"KATAS NG SAUDI:" A CLOSER LOOK

Patricia B. Licuanan1

Licuanan, Patricia B. "'Katas ng Saudi:' A closer look." Philippine Labor Review 9

(January-June 1985), 1:73-83.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In this paper, Patricia B. Licuanan discusses the positive and
negative effects of overseas employment on Filipino workers and their families,
based on the results of the studies conducted by the Institute of Labor and
Manpower Studies (ILMS), De La Salle University, UP Department of Sociology, as
well as on the experiences of concerned individuals. Licuanan concludes the paper
with five major questions concerning the possible human cost of the overseas
employment program.
Written by Izagene Padilla; Edited by Jack Victor M. Nera

This paper will begin with an attempt to describe the positive and negative effects
of overseas employment on Filipino workers and their families. For this section, we
will draw from the findings of research studies conducted over the past five years,
including the early exploratory and descriptive study of Licuanan (1982) using
informal interviews and content analysis of letters written by workers to their
families, large systematic surveys conducted by the Institute of Labor and
Manpower Studies (ILMS) on individual workers (1983), and by Go, Postrado and
Jimenez of De La Salle University (1983) on families and communities; an ILMS
survey of Hongkong domestics (1985) and most recently a few masteral theses, and
a state of the art paper by Arcinas of the UP Department of Sociology (1985). Aside
from research data, however, we attempted to draw from the valuable experience
of concerned individuals and groups working for the welfare of the overseas workers
and their families. Thus we interviewed representatives from KAIBIGAN, and the
Episcopal Commission on Migration and Tourism of the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines. We also interviewed clinical practitioners such as psychologists
and doctors, and civic groups. Finally, we interviewed a few workers and their
families.

After reviewing what we know about the positive and negative effects of overseas
employment, this paper will conclude with the presentation of some important
questions that still remain unanswered.

Effects of overseas employment

Most studies point to positive as well as negative effects on the workers, their
families and their communities. The most obvious positive effects stem from the
increase in income which was the main motivation for applying for an overseas job.
For workers and their families, higher income usually is related to improved quality
of life (home ownership, more amenities, improved education), enhanced self-
respect as well as enhanced status in the community and greater sense of security.
The negative effects are generally the result of difficulties experienced in the
1
Patricia B. Licuanan is director of the Human Resource Center of the Ateneo de Manila
University.
following areas: the recruitment process, the job itself, separation from family,
adjusting to an alien culture and finally re-entry into the Philippines.

A. Effects on the worker

One must not underestimate the psychological benefits of increased wages. Earning
at least three to five times what he was earning at home, the Filipino worker gains a
reprieve from the day to day anxiety about making both ends meet. He gains more
self-respect and his status in the family and community is enhanced. Married
workers gain more respect from their children. Unmarried workers gain the respect
of their siblings and take a greater part in family decision making.

While the short-term effects are obvious, the long-term eco nomic benefits of
overseas employment have not been determined. In addition to a generally
enhanced living standard, overseas earning targets include: (a) acquisition of a
house and lot; (b) setting up own business; (c) education of children, and (d) family
security. At the same time, according to a survey conducted by ILMS, more than 50
percent of workers and their families see the termination of overseas employment
within 5 years or less. This may not be sufficient time to meet the earning targets
that workers have set for themselves.

While the stress related to earning a living is temporarily relieved, the overseas
worker is still subject to other areas of stress.

The application/recruitment process. The worker's stress begins with the

recruitment process. Aside from the hazards of illegal recruitment against which
considerable public indignation has been expressed and some action taken on the
part of the POEA, the applicant has to contend with bureaucracy and interminable
delays. It has been noted that the Philippines' recruitment procedure is the longest
and most complicated among Asian sender countries.

The job. The reactions to the job are mixed. About 56 percent of the respondents of
the ILMS survey preferred working overseas to working in the Philippines. With the
worsening of economic conditions over the past 2 years, this figure has probably
gone up. Seamen seem more positive toward their jobs than landbased workers.
Country of employment also appears to be a significant factor in job classification
with less workers in the Middle East expressing satisfaction (approximately 35%).
Job satisfaction in the Americas was quite high (90%), with Africa (71%), Europe
(70%), and Asia (64%), following in that order.

Dissatisfaction with the job itself stems from contract substitution, harsh working
and living conditions such as the heat, poor amenities, physically exhausting work,
and racial discrimination and abuse from employers. This is particularly true in the
Middle East. Workers in the Middle East express their preference for non-Arab
bosses because they feel that Arabs have a low regard for Asians.

Another ILMS survey of domestic helpers in Hongkong reveals that domestics there
commonly complain that they are not granted a day off and are not allowed to use
the telephone so as not to have the opportunity to seek other employment. Some
domestics have multiple bosses and wind up serving the brothers and sisters of
their legal employer. Some domestics, because of lack of education and familiarity
with the place, tend to loiter around the streets of Hongkong and get picked up and
wind up in prostitution. They also have difficulty adjusting to the small high rise flats
which are typical of the Hongkong residences.

An MA thesis by Ling-Chu To (1985) also on Filipino domestics in Hongkong points to

the fact that as a group, the Filipino domestics in Hongkong are over-qualified for
work they are doing. In her study, 55.8 percent of the respondents had at least
some tertiary education. It was also noted that the more educated domestic
workers had more complaints about their jobs and their relationship with their
employers, particularly Chinese employers

The Chamber of Industries in Music and Entertainment (CHIME) reports that many
entertainers in Japan are working under very disadvantageous terms. They are
exploited and sometimes forced into prostitution.

The Seamen's Wives Association of the Philippines (SWAPI) complains about the
instability of their husbands' jobs. Seamen are often given a year to work with a
foreign principal through a shipping agency or company. The contract may be
renewed but this is more the exception rather than the rule. After expiration of
contract, seamen are sent home. They may re-apply but it usually takes several
months before another contract is obtained. Companies prefer to take in new
recruits so that they can charge higher recruitment fees.

Adjusting to an alien culture. The stress of adjusting to an alien culture is most

strongly felt in the Middle East. To the fun-loving Filipino, the Middle East,
particularly Saudi Arabia, is a particularly harsh and unfriendly place. Deprived of
the family and some of his favorite pastimes of gambling, drinking and romance,
there seems to be little else to enjoy. Recreational facilities such as basketball,
billiards, videotaped movies are provided in some companies but are non-existent
in smaller ones. In some areas, workers spend most of their leisure time in their
rooms playing checkers or writing letters.

Deprived of family and fun, both so important to the Filipino, the cultural dislocation
of the predominantly Christian Filipino worker is completed by his inability to
practice his religion. In more fundamentalist countries in the Middle East, the
situation has been compared to that of the early Christians in pagan Rome.
Religious services are broken up, religious objects confiscated and conversions,
forced.

On the other hand, as a former historical researcher now a governess in Saudi

Arabia reports, walang krisis doon, 'di tulad dito sa atin. Walang iskwater, walang
manlilimos, walang batang kawawa (In Saudi Arabia, there's no crisis, no slum
dweller, no mendicant and no uncared for children.)

Separation from family. The overseas experience is generally a lonely one with
workers missing home and loved ones, worrying about the health and safety of the
family and at times suffering from jealousy and heartache caused by rumors and
gossip. Family separation and its consequences was cited by 73 percent of the
workers in the ILMS survey as the main disadvantage of overseas employment.
While both the ILMS and De La Salle surveys clearly point to the fact that
objectively, infidelity of wives left behind happens most infrequently, it is still a fear
of male workers overseas. The anxiety over the infidelity of their wives, particularly
among young married men is perpetuated by popular media, by our macho culture,
and by malicious rumors among family and friends. This exaggeration of infidelity is
typified by Louie, a painter in Iraq who believes that 70 percent of women left
behind are unfaithful. Masakit sa lalaki iyon. Buti na long iyong misis ko kasama sa
30 percent na matino. (A wife's infidelity is very painful for a man. I'm glad my wife
belongs to the righteous 30 percent.)

Re-entry. Adjusting to an uncertain employment situation upon return to the

Philippines is another stress area for the overseas worker. Some have to go for long
periods looking for a job. When they do find one, local salaries seem even much
lower than they actually are. Discouraged by this condition, many workers re-apply
for overseas jobs and the cycle continues. Re-application is stressful to those who
had genuinely hoped to be home for good.

B. Effects on the family

The De La Salle Survey as well as the responses of family workers involved with the
families of overseas workers reveal some effects of overseas employment on the
family:

• Employment of her husband overseas has fostered the wife's personal growth
and development.

• It has resulted in added responsibilities for the wife, forcing her to take on the
multiple roles of temporary household head, decision-maker and dual parent.
While wives of overseas workers have been perceived to have done these
added responsibilities rather well, they do have common problems such as:
loneliness, in-law problems, anxiety about husband's well-being, anxiety
about finances (where salaries are delayed) and anxiety about the children.
They seem to feel especially responsible for their children.

• Over the short term, international contract labor has not adversely affected
the institutions of marriage and the family. Family members report feeling
just as close or even closer to each other. The incidence of marital infidelity
among the wives and juvenile delinquency among the children are low and
perhaps cannot be attributed to the phenomenon. One must emphasize
however that the long term effects are still uninvestigated. It is entirely
possible to feel strong emotional bond when separated but actually have little
left in common to serve as a basis for a lasting relationship when together.

• Overseas employment has economically benefitted the families of overseas

workers. The money is spent largely on basic necessities, followed by debt
repayment, education of children and siblings, housing needs and savings.
Non-monetary remittances to the households come in the form of personal
things, clothes, appliances, toy, etc.
 • Overseas employment seems to have a depressing effect on fertility. The De
La Salle survey reveals that the current marital fertility of women from
households with overseas contract workers tends to be lower than the fertility
of women in other households.

• International contract labor has resulted in a serious imbalance in the sex

composition of households. There is a shortage of men in households with
overseas contract workers. The sex ratio for household with overseas
contract workers is much smaller compared to that of household without
overseas contract workers, with the greatest imbalance observed in the sex
composition of the 25-34 year age group of the sending households.

• International contract labor has resulted in changes in the population

distribution of households according to three broad age categories: the young
dependent age group (0-14), the working age-group (15-64) and the old
dependent age group (65 years and above). There is an increasing proportion
of the young, dependent age group and a decreasing proportion of the
working age group in the sending households.

• Generally, there is greater labor force particularly of females in households

without overseas workers than in those with overseas workers. Perhaps
because of greater income, women feel less need to work outside the home.

In summary, the main positive effects of overseas employment seem to be:

• With increased income, workers and their families gain more self-respect and
enhanced status.

• Workers and their families gain a temporary reprieve from the anxiety and
stress of financial worries.

• Increased responsibilities of wives foster personal growth and development.

• Overseas employment seems to have a depressing effect on fertility.

The main negative effects of overseas employment seem to be:

• Workers undergo undesirable stress as a result of the recruitment process,

working conditions, adjustment to an alien culture, separation from family
and re-entry to the Philippines.

• Wives of workers suffer from loneliness and the stress of having sole
responsibility for the care and upbringing of their children.

• While in the short run there seems to be no adverse effects on the

institutions of marriage and the family, there is still the possibility of long
term effects.
 • There is a decrease in the number of men in households as well as a
decrease in the proportion of persons in the working age group (15-64). This
may also have long term effects on family dynamics.

• There is lower labor force participation of females in households with

overseas workers.

Over the past decade particularly in the past five years, there has been a growing
concern about the possible human costs of the overseas employment program. This
concern has given birth to efforts of government and private groups toward closer
monitoring of the recruitment process, and the development of various support
programs for workers and their families. I do not wish to undervalue these efforts.
However, I feel it is important to stress the fact that many basic questions remain
unanswered. I would like to propose for your consideration five unanswered
questions:

1. What are the long-term economic benefits to workers and their families?

While the short-term economic gains are obvious from most of the studies, we must
ask if the workers and their families are able to invest their new earnings into
projects that will guarantee long-term dividends or if the money simply trickles
away faster with some than with other. Since economic reasons are the main
consideration for working overseas, only long term-economic benefits will make the
hardship worthwhile. In other words, even in economic terms, is overseas
employment really worth it?

2. What are the long-term effects of overseas employment on the Filipino family?

Are we ready to accept the fact that the vaunted Filipino family is quickly
developing into an institution of separated spouses and single parents? Have we
faced up to the rapidly increasing number of married women working abroad as
domestics and entertainers? This new breed of married women overseas has longer
overseas stints than other overseas jobs. Domestic jobs, particularly with
compatible employers can be renewed indefinitely. Without the naturally imposed
limits such as the completion of a construction job, domestic jobs can go on and on.
As one mother of two whom we interviewed says, she would work overseas
"hangga't kaya pa ng katawan ko." (I will work overseas until I'm-physically
capable.)

Filipino children have been growing up without fathers over the past few years. If
recent trends continue, more and more children will be growing up without their
mothers. Is this the Filipino family we want our children to grow up in?

3. What is the effect of overseas employment on the self concept of thousands of

Filipino women professionals now working as domestics overseas?

While we have seen that increased income has had positive effects on the self-
respect and social status of workers and their families, to the many teachers and
nurses working as domestics in Asia and Europe, feelings must at best be mixed.
How do they feel about themselves?
4. Beyond the self concept of individuals we must ask the question about the self
concept of the nation.

What is the effect of overseas employment on our national dignity and self-respect?
How long can we watch our men and women in the prime of their lives eagerly
leaving in droves for foreign shores, without wondering if in fact the Philippines is
not a second class country? While we proudly point out that Filipino knowhow and
hard work are appreciated all over the world, how long can we ignore the fact that
the brightest, the strongest and the most skilled of us now work for American,
German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, European, African, and Arab bosses? Have we
faced the fact that gradually our youth no longer dream of success and happiness in
our country? Instead, they dream of a job abroad and for a growing number of
Filipinas, the dream includes a foreign husband.

How much longer can we go on with this national obsession about working overseas
before our dignity and self-respect as Filipinos are irreparably damaged?

5. Finally, as we ponder over the first four questions, as we ask ourselves about the
possible cost of overseas employment and wonder if in fact in the end it is worth it,
we must look around us at the social, political and economic conditions in our
country and we must ask the fifth and last difficult question: Does the individual
Filipino, who simply wants to earn a decent living for his family, who wants to live in
the warmth and comfort of his family and his country, given a choice, prefer not to
work overseas? Does the Filipino, given the crisis in our country today, really have a
fair choice?

At his homily during the mass celebrating the second death anniversary of Senator
Benigno Aquino, His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin said: “For over two decades now,
more and more of our people's vitality has been exhausted by poverty; the
resources of our land raved by the greed of a few so that our land can no longer
give life to our teachers who become maids in Spain, to our women who become
entertainers in Japan, while the skills of Filipino workers bring Arabian deserts to
bloom.”

Do these Filipinos really have a choice? Do we have the answers to these questions?
Do we really want to know?

REFERENCES

Arcinas, Fe R. 1985. Asian Migrant Workers to the Gulf Region: The Philippine Case
(Report on the State-of-the-Art). Unpublished manuscript, Department of Sociology,
University of the Philippines.

Go, Stella P., Leticia T. Postrado & Pilar Ramos-Jimenez. 1983. The Effects of
International Contract Labor, Volume I. Manila: Integrated Research Center, De La
Salle University.
Institute of Labor and Manpower Studies (ILMS). 1983. Socioeconomic
Consequences of Contract Labor in the Philippines, Volume I. Manila: Ministry of
Labor and Employment (MOLE).

____________ 1985. A Study on the Adjustment Problems of Hongkong Domestics.

Unpublished manuscript. Ministry of Labor and Employment.

Licuanan, Patricia B. 1982. Beyond the Economics of Overseas Employment: The

Human Costs. Philippine Studies, Volume 30: 262-271.

Sin, Jaime Cardinal. 1985. Homily read during the mass celebrating the second
death anniversary of Ex-Senador Benigno Aquino, Jr., August 21, 1985.

To, Edith Ling-Chu. 1985. Job Satisfaction of Filipina Domestic Workers in Hongkong.
MA Thesis, University of the Philippines.