Manila – Researchers from the Institute for Labor Studies, accompanied by Executive Director Ahmma Charisma Lobrin-Satumba and Acting Deputy Executive Director Patrick Patriwirawan, Jr., presented the results of the 2019 study which focused on Migrant Worker Integration to its client, the National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO), last February 6, 2020 at the NRCO Conference Room, Intramuros, Manila.
The study titled, “Strengthening Preparedness for Migrant Worker Reintegration: Thematic Analysis and Local Index Tool Development,” was co-authored by ILS Workers Welfare Research Division Chief (WWRD) Maria Isabel D. Artajo and WWRD Senior Labor and Employment Officer Ronell J. Delerio. The research paper showed Phase 1 results of the 2019 Reintegration Study Index.
The researchers first provided an overview of the rationale and objectives of the study that focused on two corridors of Philippine labor migration: South Korea and Hong Kong. They concisely outlined the specific methods and strategies they utilized in the collection of the data needed for analysis and the eventual formulation of the draft tool, which included key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and workshops with the OFWs themselves.
The results showed multiple dimensions and various layers of the factors that influence return migration, specifically among OFWs in the given corridors, such as the Micro Level (Individual), Macro Level (Structural), and Meso Level (Social) were then grouped into pillars forming what the researchers coined as “INSURED,” or Index on Sustainable Reintegration for Development.
The researchers capped the presentation with the following conclusions: Reintegration is not the sole function of the national government but the concerted effort of different actors across levels of government and sectors of society; reintegration is shaped more substantially by structural (macro) and social (meso) factors than individual (micro) characteristics; non-economic factors appear to play an instrumental role in successful reintegration, including public policy and good governance; and, sustainable reintegration entails a comprehensive and integrated framework to ensure its success.
Key officials from the NRCO headed by Director Roel Martin lauded the recommendation of the study for the activation of Regional Reintegration Networks to be hubs of reintegration efforts at the local level as a complement to the existing Migration Resource Centers. Also suggested was the immediate testing of the pilot index in key sites for Phase 2 including administrative steps for NRCO to move the project forward.