Her name was Aisa. When I was still in the Senate, she sent me a letter explaining her horrific ordeal in Jordan as a migrant worker. Her first employer did not feed her for two days and when she got sick she was returned to her agency. The agency then “detained” her inside the toilet for five days until they found a second employer. Her ordeal was about to worsen as her second employer attempted to molest her. She screamed and cried and ran to seek help only to fall down the stairs injuring her leg. “Sana po tulungan niyo akong makauwi,” she pleaded in her letter.
In August of 2009, Aisa was one of the 80 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who returned to the Philippines. We managed to rescue 50 migrant workers and two children from Amman, Jordan; 16 from Dammam and one from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; three from Muscat, Oman.
I worked with various government agencies in order to iron out their cases, facilitate their freedom or cancel penalties for some, facilitate the payment of other fees and their flight home. It was a herculean task but nothing compared to the harrowing experiences they endured while working abroad and trying to earn in order to provide a bright future for their families.
Unfortunately, these stories are all too familiar and recurrent. And so when we commemorated National Migrants Workers’ Day last June 7, Aisa’s story was one of the cases that I remembered. The idea of a special day to celebrate the contributions of Filipino migrant workers, to raise awareness about migration issues, and to advocate for their rights was a result of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act of 1995 which was signed into law on June 7, 1995 hence the date of national remembrance.
I was in my first term as representative of the then Las Piñas-Muntinlupa district at that time. I thought then that this was going to be a landmark piece of legislation because for the first time in our policy history, Congress was going to enact a law that would establish a comprehensive framework for the protection and promotion of the welfare of Filipino migrant workers. I also knew that while the law had its shortcomings (various amendments have been forwarded since its enactment) it was a significant first step.
I am not sure if the June 7, 2025 celebration of National Migrants Workers’ Day piqued the interest of the public or whether it gained any media attention (given the various political controversies hounding us today). But our OFWs deserve better. They deserve the appreciation of a nation.
According to the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), OFW remittances reached $9.4 billion in the first quarter of 2025, a 2.7 percent increase year-on-year. In 2024, OFW remittances reached a record high of $38.34 billion, an annual increase of three percent compared to data in 2023. These remittances do not only represent money coming in but substantial contribution in terms of supporting families and small businesses, driving consumption and economic activity.
In addition, the money saved and sent by our OFWs serve as impetus to strengthening entrepreneurship in the country. Aside from helping our kababayans through repatriations, I have also strongly pushed for entrepreneurship among Filipino migrant workers and their families to ensure not only the safekeeping of their hard-earned money but also stimulating our economy.
I have many dreams for our country. I spent 21 years of my life fighting for those dreams as a public servant. One of those dreams is to see our Filipino brothers and sisters return to the homeland with jobs that pay decent wages, to a life that ensures access to quality education, healthcare and livelihood. I still have that dream and I continue to work hard, in my own small way as a private citizen, to fulfill that dream.
