Population Institute

ABSTRACT

Labor migration is a "fact of life" in the Philippines. Since the 1970s, the State has tried to strike a precarious balance between deploying and protecting migrant workers. This overarching policy has been both lauded and criticized by various stakeholders that comprise a vibrant civil society. One such actor is the Catholic Church, an influential force in the Philippines that possesses a vast body of teaching on the matter. This paper aims to understand the relationship between the State and Catholic Church through a comparison of their perspectives on international labor migration policies during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, from 2001 up to 2009 through (1) a review of major developments in State policies on international labor migration from the inception of the overseas employment program to 2000; (2) an examination of State policies on international migration during the Arroyo government, highlighting continuities and discontinuities with past policies; and (3) an analysis of both the universal and local Church's stance on migration. A discussion on convergence and divergence points between State policy and Church teaching caps off this paper, which concludes by positing that there are similarities in the stated and written views of the two entities, particularly on the right to migrate and the protection of migrant workers, but areas of discord especially in the actual execution and implementation of the promulgations on championing human dignity and fostering a more equitable social vision.