A PARTY-list lawmaker has cited the need to give urgent attention to the mental health challenges faced by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) culled from her talks with the migrant workers during her recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Rep. Marissa Magsino of OFW party-list group in a privilege speech said through these encounters, she witnessed first-hand the struggles that OFWs endure and how these impact their mental well-being.”
Magsino emphasized the prevalence of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress among the OFWs.
She said the available literature on the psychosocial distresses of Filipino migrant workers, particularly the study conducted by Dr. Veronica Ramirez, as supported by the University of Asia and the Pacific, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, indicate the existence of significant mental health problems among the OFWs, regardless of the host country.
She said the common challenges of labor migration are worsened by various factors such as discrimination, poor working conditions, and separation from the family. She added that seafarers are particularly vulnerable due to prolonged isolation at sea.
“Working in a foreign land is a big challenge further complicated by problems with the boss, the contract, debts, and sadness at being separated from the family. And when they suffer from mental health issues, they are also afraid of being fired from their jobs so they avoid going to counselling centers. Added to this is the lack of comprehensive programs and personnel of our embassies and consulates with sufficient knowledge on mental health to provide an appropriate response to their condition,” Magsino clarified.
She also emphasized that personnel of Philippine embassies and consulates need to be capacitated to help Filipinos abroad with mental health problems.
She lamented that given the situation, undocumented workers who face increased mental stress due to their illegal status, fearing discovery and punishment by Immigration officials in their host countries. This reality has led to a significant number of returning OFWs, particularly women, struggling with mental health issues.
“The personnel in our embassies and consulates should be prepared and have the right knowledge to provide proper support to Filipino workers who are experiencing mental health issues. Also, after all, they also need to be bad in the program that will respond to mental well-being because they also suffer from heavy stress in their work in our foreign posts,” she noted.
In addressing these concerns, Magsino outlined several recommendations, including such as conducting awareness campaigns, enhancing the inter-agency referral system in the repatriation of distressed OFWs by utilizing and enhancing the Inter-Agency Medical Assistance Program, developing the competencies of mental health professionals in diplomatic and foreign posts engaged in the psychosocial and psychiatric services of OFWs, pursuing Bilateral Labor Agreements with host countries for easier access by OFWs of on-site mental health facilities and services, and broadening accessibility and availability of mental health services at the local and community levels in the Philippines.
She said the proposed actions are also in line with the policy direction of President Marcos and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to prioritize the welfare of the OFWs and comprehensively address their concerns, including their mental and emotional well-being.
“Our society has a long way to go in normalizing mental health in our culture. We lack the sensitivity and sensibility as a society toward mental health issues and it has little to do with education or stature." Magsino said.
