Flowing with the “brain drain”

Many years back, we usually frowned on the practice of some Filipinos going abroad to work. Usually we did not think of them as a “special” group. Many even thought they were being “unpatriotic”.

In those years, a lot of us would think that any departure is one less productive worker, especially since in the early days of such movement of workers, a large number were highly skilled professionals.

Now, a few decades since the start of a significant number of Filipinos going abroad to work, the way we look at such a phenomenon has changed. We now consider them “heroes”. Undoubtedly, they help keep our economy afloat – meaning, growing and growing as they continue to send billions of dollars back to their relatives in the Philippines. Many of them have even invested in businesses which have created jobs here.

This has been quite a turn-around. What seemed to be something that we despised because it will hurt our social and economic growth is a strategy that we now like and promote. And such a favorable attitude is well placed. It is strategy that provides a strong support to our economic development.

Consider this: overseas Filipino workers remitted to the Philippines and put money in circulation to the tune of around P700 billion last year. The exact figure is not known because this amount is based on dollars sent through banks and other “official” channels. It is not far fetched to forecast that their remittances could even surpass our national government budget in 3 years at the rate these dollars are coming in, which is increasing at about 15 percent a year.

We just need to produce more of the workers who can find work abroad so that the country will not suffer from a lack of such workers. Our educational system is well-equipped to do this.

So, who’s afraid of the brain drain?