The fact that the Philippines gets a tenth of its gross national product (GNP) from its overseas
workers, many of these in the Middle East, resonates throughout government’s foreign policy.
The Philippine commitment to the coalition against global terrorism must take into account that
the Philippines is a special circumstance. Unlike other countries, 8 million Filipinos live and work
abroad. Some 1.5 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East and more than 4 thousand are in
Iraq as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The life and livelihood of these OFWs involves some
hazard in the war against terrorism. Many of them are truck drivers and construction workers
vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Combat troops of other coalition members are by definition not as
vulnerable. The government’s policy is to reduce that vulnerability.
The government will continue to provide progressive consular and legal assistance to Filipinos
abroad. It shall also strengthen the welfare mechanisms for OFWs by aggressively forging new
bilateral agreements with host countries. OFWs shall be tapped as sources of capital, new skills and
technology by implementing the entrepreneurship program under an expanded OFW Reintegration
Program (Chapter 1: Trade and Investment; Chapter 12: Responding to Basic Needs of the Poor; and
Chapter 19: Science and Technology).
The Philippines will push for the review and amendment of the Foreign Service Act, the
Migrant Workers Act, the Passport Law, and the Overseas Absentee Voting Law that will help in the
pursuit of protecting the interest of the Filipinos overseas.