The Philippine \u27diasporic dividend\u27: Maximizing the development potentials of international migration

The annual Globalization Index produced by A.T. Kearney and ForeignPolicy magazine has consistently evaluated remittances as the prime feature of the Philippines’ performance in the global economy. Index results from 2004 to 2007 reveal that “remittances and personal transfers” are the main strengths of the Philippines’ role and participation in globalization, ranking either first or second in these categories. This is a significant record considering the Philippines remains at the bottom of the standings in other categories, such as foreign direct investments and investment income (A.T. Kearney, 2004, 2005, 2006 2007). It must be noted, however, that such globalization surveys do not provide the end-all indicators of Philippine socio-economic performance.Nevertheless, economic analyses on the Philippines by multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund reached similar conclusions—while there is growth, the sup-posed benefits of job generation and poverty reduction are still not happening. The service industry is the best-performing sector of thePhilippine macro-economy and governance problems still prevail (Bocchi, 2008; Fujita and Seshadri, 2007).In light of the Philippines’ current socio-economic environment it seems that overseas Filipinos and their remittances have made a difference in their home country by driving a consumption-driven economy, buffering financial reserves, filling up domestic employment short falls for the bulging labor force, and easing possible socio-political conflicts(Opiniano, 2004a; International Monetary Fund, 2007; Aldaba, 2007;Opiniano, 2007).It is not surprising, then, that the Philippines has become the globalmodel for managing the exodus of her citizens (International Organization for Migration, 2005:242). But what are the returns to the country?In recent years, business leaders like Doris Magsaysay-Ho have been asking critical questions on how international migration by Filipinos can be calibrated into the general scheme of things in the Philippines (Opiniano, 2006a) In this period of Philippine socio-economic history and of international migration movements by Filipinos, what future besides the exodus awaits the country (Opiniano, 2004:52)? Can this archipelago, a global leader in managing international migration attain a significant diasporic dividend amid continuous overseas mobility (Opiniano, 2007a)? This paper aims to answer these questions by using an economic- based approach, specifically through the framework of the diasporic dividend. It first contextualizes the discussion by briefly describing the Philippine socio-economic and political situation. In view of continued overseas migration, the authors propose a framework that discusses the various channels in which a Philippine diasporic dividend can be achieved in the medium to long term period. The paper ends by enumerating constraints in achieving such a dividend, as well as presenting the challenges that face various stakeholders, especially overseas Filipinos

The 'new' Philippine future "beside" the exodus

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the international migration-and-development story of the Philippines, amongst the leading migrant-origin countries. Design/methodology/approach – Migration and socio-economic development data are used to depict the migration-and-development conditions of the Philippines. Findings – The Philippines has mastered the management of overseas migration based on its bureaucracy and policies for the migrant sector. Migration also rose for decades given structural economic constraints. However, the past 10 years of macro-economic growth may have seen migration and remittances helping lift the Philippines’ medium-to-long term acceleration. The new Philippine future beside the overseas exodus hinges on two trends: accelerating the economic empowerment of overseas Filipinos and their families to make them better equipped to handle the social costs of migration; and strategizing how to capture a “diasporic dividend” by pushing for more investments from overseas migrants’ savings. Research limitations/implications – This paper may not cover the entirety of the Philippines’ migrationand- development phenomenon. Practical implications – Improving the financial capabilities of overseas Filipinos and their families will lead to their economic empowerment and to hopefully a more resilient handling of the (negative) social consequences of migration. Social implications – If overseas Filipinos and their families handle their economic resources better, they may be able to conquer the social costs of migration. Originality/value – This paper employed a population-and-development (PopDev) framework to analyse the migration-and-development conditions of the Philippines. Design/methodology/approach: Migration and socio-economic development data are used to depict the migration-and-development conditions of the Philippines. Findings: The Philippines has mastered the management of overseas migration based on its bureaucracy and policies for the migrant sector. Migration also rose for decades given structural economic constraints. However, the past 10 years of macro-economic growth may have seen migration and remittances helping lift thePhilippines' medium-to-long term acceleration. The new Philippine future beside the overseas exodus hinges on two trends: accelerating the economic empowerment of overseas Filipinos and their families to make them better equipped to handle the social costs of migration; and strategizing how to capture a “diasporic dividend” by pushing for more investments from overseas migrants' savings. Practical implications: Improving the financial capabilities of overseas Filipinos and their families will lead to their economic empowerment and to hopefully a more resilient handling of the (negative) social consequences of migration. Social implications: If overseas Filipinos and their families handle their economic resources better, they may be able to conquer the social costs of migration. Originality/value: This paper employed a population-and-development (PopDev) framework to analyse the migration-and-development conditions of the Philippines.Jeremaiah M. Opinian

A two-nation Asian phenomenological study: Roles and purposes of graduate journalism education through the lens of global journalism

This phenomenological study sought to describe the essence of the roles and purposes of graduate journalism education through the eyes of 16 Asian students from three graduate journalism schools in Japan and the Philippines. This article is anchored in the theory of reflective practice. Responses of students produced a Bridge of Traits of Graduate Journalism Education that illustrates these roles and purposes of graduate studies. This Bridge of Traits also entered into the theory-and-practice discussions, not to mention that this bridge represents respondents’ efforts to connect their personal, academic and professional milieus and aspirations as journalists. Making these connections is done within the realm of journalism’s theory-practice continuum, which, as respondents surprisingly articulated, is important, complementary and applicable. Respondents’ views offer hope that university-based journalism programmes can run viable graduate journalism programmes implementing several elements in pedagogy and substance that espouse a spirit of critical reflective practice in journalists. They aspire to new perspectives and approaches in the teaching, study and practice of journalism.

Journalists' creative process in newswork: A Grounded theory study from the Philippines

Creativity in journalism has always been a challenging concept. Journalism has not often been seen as creative due to its structured conventions. In response, a few journalism scholars claim there is creativity in journalism. However, no studies reveal a creative process in journalistic writing. This grounded theory research from the Philippines revealed a creative process of journalists (n = 20): A Bicycle Wheel of Journalists’ Creative Process in Newswork. This model sees journalists undergo the phases of cognizance, cultivation, captivation, and introspection in their efforts to be creative. Motivation and experience, plus their work environments, even contextualize these creativity-related efforts of journalists. Understanding this journalistic creative process will help practitioners and editors aspire for high journalistic standards and write engaging stories that are of public interest, and that are also relevant and significant.Jhoana Paula L Tuazon, Jasper Emmanuel Y Arcalas, Janine Marie D Soliman, Jeremaiah M Opinian

#Trending: A reevaluation of traditional news values given Twitter through a mixed methods approach

Over the years, social media has catered for faster and perhaps more efficient delivery of news. Twitter, one of the most popular micro-blogging sites, is now being used by journalists in spreading and gathering news. And since Twitter takes note of what topics are trending, journalists now have an idea on what their audience would like to know and talk about. However, topics trending on Twitter often do not reflect the dominant news values presented by the journalists in the traditional news media, thus creating a gap between the perceptions of the audience and of the journalist on what are considered to be newsworthy especially on Twitter. This also creates an impression that news and the news values are evolving. This exploratory mixed methods research re-evaluates the traditional news values in the age of Twitter. It seeks to determine if such values have evolved and if they remain relevant for journalists in the delivery of news in this entirely new platform. Four news values were identified given a phenomenological approach employed in qualitative interviews. These identified news values were then tested using a survey (N=300) as structural equation modeling was employed to test if these four news values are correlated to newsworthiness, news consumption and news distribution. This study contributes to discourses on news values which are currently being reviewed given how the Internet and social media have influenced journalism.Venice Nicole Arboleda Amoroso, Nicole Abigail Cenizal Cham, Paulo Mari Chico Cruz, Candice Ria Estacamento Monsale, Micah Gabriela Tongol San Jose, Jeremaiah Manuel Opinian

Journalism, journalism education and a region's integration: The case of Southeast Asia

The 50-year-old Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is now in its third year implementing the mechanics of regional integration. How does this region-wide development affect journalism in individual countries and in the region? This qualitative research sought to find out the meaning and implications of regional integration to journalism practice and education in Southeast Asia. There is enthusiasm over developing a model on ‘ASEAN-centered journalism and journalism education’, however there are country-level realities that news organisations and journalism schools face before proceeding to even attuning reportage and journalism instruction to the needs of ASEAN.Jeremaiah M. Opiniano, Aira L. Bagtas, Karl C. Basco, Raplh J. Hernandez, Elyssa C. Lopez, Michael C. Rodolfo and Anne K. Vich

Journalism, journalism education and a region's integration: The case of Southeast Asia

The 50-year-old Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is now in its third year implementing the mechanics of regional integration. How does this region-wide development affect journalism in individual countries and in the region? This qualitative research sought to find out the meaning and implications of regional integration to journalism practice and education in Southeast Asia. There is enthusiasm over developing a model on ‘ASEAN-centered journalism and journalism education’, however there are country-level realities that news organisations and journalism schools face before proceeding to even attuning reportage and journalism instruction to the needs of ASEAN

#Trending: a reevaluation of traditional news values given twitter through a mixed methods approach

Over the years, social media have catered for faster and perhaps more efficient delivery of news. Twitter, one of the most popular micro-blogging sites, is now being used by journalists in spreading and gathering news. And since Twitter takes note of what topics are trending, journalists now have an idea on what their audience would like to know and talk about. However, topics trending on Twitter often do not reflect the dominant news values presented by the journalists in the traditional news media, thus creating a gap between the perceptions of the audience and of the journalist on what are considered to be newsworthy especially on Twitter. This also creates an impression that news and news values are evolving. This exploratory mixed methods research re-evaluates the traditional news values in the age of Twitter. It seeks to determine if such values have evolved and if they remain relevant for journalists in the delivery of news in this entirely new platform. Four news values were identified given a phenomenological approach employed in qualitative interviews. These identified news values were then tested using a survey (N=300) as structural equation modelling was employed to test if these four news values are correlated to newsworthiness, news consumption and news distribution. It was found that the traditional news values relevant in journalists' practice of news judgment and in audience' interaction on Twitter. This study contributes to discourses on news values which are currently being reviewed given how the Internet and social media have influenced journalism