President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday expressed gratitude to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Japan for their significant contributions to the growth of the economy through remittances.

He also praised them for promoting the Philippines through their kindness and diligence.

“Napakalaking bagay na ang remittance ng mga OFW sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. Sa panahon ng kahirapan, ang inaasahan ay ‘yung mga remittance ninyo (The remittances of OFWs play a huge part in keeping the Philippine economy afloat. In times of hardships, we rely on the remittances you send),” he said in a speech during his meeting with the Filipino community at Belle Salle Tokyo Nihonbashi conference center in Chuo City.

“’Yung sakripisyo po ninyo na pagta-trabaho sa abroad ay hindi lamang sa ikabubuti ng inyong pamilya, kung hindi sa buong bansa (Your sacrifice of working abroad is not only for the benefit of your family, but also of the whole country),” he added.

Marcos reassured OFWs that the government is boosting the quality of jobs so that time will come when Filipinos would no longer have to go abroad out of necessity.

“Ang aking pangarap talaga ay masabi na natin na sapat ang trabaho sa Pilipinas. Pagka isang Pilipino ay nag-abroad para magtrabaho, ito ay dahil pinili niya pumunta sa abroad, hindi napilitan pumunta sa abroad (My dream is that we can say that there are enough jobs in the Philippines. When a Filipino goes abroad to work, it is because he chose to go abroad, not forced to go abroad),” he said.

Marcos said he wants Filipinos to have good jobs at home that will secure their future.

His official trip to Japan aims to bring home investment pledges and agreements that would help spur post-pandemic economic growth, the President said.

“Isang bagay na napaka importante hindi lamang ‘yung mga agreement na ginagawa namin, kung hindi ipaalala natin sa lahat na isipin nila ang Pilipinas. Kapag nag-iisip sila, ‘saan tayo maglalagay ng negosyo?’ Dati hindi tayo iniisip. Ngayon, dahil pinupuntahan natin sila, alam na nila…kasama na ngayon diyan ang Pilipinas (One thing that is very important is not only the agreements we make, but to remind businesses to think about the Philippines. When they think, ‘where are we going to invest?’ In the past, they didn’t think about us. Now, because we go to them, their options now that include the Philippines),” he said.

He also assured that the government, through its embassies and the Department of Migrant Workers, will provide all OFWs with much-needed assistance.

“Kami naman ay magbibigay ng tulong upang makabangon ulit ang ating mga kababayan, ang ating mga trabahador (We will give help so that our citizens, our workers, can get back up again),” he said.

“Alam naming kayo’y maasahan namin bilang hindi lamang magagaling na nagta-trabaho kundi magaling na ambassador ng Pilipinas. Ipagpatuloy po ninyo at kami naman po sa pamahalaan ay nandito upang magsuporta, upang tumulong…‘Yan po ang aming pagbawi sa inyong napakaganda at napaka-init na salubong ngayong araw na ito (We know that we can count on you not just as hard workers, but as ambassadors of the Philippines. Keep it up and we, in government, are here to give you all the support and aid…It’s the least we can do for the warm welcome you gave us today),” he said.

Filipinos working in Japan have contributed around USD1.49 billion in remittances last year, according to Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano.

Based on government data, there are around 290,000 Filipinos living in Japan. (PNA)