The
European migrant crisis will not have large,
adverse effects on the Philippines, according to a Malta-based economist in a
presentation at a seminar hosted by state think tank Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS) last April 11.
While the distance between
Europe and the Philippines makes it difficult to imagine how the crisis can
affect the country, the breakdown of trust among European nations and the
tightening of borders put free movement in the continent at risk, while
hostilities against migrants intensify.
But according to Prof. Lino
Briguglio of the University of Malta, Filipinos who work in the European Union
(EU) need not worry about the crisis.
"The Filipino people
have a very good reputation in Europe," remarked Mr. Briguglio.
"They often occupy jobs
that are in demand. The migrant crisis will impact your overseas workforce as
far as the tightening of visa rules and requirements is concerned. If the EU
collapses, the issue of stricter border rules will be a problem that the whole
Europe and other foreigners will face and not just your Filipino expats,"
he explained further.
Meanwhile, PIDS President
Gilberto Llanto said the European migrant crisis has been pegged as one of the
big global shocks of this year. Because shocks do not occur in silos, they
directly affect other potential and ongoing risks given the interconnected
nature of threats to global, regional, and national stability.
"This puts the onus on
policymakers to evaluate in-depth how something as critical as the European
migrant crisis could possibly affect a far-off country like the
Philippines," Mr. Llanto added.
Mr. Llanto also noted that
Mr. Briguglio's presentation about the EU migrant crisis is in line with PIDS'
agenda of enriching the national discourse on building resilience against an
array of risks.
Mr. Briguglio pointed out
three dimensions of the migrant crisis. According to Mr. Briguglio, the EU
migration crisis has three dimensions and these are associated with border
control, granting of asylum, and humanitarian considerations.
"Geography has dictated
the disproportionate distribution of responsibility among European countries in
dealing with the crisis. Europe’s legislative guide to dealing with migrants is
embodied in the Dublin Regulation, which places responsibility of temporarily
keeping and legitimizing asylum seekers on the first country migrants arrive
in. Because most migrants originate from the Maghreb, South Asia, and the
Middle East, nations like Greece, Italy, Malta, and Eastern European countries
like Hungary bear majority of that responsibility," he explained.
In addition, Mr. Briguglio
pointed out a conundrum in identifying legitimate asylum seekers from migrants
seeking economic opportunity.
"Part of what makes the
European migrant crisis unprecedented is the sheer volume of people. Leaving it
up to the border countries is unsustainable. Currently, only a very small
proportion of migrants have actually been resettled outside of the entry-point
countries," he said.
Mr. Briguglio also criticized
the EU's lack of an effective strategy in dealing with the crisis, calling it a
"crisis of solidarity".
"The humanitarian aspect
of the crisis is forgotten in the scramble to flee from the responsibility of
responding to and helping manage the influx of people. Instead of highlighting
the issue from a humanitarian angle, whereby the fact that the vast majority of
migrants are normal people running away from war, the crisis has given rightist
groups an opportunity to wage an anti-immigrant political agenda across
European states. The issue has become extremely polarized on the issue of
religion and cultural compatibility, with little room for finding both
pragmatic and humane solutions," he explained.
Overall, the refugee crisis,
according to Mr. Briguglio, is a multifaceted issue. He added that peace in the
Middle East is the most ideal solution to stop the influx of migrants to the
EU. However, he admitted that it is also the hardest and farthest from being
accomplished in the near future.
According to Mr. Briguglio,
the EU strategists need to focus on strengthening Europe's capacity to receive
asylum seekers and expedite the processing procedure. He suggested that Europe
has to create a common European asylum system to harmonize the treatment of
asylum seekers and refugees, and more importantly, to share the burden of
responsibility equally among EU countries. The researcher also recommended
making targeted policies that would integrate migrants into the labor market.
"Employment would reduce
cultural tensions and the cost of hosting irregular migrants. Policymakers will
have to sort out and reduce skill mismatches, address and minimize language
barriers, and protect the migrants from further exploitation," he stated.
Interestingly, during the
seminar's open forum, an audience member revealed that Europe could learn a
thing or two about managing migrants and refugees from the Philippines.
The Philippines is one of
only a handful of signatories to the 1952 Refugee Convention with a clear
procedure on managing refugees. A Refugee and Stateless People Protection Unit
under the Department of Justice regularly deals with refugees from countries
like Syria and Pakistan, more often than the public is aware of. In 2012, the
United Nations lauded the Philippines for establishing an emergency transit
mechanism to help process refugee application papers and assist irregular
migrants. (PIDS)
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