Why do most Filipinos choose to leave the Philippines and decide never to come back leaving family and friends behind forever?

Phillip Gabriel Alcantara Mercado

 

Lived in The Philippines (2000–2001) 5y

It really depends on the circumstances of the OFW, which may dictate their decision to stay or leave.

There are OFWs who are alone in the foreign country. They chose to go overseas to earn a living for their families back home. They are the type who would choose to return rather than to stay, to reunite with their family when the need to work overseas is no longer necessary.

There are instances where these OFWs would bring over their immediate family in the long run due to the financial capability to do so. If they do this, their chances of staying increases as their immediate family is already with them and that would reduce any incentives to return back… permanently.

On the other hand, there are OFWs who migrate overseas as a family and with that, they pretty much jump forward to the category of staying indefinitely due to reasons such as:

• They have planned to live overseas right from the beginning.
• Their children are integrated into the new society more than their own society.
• Acquiring citizenship in their new country holds more benefits than remaining a Filipino citizen.

We live in a pragmatic world. We do things that are practical. While people may be proud of their belonging, there are things that we must abandon to improve our living standards. Nationality does not dictate one’s culture. That is the mentality that people have when they abandon their citizenship or acquire another citizenship.

As for friends, let’s be real. We are mature people. Our friends can do little to force us to stay in the country. All they can do is accept our decision.

Plus, our world is becoming more and more interconnected. We can communicate online through face cam and other platforms like WhatsApp or social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc). Traveling by air is also not all that expensive… for some. One can get on a flight and see their friends again.

The best-case scenario is when your friends emigrate with you! Now, immediate family + all/most of your friends emigrating with you = literally no need or incentives to return back. Rather, they stay, for economic and civic benefits. Why cling on to a Filipino passport when a Singaporean/ American/ Canadian/ Australian/ British passport can open more doors to you? Why cling on to your previous citizenship when obtaining citizenship in your new country gives you more civic rights and economic subsidiaries in the country? It’s all about pragmatism rather than sentimentalism.