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| https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/7470930590131371813 |
More than sending "balikbayan" boxes and dollar remittances to their families back home, Ilocanos living or working abroad are encouraged to return home and help in the progress of the province.
This, was the message of Ilocos Norte Governor Cecilia Araneta Marcos as over a hundred delegates of the "Very Important Pinoy" (VIP) tour from the United States visited Ilocos Norte as part of their travel itinerary to experience the best of the Philippines and reconnect with their roots.
"I hope that you will see Ilocos Norte as a green pasture as well," Marcos said to the delegates.
Due to the migration of its residents to other countries, Ilocos Norte is suffering from “brain drain," which the provincial government is addressing by maximizing potentials for growth and development through job generation.
In a dinner hosted by the provincial government on Tuesday night, Marcos told the delegates that there had been a lot of improvements in the province, making it an ideal place for retirement and business.
As the province draws its strength from its people, Marcos enjoined the delegates to see the great potential of Ilocos Norte, come home, and share their expertise to the community.
The VIP Tour, formerly called the Ambassador’s Tour, is the flagship tourism program of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States led by the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC.
From July 6 to 15, the VIP delegates —among them Tourism Attache Gerald Panga of Los Angeles, Consul Generals Rosario Agana Lemque of Agana, Arman Talbo of Honolulu, Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil of San Francisco, and Adelio Cruz of Los Angeles— will be on curated tours to Manila, Laoag in Ilocos Norte, Vigan in Ilocos Sur, and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
While in Ilocos until July 10, the group's itinerary includes famous heritage landmarks such as the Malacañang of the North, St. Augustine Church in Paoay, Santa Monica Church in Sarrat, and Bantay Church and tower in Vigan.
The delegates will also experience pottery and loom weaving, and be treated with Ilokano cuisine such as empanada, tupig, bagnet, pinakbet, and longganisa, among others.
A novelty to this year’s iteration is the option to embark on the "VIP Next Gen Tour," which caters to participants with a more active lifestyle.
In a statement, the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, the lead foreign service post for the 2025 VIP tours, said the program aims to serve as "a bridge connecting Filipinos and friends of the Philippines across the world to the wonders" of the Philippines.
This situation is hilarious. Filipinos leave the country for many reasons including low wages and the red tape of government bureaucracy which impedes all progress. What exactly makes Ilocos Norte or any other place in the Philippines a "green pasture?" These people are coming for America where the roads are well maintained, brownouts are not regular, and the internet is fast. Why would they want to live in the Philippines?
It's also funny that Governor Marcos mentions the brain drain. Yes, that is a well known phenomenon but if people are not going to be paid what they are worth then why would they stay? Not to mention the national government encourages the OFW program. The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is part of the Philippines' soft power.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217840 |
Diaspora, or the spreading of Filipinos across the globe along with the Filipino culture, is the country's “soft power”, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
In diplomacy, soft power is the ability of a nation to influence other nations through attraction and persuasion instead of force or intimidation.
"We send our people or they themselves go without government intervention or support. We deploy our workers, beginning 1973 in the oil crisis, caused by the conflict between Israel and their cousin, the Arabs but not just as workers," DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said during his speech at a multi-stakeholder symposium.
He said these Filipinos sent abroad are instruments of the country's foreign policy.
"Oftentimes, especially after Republic Act 8042, our diaspora drives our foreign policy," he added.
According to DFA's latest report to Congress, there are 10,854,592 Filipinos abroad. The Americas host 49.04 percent of the tally; the Asia-Pacific, 22.83 percent; the Middle East, 21.88 percent; Europe 6.03 percent and Africa, 1 percent.
Filipinos experience disasters, calamities, famine, war and pandemic happening in their host countries.
While the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) ensure the welfare of Filipinos abroad, the DFA sees their potential to be leaders -- their capability to be rescuers instead of being only rescuees.
"In such manner, our diaspora becomes not only a group of Filipinos who seek employment abroad, but more than that: they are a great gift of the Filipino nation to all peoples on earth, and our contribution to world peace and harmony," he added.
To establish a framework of the RA 9148 implementation abroad, de Vega said the DFA could work with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the DMW, Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.
OFWs are not leaving the USA unless they are forced to do so. That is a fact. They left the Philippines for a reason. Rather than plead for them to return, imagine how much it would cost to relocate your entire life 10,000 miles away, what Governor Marcos should do is help build a Philippines that people do not want to leave. That would include better wages, improved working conditions, and less bureaucracy. There are many other things that need fixing as well which have been extensively discussed on this blog. Not only have the rats have jumped ship but they drive Philippine foreign policy. It's time to build a new ship.
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