Telelvision and newspaper companies goes to all the Aquino cronies.
The Aquino family say Marcos is a dictator and did human rights violations. Are they really stupid. Do people even realize that Cory Aquino and friends are allied with Fidel Ramos, head of the secret police and is the one that put people into prison, had Ninoy arrested and sent jail. There's also Juan Ponce Enrile. Another "Hero" of Edsa. Enrile is the chief architect of the Marshal Law and set mission statement of the Military. What kind Hypocrisy is this.
And they all blame it on Marcos. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar...
Situation of india is also very similar, Im about to complete my degree in bachelors of business administration from new delhi and there is absolutely no job prospects for me except to work in call centres and that doesnt require any degree. My parents wasted their savings on a degree that is not able to give me any good job. U can do MBA that will cost even more and after completing mba u will most likely end up in a foreign country. I have some rich classmates, they are planning to do MBA itself in a foreign country.
Working hard or making sacrifices is not a problem when u get the fruits for your sacrifice....... its when u realise that u just wasted time and money that u cant get back, thats soul crushing
I have met many Indians in the US, and they are mostly software engineers. They finished their Bachelor’s degree in India and then came to the US to do their Master’s. Once completed, they end up working with big tech companies such as Google and Facebook/Meta. I have also met some Indians who obtained their MBA here and thereafter found jobs in their field.
If you dont mind me asking, is unemployment for business admin grads really that bad here in India? I am a bit clueless about it
May i know if bba course was hard?
Thanks Polymatter 😍 This video is very accurate 👌
Nice analysis. Nice work. Keep the good work sir.
As a Filipino:
*THANK YOU, POLYMATTER, FOR COVERING US AND OUR PROBLEMS AND SITUATION.*
did u vote bbm?
@@exdrus2480 Obviously not! 🤣
The irony about that giant picture frame at 5:09....it wasn't even Dubai's idea to begin with. It's nicknamed the "biggest stolen building of all time"
The idea was conceived by Fernando Donis, who designed CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. He participated in a ThyssenKrupp Elevator International Award competition (the same competition that looked for a design for the Sydney Opera House) and the theme for 2009 was to create a new emblem structure for Dubai. In Fernando's mind, Dubai already had emblems so instead of creating another one, he proposed something that would not only frame them all but show Dubai's past and progress, a genius idea. He won $100,000 for his design and got to dine with Dubai's Crown Prince. However, once he left, the Dubai Municipality sent him a contract that demanded he give up his intellectual property, that he would never visit the construction site, and never promote it as his own. He refused to sign and Dubai went ahead and hired somebody else to do it for them...they changed his design. And he couldn't even sue the Municipality in Dubai, because in the Dubai legal system the people who allow you to sue the Dubai Municipality IS the Dubai Municipality
Wow
Imagine being cuban-american. Cringe.
@@correctionguy7632 Bruh, really man? 😒
Such an eye opener!
I'm part of that system, my father is a seafarer, sent me to study a course in the medical field, and eventually, I'll be working abroad as well. The prices are high, while the wages are low here so people end up looking elsewhere for income. I don't want to leave my country, but I've accepted the fact that I too might have to leave someday if the prices continue rising while the wages stay stagnant.
There’s something inherently wrong with the system when your own countrymen look towards other countries to have a better life. You’re separating fathers and mothers from their families into mostly dangerous and alien environments. It is not sustainable; we should look for more opportunities within and let foreign investors come to us since we’re one of the best when it comes to human capital.
Philippine government: Nah
TIL a French fry could be nationalist
Phillipine's government just encourage their own brain drain
surely in the following election they'll fix it. that's one major factor on why people will vote for Marcos Jr, he wants to lure more foreign investors instead of people working in other countries for remittances. trust me Filipinos see overseas workers as a problem because of the motive of going to another country to work instead of finding one at home
Ain’t gonna happen with all those protectionist policies mate.
It's important that they are cheap, but the thing that makes them stand out as being usefull is that they speak english.
Plus Filipinos are friendly and not rude like Indians.
@@EatMyShortsAU bro , im filipino , stop with the racism , yes there are rude indians , but not all.
@@EatMyShortsAU indians? Ahahaha
I'm a filo, most of us think that we're fluent but we're not, you will know it when you encountered a filo, yea they can speak but not really like a natural-born English speaker
@@lvl50hogrider5 Not fluent but proficient. Many Filipinos don't speak broken English unlike Koreans or Japanese.
Heck English is super broad now since Australians sound nothing like British or American, or Midwestern or Southern, so Filipinos not sounding like a native speaker isn't an issue.
My guess before watching this:
-Low wages
-They speak English
-Bad human rights laws in Phillipines
Yep and the abuse towards them in the Middle East is even worse than at home
I've been wondering about our diaspora lately. A lot of Filipinos ended up in Las Vegas, too, and I can only imagine the need to staff hotels contributed.
I know at least 10 people who are sailors and 5 more who study to be a sailor in my baranagay(smaller than a town like a county)
We can see in the video and in 7:26 why overseas employment should be temporary, which isn't the case for PH. Relying on overseas remittances for GDP growth alone isn't enough for economic growth, especially when demands change (12:31). The same goes for when a country bases its economy on services. PH and other countries that rely on these should focus more on developing the basic and productive sectors which are agriculture and manufacturing. With that, as in PH's case, the effects of a country having an import-dependent and being export-oriented (e.g., services) economy would be minimized.
With that, thank you for shedding light on this topic! The agricultural sector here in the PH isn't given much importance with all the land grabbing, lack of rights, expensive goods and such. This just shows why we should strive for better policies and better leaders, or yet a better system that not just caters a few people but also all classes of the whole nation. Finally, support your local groups that help farmers and workers alike, going forward to a future where working overseas isn't considerably a need to survive or help your family. Mabuhay!!
^ also why "walang natira" by gloc-9 is still relevant even after a decade of its release
On that note about the agriculture, we used to be the leading researchers into the cultivation of new and better strains of rice. Other Asian countries came to us to learn about that kind of stuff.
And now those same countries have overtaken us.
for the philippines to escape the middle income trap and become a respectable developed nation, it needs to implement several reforms and policies, like:
- Fixing the income rule in the constitution
- Actual respect for the rule of law and anti-graft/corruption campaigns
- Increasing accountability of government finances and transactions
- Promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation, and ingraining the belief that sacrifice is needed to make the Philippines a rich nation (especially discouraging workers from moving abroad)
- Encouraging homegrown business in order to develop export brands (Jollibee is an example)
- Promotion of the arts and develop a entertainment/gaming industry that can boost soft power and the country’s image, attracting more tourism and investment
- (RELATED TO ABOVE) Revitalize Philippine nationalism (instead of the desperate validation you see nowadays)
- Legalize divorce and encourage family planning, Catholic church be damned, in order to slow the population growth
- Pre-colonial cultural revival, from writing system to language purification to names
Thank you for doing this video. Life is indeed tough but we'll make do. As they say, we'll keep trying.
There's a lot of Filipinos here in Texas, my brother even married one - just had a baby. We eat white rice all the time now lmao, along with the other food she cooks. Good stuff
are you white? i hope your sister in law doesn't end up in a freezer. 🥶🥶🥶🥶
Awesome comment, adobo, sinigang, and lumpia👍
@@jaredr.7905 What are you going on about?
Do u think Filipino women make better wives than the ones in the states? I mean its astonishing that she cooks while so many white women are vehemently opposed to serving their husbands.
@@LockerGamingYT. In short, yes
My spouse is Filipino and is a nurse. I guess Filipinos are beautiful and smart. Also, they have a very nice culture and are fun to be around. I can see why they would make great crew mates on a cargo ship…
we also know English and we are very open to other culture making us easier to get along
@@death5913 wag na magbuhat ng sariling bangko.
@@randomly_random_0 ??
It is a fact of life as a FIlipino that you have at least one OFW in your extended family, often more. I was blessed enough not to have to see that struggle first hand (i.e. not having a parent that was an OFW), but many of my relatives still do. Furthermore, the fact that I'm able to go to very good schools and have access to great employment opportunities is a combination of hard work and immense luck for my father. He had come straight from poverty in the provinces, and spent most of his life working and studying simultaneously. Had he not landed in Harvard, I would likely not be commenting here today.
My point is that it is true: to have any good opportunities without leaving the country, you need to have incredible educational qualifications, and even tons of extracurricular and professional experience. Slowly, things are getting better, but surely not within my youth. As such, I'd like to ask everyone here who might have encountered an OFW in their lives to be kind, if nothing else.
For foreign viewers interested in the topic, I'd like to point you to the Filipino academe, a very vibrant and intelligent community that is heavily underappreciated. There are theories and philosophies about these sort of topics stretching as far back as the end of the colonial era in our country.
Thank you so much for this info. Do more of these video documetaRies pls.
I swear "Filipino" is starting to sound less and less like a word and more like an abstract idea
When a word is repeated too much that happens
I don't get it pls elaborate
@@myra8158 The word "Filipino" was repeated over and over again, and words lose their meaning if you say it over and over again. Like if you read the below:
Green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green green
@@myra8158 The more you say a word, it seems to lose its meaning and become weird
@@frafraplanner9277 I still don’t get what the problem is
Philippian workers are really hard workers, usually honest, friendly, and generally good people. They follow local laws, usually. And they have very kind hearts.
Disclaimer, I am married to one and have beautiful children with her.
You are married to a Filipina for years but are yet to learn how to spell "Filipino workers" correctly?
@@senorswordfish6019 Well our country name is a bit weird and can be confusing to others.
@@senorswordfish6019 Yes, However, spellcheck has not!
Nicely done 👍
That was a surprisingly detailed explanation of the realities involving Filipinos. It's also interesting that no one planned that out, it just kind of happened that way because of a myriad of different world wide issues, the Philippines governments own issues and reactions to both and the poverty stricken Filipinos own reactions and behaviors.
I was wondering how Imelda Marcos' shoe collection influenced the economy at the time though...
The Marcoses devastated the economy, so that was a huge part of the puzzle IMO.
Well, most of the Imelda Shoes was actually Gifts from Shoe Manufacturers from Marikina, the Country's Shoe Capital, others came from Foreign Dignatries from Imelda's Diplomatic Missions abroad.
@@romeocivilino6667 doesn't change the fact that most of them are bought from plundered money
@@kalamay agree doesn't also change the fact that the Marcos really stole millions of Pesos from the Citizens, to the point that they driven the economy so low it's near to bankruptcy.
@@romeocivilino6667 Wrong! Marikina? Do you really believe inelda will put on philippine-made shoes? You've got another thing coming. Her shoes were of the highest end or most luxurious kind that have little equal in the country.. the same goes for her perfumes and similar personal care products..
My family is one of these migrate to educate to migrate. Dad work in the Middle East for more than 10 years to put us all to college and when there was an opportunity to move to the USA we all did. We now all leave 5 miles away from each other. But one thing that we always do is help some of relatives to pay their schooling ( we never lend or give money to support) and gave away a lot of food especially during pandemic. We also started some businesses to also to provide with employment issues back home.
Long story short the Philippines export workers and is an Island nation with a very high population, hence Naval personel are common (even though the local Navy is more like a coastguard) hence many find work outside the country.
It's not just the money really. Corruption and, now, misinformation is so widespread that it makes life so difficult in the country. When Filipinos think of a good life for our family and especially for the children, it's just not here anymore. It's out there abroad where we don't have to break our backs and suffer through horrendous commute and rotten public systems.
very widespread
Corruption is so rampant in the Philippines that even in the lowest levels of the government, corruption is the norm while integrity and transparency is the exception. Nobody is surprised when barangay officials have new cars or when SK officials have new motorcycles. We all know where it's from anyways, it's almost like an open secret.
Thats why vote wisely. They keep voting crooks politicians.
agree disinformation😔
Misinformation by bias media i agree
nice video, also the transition from the vid to the add was smooth af, good job there ^^
It's not only desperation...sometimes you can attribute it to peer pressure. If most of the people you know work abroad then you're more likely to do it too.
great content. keep it up.
I recall when I was studying in Lisboa that one of the major churches regularly held Mass in Tagalog.
Best sponsor plug I have ever seen, hands down
Man.. you sound like you grew up in the Philippines. Great docu. I really appreciate it!
Living in Indonesia I have been helped by a few domestic workers from time to time, and even here, where the wage is low due to living costs being quite low, I still find on occasions-- Filipinos to help around the household. They traveled so far to work and send money back to their families I totally have mad respect for them because they do their work right so both parties are happy in the end
9:23
"Currency devaluation", no remittances would *increase* the value of the currency, a Filipino working in hong kong sending remittances would necessitate the purchase of Filipino peso and the sale of (HKD in this example)
Correct, because the video then mentions the resource curse which involves a currency appreciation. I was thinking the same thing, glad I’m not the only one.
kind of reminds me of what many Indians from Kerala (Malayalis) do, myself included. Jobs are in short supply in the state so we emigrate to the middle east, southeast asia and USA for work, mostly as nurses and engineers. I'm sure filipino nurses have several malayali friends/colleagues in the middle east ;) i think after filipinos, indians are also a sizeable workforce at sea.
Best decision of my life 21 yrs ago , made my family happy esp my parents who are no longer here , Btw I’m somewhere in Europe 🙏🏻
i love to see a part 2 of this ... Thank you 💜💜💜
Me too, 3 and forever
Part 2: Why do Filipinos excel in beauty contest and talent shows.
@@mistersquirrel0 which is cringy
A funny side effect of that remittances: you have a very good looking mansion in a poor neighborhood. One living in it is either an OFW or a politician 🤦🏻♂️
Thanks for this documentary. My dad in Malaysia had a Filipino domestic helper. Sheds light on Filipino expatriate workers.
with 14 years as an softwsre engineer, i have worked both locally in the Ph and in the US for 6 yrs when my company assigned me there. I can say now specially if you wre in the IT sector or BPO sector Ph can give you competitive salaries for seasoned/experience resources.
It really is an unsustainable system, like if all professional workers just leave the country, all would be left are labour shortage and an uncompetitive economy. Some do try to commit themselves to help the country. But at the end of the day, money matters for their survival.
Its not really professional workers, many are domestic helpers and caregivers, others work in the middle East/Asia as anything from cashiers to cooks to drivers to hotel maids.
Even the seafarers are doing the low level jobs in ships, and there is no demand for their trade back home.
Love your videos they helped me pass my economics class
And an economicomical way of studying, too
Any suggestions on where I can I find some data and more articles on the migrate to educate to migrate phenomena he described ?
This is so true!
I appreciate this video and I think that it is pretty accurate. I will say though that one thing that was perhaps not emphasized enough was the ability to speak English. As the language of international business, virtually nothing is more important for international workers than the ability to speak English fluently.
Hold your horses. Even in English mastery, the Philippines is already left behind. In the SEA region, we are now in the third spot after Malaysia, Singapore being the most fluent in the English language.
Everything here is hopeless. 😶
English is now widespread, except for the unskilled.
Filipinos are willing to ADAPT by respecting the law of the land.
Unlike other migrants who refuse to work and want to have only welfare.
this is divide and conquer
I guess you haven’t seen the illegals one,is that consider respecting the local law ?
This makes me so sad. I lived in the Philippines for 26 years - my whole life before this year. It was extremely difficult finding a local job that paid anywhere near $1500 USD/month which is insane considering I have a degree and can speak English like a native. I could barely pay for anything I wanted. So I decided to leave like everyone else. Tossed everything I had and started anew abroad… and even that was easier than staying.
This is enlightening..!!!
It's nothing new both my Great Grandfathers went overseas over a hundred years ago. One went to California as a migrant worker in 1903 and another one join the US Army in 1915. Both eventually retiring in the Philippines. I've got relatives that were Ship Captains, Engineers in in Middle East and Doctors in the USA. I myself have live and work in the USA since 1987. Will be retiring this year and returning back to the Philippines. Technically I'm American by birth (I can choose my nationality before we reach adulthood which is 18) and so does my other relatives but we always call the Philippines home.
when you went through your teen years banking on you being desirable for a foreign country only to realize this system could fall apart at any moment
like a pandemic , the philippines relies to heavily on the service sector , its time the PH move on to other sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.
@@odyseehasdislikesyoutubesu1892
Agriculture is unreliable due to many instances of land-grabbing by rich politicians and their cronies.
Manufacturing has been gutted by cheap smuggled goods from abroad, made worse by the ASEAN Integration in 2015. This was most evident in our textile industry, which was almost destroyed in the 1980s
Yeah but also Duterte was trying to industrialise Philippines and Who we both for is gonna be make it or break it
Spot on. We are three siblings, a med tech, a nurse and a doctor, working in the US, AU and the ME. I agree there is an inherent problem when professionals like us leave the country in search for a better life because its less likely to be found back home. The costs are literal and social. We literally had to align a time to video call with our parents due to four different time zones. Though the journey is slow and a long way ahead to financial freedom and personal growth, we always long for some day to be back and settle in a better Philippines and bring back the best skills and insights we've acquired overseas.
I have two uncle's who are seafarer's but one already retired, and one cousin is also a seafarer, and two is on the way.. and one female cousin who is planning on boarding a cruise ship to work there....