Migrant workers’ protection in the digital age: Leveraging social media platforms to ensure the safety and welfare of OFWs in distress

• Main Author: Katigbak, Jovito Jose P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Subjects: Foreign workers, Filipino—Services for; Social media in government—Philippines; Foreign workers, Filipino—Social conditions; Foreign workers, Filipino—Legal status, laws, etc.; Communication Technology and New Media; Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration; Work, Economy and Organizations
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6556; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=13546&context=etd_masteral
• Institution: De La Salle University

country like the Philippines so much so that a ‘culture of migration’ emerged and eventually penetrated the various fabrics of the nation’s society (Asis, 2006). As a response, the Philippine government has developed a comprehensive set of legal measures and institutions, which has been recognized by many countries and organizations as a best practice in the field of migration governance. Despite this achievement, Philippine migration authorities must still contend with reports and cases of abuses and maltreatment towards Filipino household service workers (HSWs), especially in the Middle East Region. The emergence of social media platforms is an interesting development as public sector organizations around the world have begun to adopt these technologies to conveniently respond to the needs and demands of the citizens. For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines began its social media adoption process in 2011 and has rapidly evolved to reach the institutionalization and consolidation phase, according to the Bergel and Bretschneider model. Key informant interviews (KIIs) with officials and staff from the DFA reveal that the main drivers of social media uptake by the Department are as follows: (1) wider and deeper engagement with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs); (2) high internet penetration rate and high social media usage rate by OFWs; and (3) pervasive nature of social media in the lives of Filipino migrant workers. The findings also show that the DFA has opened accounts in Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr and that this undertaking was positively received by its employees. Further, the agency institutionalized a dedicated social media team to respond to the queries and concerns of the Filipino public and implemented a Department Order entitled, “Guidelines on the Use of Social Media by All Units and Personnel of the DFA”. Nevertheless, key sub-offices of the DFA still experience a handful of social media-related challenges such as spurious reports, ad hominem attacks against Foreign Service Posts (FSPs), and lack of additional safeguards for data privacy. To resolve these issues as well as improve its social media adoption, the Department may consider evaluating the need to craft a DFA-wide social media strategy and allocating specific resources for social media use and uptake. It may likewise incorporate success metrics for its social media initiatives and pursue dialogues with other migration agencies about possible collaboration on social media-anchored projects aiming to preserve the safety and welfare of Filipino migrant workers.