Findings from migration study in the Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY – The National Economic and Development Authority – Cordillera Administrative Region (NEDA-CAR) presented highlights of a working paper establishing baseline information on international migration and emigration in the region during the Cordillera Regional Population Executive Board (RPEB-CAR) meeting on 4 September 2024.The study is a result of inter-agency effort to consolidate migration and development data in the region through the RPEB-CAR technical working group (TWG). NEDA-CAR’s policy formulation and planning division processed the regional data from the 2018 National Migration Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the administrative data submitted by the TWG member agencies including the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Women, young adults (at the time of their first international move), Ilocanos, married persons, and those with college education or higher and belong to the middle-income class tend to have a higher propensity for international migration among Cordillerans, based on the study. Employment is the top reason for international moves in the region, with almost half of international migrants reporting that they had less than sufficient financial situation prior to first moving abroad. Asia and the Middle East are their top destinations.Emigrants, characterized as those leaving the Philippines for family reunification, marriage migration, or skills-based migration, with an intention to stay for long term or permanently overseas, are primarily minors aged 14 and below, single, college graduates, and coming from the province of Benguet. Canada, USA, and Japan are their top destinations. Cordilleran spouses and partners of foreign nationals on the other hand are primarily women, aged 25 to 29 years old, college graduates, worked as professional and technical workers prior to moving, and were introduced personally or through the internet. Preliminary analysis suggests the prevalence of overseas Cordillerans working in occupations abroad that are not commensurate to their level of education. The COVID-19 pandemic has also put to the test the capacity of the local economy to absorb large-scale repatriation as more than 12,000 Cordilleran migrant workers came home in 2020 until the first quarter of 2022. Moreover, a more comprehensive study is needed to ascertain possible social costs of migration given the high percentage of minor children left behind by overseas Cordillerans, and the higher likelihood of women to move internationally in the region.This initiative forms part the RPEB-CAR’s 2024 banner program of establishing an information sharing system (ISS) on migration and development in the region. Preparations are underway as the committee targets to launch the ISS during the Population and Development (POPDEV) Week Celebration in the region in November 2024. The RPEB-CAR is a support committee of the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) formed to coordinate the planning and implementation of population management and migration policies, programs, projects, and activities in the region. The NEDA-CAR serves as the Chairperson of the committee.**By: Kathleen D. Loste