The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) called for more accurate and unified estimates of Filipinos living abroad, stressing that reliable data is crucial during global crises and repatriation efforts.
The appeal came amid continuing volatility in the Middle East, where a large number of overseas Filipinos are based. Past crises in Lebanon, Israel, and Gulf countries required the government to track and repatriate thousands, including undocumented workers.
The call was made during a meeting of the Technical Working Group on the Methodology for Estimating the Stock of Overseas Filipinos, held in hybrid format at the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The CFO said discrepancies in population counts can hamper efforts to locate and evacuate Filipinos when conflicts erupt or borders close. Government estimates place overseas Filipinos at more than 10 million, with over 2 million in the Middle East.
The agency urged validation of migration data submitted by the Department of Foreign Affairs through cross-referencing records from the CFO, Department of Migrant Workers, and Bureau of Immigration, emphasizing stronger coordination to ensure no Filipino is left unaccounted for.
