Enrile: 'Our biggest export is OFWs. That's why I'm against RH bill'

**Monseratto** · November 30th, 2012 02:34 PM

It doesn't bother him since it's not him or his children who are sacrificing their life to work abroad to put food on the table. He also doesn't bother him that as a lawmaker, made it difficult for investors to set up business so people can find work here instead abroad and away from their families.

MANILA, Philippines – There’s no convincing Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

Enrile says whether his amendments to the Reproductive Health (RH) bill are accepted or not, he will vote against the controversial measure.

The Senate President has yet to introduce 11 out of his 17 “substantial amendments” to the bill. Yet the staunch RH critic said it does not matter whether the bill is revised.

“I’m not a hypocrite. I speak out according to my best assessment for what is good for the country. My vote is against the RH bill even if my proposals are accepted, not because of religion, morality but because of my long-term assessment of what this bill will do to the country,” Enrile said at the Kapihan sa Senado press forum on Thursday, November 29.

Asked why he introduces amendments in the first place, Enrile said he wanted to show that he is not delaying the passage of the bill but refining the measure.

“My purpose in proposing some of my amendments is to show the people that this bill is not really all for the health of the women. It is [for] population and control management. I feel that. Hindi ba, every time I touch on population, tumatalon si Sen Pia Cayetano, pumipiyok, she screams sometimes.” (Isn’t it that every time I touch on population, Sen Pia Cayetan’s voice breaks?)

Enrile was referring to heated debates with the bill’s sponsor, Sen Pia Cayetano.

When he spoke about the economy in the earlier part of the press briefing, Enrile said, “Ang pinakamalaking export natin is OFW (overseas Filipino workers). Export iyan eh, kaya ako kontra ako sa RH dahil diyan. Ang magpapalago ng bansa natin ay iyong excess population natin na sinanay natin na tumatanggap ng mga trabaho abroad that others don’t want to handle. We have to accept that. Korea started that way.”

(Our biggest export is OFWs. That is export. That’s why I’m against RH. What will improve our economy is the excess population that is used to accepting jobs that others don’t want to handle.)

**marg** · November 30th, 2012 03:08 PM

DH to the World.

**chua_riwap** · November 30th, 2012 03:25 PM

So para nyang sinabi na nabubuhay na lang phl sa OFWs......

**ronki** · November 30th, 2012 03:38 PM

Ginawang negosyo ang OFWs, sige magpakarami ang mga naghihirap sa Pilipinas, para majority magtatrabaho para sa ibang lahi.

**CoDer** · November 30th, 2012 04:00 PM

G*go talaga tong huklobang to. OFW daw ang mag papalago ng bansa natin, nak ng tetek magaling na abogago pero nag bobohan. Kaya pala never maging over populated ang pinas dahil papa dala nya sa ibang bansa.

Maluwag ang turnilyo mo Enrille.

**Syuryuken** · November 30th, 2012 05:24 PM

hehehe panalo!

**niky** · November 30th, 2012 05:36 PM

What a laugh.

So he expects us to believe that with double digit unemployment and underemployment, what we need are even more unskilled laborers who will have no chance in hell of going overseas as OFWs?

**uls** · November 30th, 2012 06:42 PM

haha

Enrile right on!

What is driving the Philippines' surprisingly strong growth? - CNN.com

Hong Kong (CNN) -- As emerging markets slump and the euro zone continues to struggle, the Philippine economy made a surprising surge in the first part of this year.

The slowdowns in BRIC countries, China in particular, are feared to drag down the global economy. But in the first quarter of 2012, the Philippine economy grew 6.4%, the fastest since 2010 and already far outpacing the International Monetary Fund's forecast growth of 3.5% for this year.

The growth surge was driven in part by a recovery of electronics exports after a decline in demand last year, while analysts say the economy was buoyed by strong domestic consumption.

It is the money sent home to the Philippines by its overseas workers, known as remittances, and the rise of outsourced call centers that serve as the long-term stabilizers relatively unhindered by a sagging global economy, according to analysts.

"About 70% of our economy is from consumption, so remittance is the key fuel behind that," said Haj Narvaez, Manila-based head of research for the Philippines at Credit-Suisse. "It drives consumption in malls. Even on the property side, the government estimates a third of remittances go into home purchases and rentals of properties."

It is estimated that 11% of the population of 92 million work overseas. Remittances account for about 10% of the country's GDP, which totaled $225 billion in 2011.

Because Filipinos head to a wide variety of countries to work, the diversity protects them from the full impact of regional economic troubles. The Middle East has the largest portion of the Philippines' overseas labor force, with 61% working there. Asia is the next highest, with 27%, followed by the 6% in Europe.

Moreover, these migrants often work as domestic workers, nurses or skilled technicians, types of jobs that are believed to be less vulnerable during an economic slowdown.

"You have an aging population in the West, and you have a young population here in the Philippines that is waiting to do jobs that some people in the West aren't willing to do," Narvaez said.

Another sector that has helped drive consumption is the call center industry, which has overtaken India's as the largest over the past decade. These jobs are considered well - paid -- enough for workers to afford, after several years' employment, down payments on condominiums in Manila's booming property market, Narvaez said.

These jobs could leave the country structurally well positioned going into a slowdown; as wealthier economies seek to cut costs, they tend to increase outsourcing to low-cost, English-speaking markets like the Philippines.

**confused shoes** · November 30th, 2012 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by chua_riwap

So para nyang sinabi na nabubuhay na lang phl sa OFWs......

Hindi naman siguro but just imagine kahit 1/3 lang sa registered na OFW ang uuwi sa Pinas.

**Retz** · November 30th, 2012 08:14 PM

Parang ang labo ata puntos ni Enrile? Dahil OFW ang nagpapalgo ng ekonomiya ng ating bansa that's why against RH bill siya? Hindi ba sinyales din na madaming OFW dahil mahirap ang ating bansa kaya sila nag tr-trabaho sa ibang bansa.