Poverty In The Philippines (How Does It Affect Us?)

[jpbago]

 

Yeah... that no pay bit makes no sense to me... but I have heard it elsewhere too. 

I have heard this so many times about un-recompensed (unpaid apprentice) type situations here in education. Could someone please enlighten us re some actual case histories and situations. 

 

 

   They do it because they can. There are many more graduate nurses and teachers than there are open positions.

[jpbago]

A generation of parents raising their own kids, and working locally, has got to be an improvement. 

 

   I am not sure about that being an improvement. With both parents at home and no birth control, there will be a kid born every 10 months, instead of just one for every 3 year overseas contract period. That is assuming that the wife is faithful.

[Sander Martin]

i dont hand out money on the street. Most beggers are controlled by gangs. The begger is lucky to get a plate of rice after a full days begging, while the bosses enjoy the cash collected from "stupid turists". 10 years or so ago Back home i witnessed an old lady who allways used to beg in one spot being picked up by a brand new SUV after her "shift".

If some1 tells me they are hungry (and they are a kid, disabled or elderly) i usualy offer to buy them food. 1/3 of the beggers accept the food, while others tell me I WANT MONEY, NOT FOOD. Those 1/3 are usually really grateful for those few 2 peso breadrolls. Not that meny beggers in Iloilo (atleast where i live/hangout), so i dont mind the 10 pesos a week or whatever i might spend if i truly see that they are greatful for the food.

For long i didnt understand why my fiances mother paid a local women 200pesos a week for her to come once a week to wash clothes and do light cleaning. Why not just buy a waching machine. My fiance explained to me that the women gets 200pesos from us for work and maybe has 1-3 other familys she works for. But atleast shes earning an honest wage and gets to feed her family. I see her point.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Sander Martin

[bigpearl]

Another old topic I know, getting to be a bit of a track record for me, new topic or revise the old, up to the moderators for sure.

I see what every one here says, I see it for myself with my family here, it makes me angry that a government/country can do this to potential future leaders, the people, keep the smart from prospering, ooh, that sounds similar to other dominions but too a lessor degree and in some cases worse.

Unpaid internships/apprenticeships, wrong, where is this going? Into the pockets of the few. Slavery? Possibly. Bengies family have paid hand over fist to put his niece through 4 years of training as a nurse, her mother is a nurse/midwife and earns the princely sum of 16,000 pesos per month, in Australia she would be paid up to AU $ 86,000.00 per year or $ 7166.00 per month or PHP 257,000. over 16 times her salary here.

His niece will now work for 2 years for nothing, nada, no pay and be supported by his family and us I'm sure, after this time she may earn 10 or 12Kper month, sad. I just said to Bengie "maybe we should stay on in Australia for an extra year and sponsor his niece in Australia". Her starting wage appears to be AU $ 53k per year, after tax 43k, enough to rent/live and still send up to PHP 200k P/A home to the family, not a small amount of money for his family. No wonder there are so many OFW'S. Bengies brother works in Jeddah and earns only twice what he used to earn here but sacrifices to give his family a better life.

https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/nursing-careers/6/guidance/nc1/what-do-nurses-earn/605/

The extra year may be well worth the sacrifice to guarantee her a decent future and help her family who are all workers but at the lower end.

Cheers, Steve.

[JJReyes]

17 hours ago, bigpearl said:

in Australia she would be paid up to AU $ 86,000.00 per year or $ 7166.00 per month or PHP 257,000. over 16 times her salary here.

His niece will now work for 2 years for nothing, nada, no pay and be supported by his family and us I'm sure, after this time she may earn 10 or 12Kper month, sad. I just said to Bengie "maybe we should stay on in Australia for an extra year and sponsor his niece in Australia". Her starting wage appears to be AU $ 53k per year, after tax 43k, enough to rent/live and still send up to PHP 200k P/A home to the family, not a small amount of money for his family. No wonder there are so many OFW'S. Bengies brother works in Jeddah and earns only twice what he used to earn here but sacrifices to give his family a better life.

https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/nursing-careers/6/guidance/nc1/what-do-nurses-earn/605/

The extra year may be well worth the sacrifice to guarantee her a decent future and help her family who are all workers but at the lower end.

Steve,

If Australia is paying such wonderful wages, why can't the country attract enough citizens to take up a career in nursing or caregiving? Why does Australia rely on foreign guest workers? There is a shortage.  It is the same for Israel, a country of about 7 million. They issue 10,000 visas a year to foreign workers for the care of their elderly. About 90% are from the Philippines.

I suspect the abuse experienced in the Philippines is similar overseas. I am more familiar with Israel where OFWs are required by employers to work 12 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, no time-outs, during the life of their contract. It's exploitation which foreign workers tolerate because the wages are astronomical in comparison to home. USA is next because they will need over 1 million doctors, nurses and caregivers from overseas as baby boomers retire.

 

[bigpearl]

19 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

Steve,

If Australia is paying such wonderful wages, why can't the country attract enough citizens to take up a career in nursing or caregiving? Why does Australia rely on foreign guest workers? There is a shortage.  It is the same for Israel, a country of about 7 million. They issue 10,000 visas a year to foreign workers for the care of their elderly. About 90% are from the Philippines.

I suspect the abuse experienced in the Philippines is similar overseas. I am more familiar with Israel where OFWs are required by employers to work 12 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, no time-outs, during the life of their contract. It's exploitation which foreign workers tolerate because the wages are astronomical in comparison to home. USA is next because they will need over 1 million doctors, nurses and caregivers from overseas as baby boomers retire.

 

Hi JJ.

High wages across most professions and trades, High cost of living for even the basics, uncompetitive manufacturing against the world stage. If it wasn't for the resources sector through the GFC Australia would have been in bigger trouble than we are now, all that aside we have an immigration policy for skilled migrants, a set intake for other migrants, humanitarian, spousal, family, business etc. We do import many professionals and technicians to fill the ever widening gaps that cannot be sourced within this country and will continue to do so.

Any person that migrates and can work in Australia is treated and paid exactly the same amount and with the same conditions as an Australian. Sought after qualified professionals are in demand all over the world. Bengie works in aged care, there are 5 Filipinos of the 100 odd staff and are paid and treated exactly the same. 5 weeks paid annual leave, company superannuation, long service leave, 8 or 10 paid sick days, flexibility with rosters. Equal opportunity for all employees across Australia. Still not a perfect system but most seem to be doing ok.

We do have illegals working in Oz as well as back packers working, if caught they are deported same as most countries.

Agree 100% on the ageing population JJ, we are in the same boat here too. For the last 3 years we have tried to convince Bengie's niece to study and improve her english which is at best mediocre, she hasn't and this time we have told her that we won't be able to sponsor her to Australia for that reason, it would be a waste of time and money, God helps those that help themselves. A shame really as she is a wonderful young lady. (hope the shock tactic works)

Cheers, Steve.

[Gary D]

The UK is crying out for nurses but cuts back on training places

[Gary D]

On 24/02/2016 at 4:46 AM, Dave Hounddriver said:

It does not matter how much they pay for skilled workers in Philippines.  The smart ones will always move to where the money is better.  I know that because we used to have a 'brain drain' in Canada.  Its a great place with great people and great jobs but there was a time when people like nurses could get much better salaries in the US and so that is where the best ones went.  Due to the low value of the Canadian dollar it would surprise me if that was not happening right now.

 

I can't imaging the smart people in Philippines doing any different.

That is the problem in the Philippines, anyone with half a brain works abroad which leaves all the ones with less than half a brain staying in the Philippines, that's why you can't get a decent job done anywhere and shoddy workmanship. On a world scale the average IQ in the Philippines is 86, is that the fault of the people, the eduction system or the politicians.

[bigpearl]

1 hour ago, Gary D said:

That is the problem in the Philippines, anyone with half a brain works abroad which leaves all the ones with less than half a brain staying in the Philippines, that's why you can't get a decent job done anywhere and shoddy workmanship. On a world scale the average IQ in the Philippines is 86, is that the fault of the people, the eduction system or the politicians.

The education system Gary brought about by the "political infrastructure and ingrained corruption" local norms, Bengie told me some years ago that to pass his year 12 exams he had to (his family) spend 600 pesos on ink and paper so he could pass and go to university, I.T. A misadventure big time as 5 million Filipinos got their degrees and there were only 10 jobs to go around, he is not silly by any means, the system here is misguided to the enth degree, the leaders here cannot see the trees for the forest.

Hope this is not a black mark on my name.

Cheers, Steve.

[sonjack2847]

4 hours ago, Gary D said:

That is the problem in the Philippines, anyone with half a brain works abroad which leaves all the ones with less than half a brain staying in the Philippines, that's why you can't get a decent job done anywhere and shoddy workmanship. On a world scale the average IQ in the Philippines is 86, is that the fault of the people, the eduction system or the politicians.

I would say the politicians as it is they who control the education system. It seems to me a system to keep people down rather than getting the most from the population.I was talking to some people on Saturday and we were discussing getting to the top here.The general consensus was that people from the lower classes would not be allowed to rise too high through the classes.