Addressing the needs of Filipino workers : implementation of the four services of the Philippine Embassy Resource Centre in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

Labour migration has been hailed by the Philippine government administrations as saving the depressed economy and policies had been channeled towards the economic benefits reaped from this phenomenon. However, the experiences of workers disclose the risks and social costs that come with it. This led to the enactment of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995 or Republic Act 8042 which established the Resource Centres to cater to the various needs of migrant workers.

One such centre is located in Brunei Darussalam, a small country in Southeast Asia that currently employs 22,000 Filipino workers. Through the invitation of the Philippine Embassy, the practicum commenced with the examination of the services in the Resource Centre that had not been implemented. Four areas that provided vital information for a migrant's pre-migration, during migration and post-migration conditions were identified and implemented. These were the post-arrival orientation, pre-departure orientation for returning migrants, gender-sensitive program and human resource development. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)