Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)

It is a sad fact that skilled Filipinos have to work abroad to earn a decent living. There used to be an issue that these Filipinos are not nationalistic because they choose to serve abroad instead of practicing their professions in the country. But as time goes by, these so called unnationalistic professionals became the life blood of our economy. The strength or the weakness of our country is dependent on the amount of remittances from these OFWs. Now, we hail them as heroes. Braving loneliness, cold, heat and a life as second-class citizens in a country not their own, they have rejuvenated the economy.

But their economic potential is actual more than the dollars they send. It is much much more. Most of them are skilled professionals -- engineers, accountants, health practitioners. They are a source of capital for new businesses. But besides that, their greatest strength is that they are in a foreign land with a culture and way of life much different from it is here. They are at the perfect opportunity to see good ideas from where they are working and bring it to the Philippines or take good ideas from the Philippines and take it to their place of work. This is what the Chinese did generations ago when they brought the 'taho' and pancit to the Filipinos. Our OFWs can also emulate their examples.

One option is the One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry. Under this program, each town or municipality chooses a particular product that they will produce and it will serve as a trademark of that town. An example would be the Wood Carvings from Paete, Laguna. It has been ongoing for the past several years and there is an improvement in the quality and quantity of their products. But their problem is their limited marketing capability. Mang Ambo is a woodcarver from Laguna is an expert at woodcarving. He may know how to entertain a customer that walks into his shop but it is doubtful if he knows how to sell his products outside of his town, much more, outside the Philippines. However, Ms Elvira Sarmiento, is a nurse from Paete, Laguna working at a London hospital. She doesn't know it but she is at a very good position to offer Londoners equisite woodcarving from master craftsmen from his hometown. She doesn't even have to do it full-time, she could just visit a furniture shop one weekend and show pictures of woodcarvings from her home town. If the shop owner is interested, she could contact Mang Ambo and tell him about the opportunity to export his products to the UK.

Another example is Mrs. Emily Alonzo. She is a native of Unisan, Quezon but has migrated to the United States. Saddened by the lack of progress in her home town, she tries to find ways to help them. One of the ways she does it by marketing Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) in the United States through her network of Filipino immigrants.

A few months before meeting Mrs. Alonzo, I met Mr. Coconut Person (can't remember his name) from Indang, Cavite at a SME Networking Seminar. He is a retired employee of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PHILCOA) and is now producing Virgin Coconut Oil. Cavite is not known to be a coconut producing province but there are some municipalities that has numerous coconut trees. He wants to organize the coconut farmers in neighboring barangays there to produce virgin coconut oil instead of buko (fresh coconut meat). He has the technology and an order for several thousand liters Virgin Coconut Oil per month for export to the United States. With this, he was able to convince several coconut farmers he met during the seminar to organize into a VCO producing cluster. The VCO production system he discussed was interesting but real clincher that was that he already has an order from abroad that needs to be fulfilled. I was pleasantly surprised to later learn that the VCO order he got was from Mrs. Alonzo.

This example could be replicated in all products in all the towns. OFWs should just start realizing their marketing potentials and we should do, too.

Linked In

We are looking for Overseas Filipinos, individual or group, willing to participate in the technopreneurial revolution. Better if you have a regional group already (ex. Batangueno Association of North America, Manila Science Alumni Association - US Chapter, etc. ) or if you have a town or product you wish to develop or promote. Please contact Rodec through LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/in/rodec. Let's LINKED IN..