The Philippines’ reliance on overseas migration and on remittances seems systemic and
high, yet some wonder how come the Philippines still remains underdeveloped after all these
years (Manolo Abella, in Jeremaiah Opiniano, 2005). The Arroyo presidency highlighted more
this dependency of the Philippines to overseas migration, and migration is slowly taking a toll on
domestic production capabilities.
Overseas migration has become reputable globally, and overseas Filipinos have,
spanning over decades, always provided reliable inputs to Philippine development. This is not
without costs, however, to Filipino families, communities, and economic sectors (Jeremaiah
Opiniano, 2008a). Such has been a familiar storyline when this Southeast Asian archipelago
talks about overseas migration and overseas workers.
We wish the new government changes this Filipino plot —beginning with creating a
Philippine migration and development system, and ensuring policy and institutional coherence
for migration and development, in the hope that more of the positive development outcomes of
overseas migration are optimized. This vision for migration and development in the Philippines
surely complements individual overseas Filipinos’ dreams of professional growth and a better
economic future.