MANILA, 7 June 2008 — While global deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) has surpassed the one million benchmark, dollar remittances are expected to reach P15 billion for 2008, the highest in the history of Philippines’ migrant employment.
Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque said that remittances reached $4 billion this first quarter of 2008, a big increase from $1.4 billion during the same period last year.
The labor department disclosed that total remittances sent last 2007 was $14.449 billion.
Increasing trend is seen as 1.062 million OFWs were deployed abroad in 2006 and 1.073 million in 2007.
“That OFW remittances have sustained year upon year on a robust scale, attesting to the distinct global preference for the OFWs in more than 190 host destinations worldwide,” Roque said.
POEA also reported that the Philippines sent a total of 263,129 OFWs abroad for the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 13.6 percent from 231, 647 in 2007.
Global deployment of both land-based and sea-based OFWs increased to 14 percent around the world.
This means that some 3, 303 OFWs leave the country everyday. Deployed OFWs reached 399, 638 from January up to April 2008, an increase from deployed OFWs of 350, 520 during the same months last year.
Roque proudly announced that global deployment of OFWs for 2008 is now 40 percent higher compared to 2007. This is almost half of the the deployment goal the Philippine government has earlier set. More than 400,000 OFWs were deployed abroad for the first quarter of 2007.
POEA also processed some 136,060 contracts during this first quarter of 2008 while 2007 figures were at 125, 657 processed contracts.
