The national government has been mulling the idea of regulating the deployment of professional and skilled workers abroad. But some sectors have expressed dismay over the government’s move to curtail the freedom of movement of people.
This came to fore after the Department of Labor and Employment had noticed the impacts of the continuing braindrain on the country’s economy. One particular sector that has been targetted are the deployment of nurses overseas, where they could get high salaries than working at home. Of course, the braindrain has affected the efficiency of the medical services in the country. What the Philippines is losing is a sure gain to host countries.
In response, the Philippine Nurses Association was a little bit upset over the government’s control on the nurses deployment abroad. Filipino nurses are leaving the country en masse because they could not see any future for them working so hard but their families quality of life remains the same. In short, just enough to defray for the food, rents and transportation expenses. No savings at all. Comparatively, landing a nursing job in the U.S, or Europe could mean much more and is a big help to the families back home and to the local economy as well, in terms of remittances.
Should the government pursue its plans of regulating the deployment of nurses and doctors abroad is tantamount to curtailing their constitutional rights in a country that is known for its democratic ideals. Now, that is beside the point if the government can offer a reasonable benefits to these nurses, whose parents may have spent a fortune for them to finish their studies. And here comes a proposal that will eventually bar them from leaving for employment abroad? With the opening of Japan to Filipino nurses and caregivers, it is likely that many of them are rearing to go, if only to cope up the expenses they incurred as students in various nursing schools in the country. They think that working locally wouldn’t allow them to save enough. Like the rest, they have ambitions to improve their lives by making an honest living at foreign hospitals.
However, this could change if Congress will act soonest. Perhaps, the best thing for legislators to do is enact a law that will give more benefits to these nurses. At least, give them reasonable salaries and probably housing privileges. But what some of the legislators are doing is simply to enrich themselves at the expense of the taxpayers’ money, rather than address the economic problems of the country.