MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday urged the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) to expand its programs to reach not only overseas Filipino workers but also foreign nationals of Filipino descent and encourage them to reconnect with the Philippines.
Cayetano made the proposal during the Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee hearing on the CFO’s budget, where he said the country should invest in programs that would encourage Filipinos and people of Filipino heritage abroad to visit, study, work, do business or eventually retire in the Philippines.
The senator recalled that the original version of the legislation creating the Department of Migrant Workers was envisioned as a Department for Overseas Filipinos, covering a broader range of concerns involving Filipinos abroad.
He said his proposal was partly inspired by a visit to the United Kingdom, where he met young people of Filipino descent who were already successful professionals but had never visited the Philippines.
“Most of them have never visited the Philippines,” Cayetano said, recounting his conversation with then Philippine Ambassador to the UK Antonio Espiritu.
He said many descendants of Filipino migrants may have little practical incentive to acquire or retain Philippine citizenship, particularly if their parents and grandparents had already settled permanently abroad.
Cayetano said this highlighted the need for government programs that would help younger generations of Filipino descent learn more about their heritage and establish a connection with the country.
“I'd like you to have programs in the US, in the UK, in France, getting these young Filipinos to get to know their country by blood, by origin,” he told CFO Secretary Dante Ang 2nd.
He also cited Filipinos who have lived abroad for generations but maintained links to the Philippines through family and cultural ties.
Cayetano said the Philippines could benefit from programs that promote the country not only as a tourist destination but also as a place to study, establish businesses and retire.
Among the possible initiatives he mentioned were “study in the Philippines,” “summer in the Philippines,” “put up a business in the Philippines,” and “retire in the Philippines” programs.
Cayetano said he was willing to support a bigger budget for the CFO, but said additional funding should be accompanied by clearly defined programs.
“I'd like to support a bigger budget in the plenary,” he said. “But I think to do that, and para hindi tayo ma-accuse ng insertion, there has to be a program.”
During the hearing, Sen. Erwin Tulfo asked Ang how many Filipinos or permanent residents the CFO served in the previous year.
Ang replied that around 70,000 people went through the agency’s office for its services.
