The Philippines has developed institutions, policies and good practices for governing the various phases and types of migration by virtue of decades of experience as a source country for international migrants. The creation of the Sub-Committee on International Migration and Development (SCIMD) in 2014 was one step forward in its pursuit of multi-level migration governance. The policy-making approach has also evolved from a primary concern to increase overseas employment opportunities, to an emphasis on migrant protection and the linkages with development. Recent attention to development has led to the inclusion of international migration in the two national development plans, the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, which continued in the newly approved Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

Population (million)

The view of policy makers on the role migration plays in development has changed remarkably over the past 20 years. Today, migration has a firm place amongst the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and officials from countries worldwide meet annually to discuss policies that best leverage migration for development at the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

Migration’s positive contribution to development in the Philippines is well recognised and targeted by policies designed to maximise its benefits. But less clearly understood is: i) how migration affects a variety of key development sectors in the country, including the labour market, agriculture, education, and investment and financial services; and ii) how policies in those sectors can enhance, or undermine, the development impact of migration.The Interrelations between Public Policies, Migration and Development (IPPMD) project in the Philippines was conducted between 2013 and 2016 to explore these links through both quantitative and qualitative analysis. This chapter provides an overview of the project’s findings, highlighting the ways in which migration (comprising emigration, remittances and return migration) can boost development, and analysing the sectoral policies in the Philippines that will allow this to happen.

The Philippines has a long history of emigration. Indeed since the 1970s the government has actively facilitated overseas working to deal with high unemployment on the one hand, and extended support to overseas Filipino workers on the other hand. Today emigration is part of Filipino culture. This chapter gives a brief overview of migration in the Philippines: its drivers and impact, who the migrants are and where they have gone, and what programmes and support migrants receive in the different phases of the migration process. It also examines what data are available and where the gaps lie. Finally, it lays out the policy and institutional framework covering emigration, immigration and return migration.

In order to provide an empirical foundation to the analysis of the links between migration and policy, the Interrelations between Public Policies, Migration and Development (IPPMD) project used three evidence-gathering tools: a household survey, a community survey, and interviews with representatives of public, international and local organisations to provide additional qualitative information about the migration context in the Philippines.This chapter explains how the sampling for the survey was designed, as well as the statistical approaches used in the chapters that follow to analyse the impact of migration, remittances and return on key policy sectors. The chapter includes a brief overview of the survey findings, including differences across regions and between migrant and non-migrant households. It outlines some of the gender differences that emerged among migrants, particularly in terms of the destination country for emigrants, and the reasons for leaving and returning.

Despite steady economic growth, the Philippine economy is marred by un- and underemployment, contributing to emigration of many people in search of work. This chapter explores what this outflow – and the significant rate of remittance inflows – means for the domestic labour market. It also investigates the role played by labour market programmes – particularly employment agencies and vocational training – in people’s migration decisions. The recommendations for policy are outlined, particularly in terms of how to improve skills matching in the labour market.

Agriculture contributes only about 10% of the Philippines’ economy, which is diversifying rapidly. Nevertheless, rural and agricultural poverty is deepening and it has become common for rural residents to move within the Philippines but also internationally to the Gulf or other Asian countries to seek work. The Philippine government views agriculture as an important component of its development strategy. This chapter explores data gathered from the IPPMD survey of 593 farming households across the country to understand how migration is affecting the sector and how agricultural policies influence people’s migration decisions. The findings have policy relevance in terms of the role of emigration and return migration in diversifying the rural economy, and the role of agricultural programmes such as subsidies and agricultural land title certificates in contributing to emigration.

Education plays a crucial role in development and growth. Migration and remittances have the potential to help improve educational outcomes and build future human capital stocks, but they also raise concerns about “brain drain”, as well as the impact on children left behind. This chapter investigates the interlinkages between education and migration in the Philippines, focusing on the impact of migration on educational expenditures and school attendance rates, the role of educational attainment in emigration decisions, and whether emigration and return migration are likely to affect human capital. It also explores whether and how education programmes such as school meals, conditional cash transfers and scholarships affect migration decisions. The findings have policy relevance in terms of matching education to the demands of the labour market, and meeting the increased demand for educational services in both the public and private sectors.

With the right policies in place, migration and remittances can spur development through household consumption and investments in entrepreneurial activities and real estate. The Philippines is one of the world’s largest remittance recipients, offering enormous development potential. This chapter explores the links between migration, remittances and investment in the Philippines, and asks how policies on investment, financial services, and financial literacy training could help that potential be fulfilled. It examines whether remittances are linked to business and real estate ownership, and the degree to which return migrants are investing productively. It also reports on households’ access to the formal banking sector through the possession of bank accounts, and the extent to which they are reached by financial literacy programmes.