Just this
morning, as of this writing, there is this not-so-close friend of mine who
asked, in an informal conversation, what my plans are after I graduate college.
I just jokingly replied that it will
depend on the opportunity that will come first the day right after graduation.
However, when I throw the question back to him, he firmly answered that he will
go abroad and look for a stable job. This answer of him is usually the thought
of common Pinoys aiming for a better
life for their families rather than spending most of the time of their lives
working in their homeland just to strive for some little penny.
On the afternoon
after that conversation, as I was surfing over the Internet to read and look
for ‘something good’, I found a certain article of Yahoo which was about the
‘brain drain’ dilemma that PAGASA, the national weather bureau, is currently
facing. The article says that some of its meteorologists have left PAGASA to
take better-paying jobs abroad. Obviously, this maybe because these experts
only received trifling salaries that are insufficient to compensate their
needs.
But before I get
closer to dealing with the issue regarding brain drain, let us first define this term for the benefit of those who don’t
know. According to Google dictionary, brain drain is the emigration of highly trained or intelligent
people from a particular country to another. This is one of the main problems
that the developing countries are facing which includes the Philippines.
In our
individual community, it cannot be denied that once we heard our neighbor went
abroad for good, we can easily stereotype that their family is well-off
compared to ordinary type of Pinoy living. This is the main reason why
professionals of our country risked their lives only to find their fortunate
destinies in the developed countries like US and Saudi Arabia.
If we are going
to address the positive side of working abroad, we have a lot to say. To wit
one, our country can benefit from this through the remittances of the overseas workers
whom we considered ‘living heroes’. Looking at the other side, however, aside
from the feeling of longing for workers’ families due to long distance, our country
is really the one that is greatly affected by this. The experts or professionals
who are supposed to be the ones who can help improve most of the aspects of the
country chose to serve other foreign countries. Our super-doctors medicate the
patients of US. Our super-nurses serve the hospitals of Saudi Arabia. Our
super-engineers construct buildings for UAE. Our super-teachers educate the
students of South Korea. Our super-pharmacists provide pharmaceutical care in
Canada. These super-experts work for the betterment of foreign countries.
On the other
hand, even if that is now the scenario, we cannot still put the blame on them
for serving other countries rather than our own for they only do these for the
sake of their families’ future. Perhaps, if we really have to point out who to
blame with this brain drain
phenomenon in our country, the government is now facing bulks of fingers.
If only the government gives some portion of its
attention to these experts by offering bigger financial benefits, our country
might not be facing brain drain anymore.
We might now be boasting of the quality products and services made by our
super-experts which are supposed to be enjoyed by all Filipinos. Remember, our
country has some of the best institutions that produce globally competent
experts. The government should not waste their existence!
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