The Lives and Struggle of Overseas Filipino Workers in the Face of Zionism and Labor Export

Praised as modern-day “bayani” (heroes), Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are seen as vital, serving as a temporary solution to the Philippine economic crisis. Their remittances make up 10% of the nation’s gross domestic product. The government’s Labor Export Policy has turned migration into a lifeline, boosting dollar reserves by marketing local labor to foreign countries. Yet behind the praise lies a harsher reality: many OFWs face exploitation, lack of protection, and are often left to fend for themselves, especially during times of occupation abroad. 

Many Filipinos continue to seek jobs abroad, hoping to provide a better life for their families. In Israel alone, around 30,000 Filipino migrants are employed. Primarily in caregiving and hospitality roles, fields that heavily rely on foreign labor, especially from women. Thousands care for the elderly and people with disabilities, while others work in the hotel industry.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Filipinos reside in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the persistent apartheid, they have planted roots in Palestine. They forged lives, raising families, and following daily routines. However, when the genocide of the Palestinian people escalated, their already fragile situation took a devastating turn.

Migration at a Cost

In search of better wages and a chance to sustain their families, many Filipino workers choose to go overseas. Driving headfirst into the uncertainty that foreign labor promises.

Even before boarding a plane, they’re already trapped in a cycle of economic vulnerability. To meet the demands of recruitment agencies, many are forced to borrow money from relatives, friends, or even loan sharks. With loose enforcement of labor regulations, agencies often exploit loopholes, imposing hidden fees and engaging in illegal recruitment practices.

Most workers are left in the dark about the true costs: processing fees, training, medical exams, and countless other expenses. All these piling on debt before their journey even begins. And so, they migrate burdened, often stripped of their rights from the start.

Laboring Under Exploitation

When their work starts abroad, so does their suffering. 

For many OFWs, a portion of their salary is automatically deducted to pay off recruitment agency debts upon their arrival. Most of what remains is sent home to support their families, leaving them with barely enough to survive.

Depending on their country of migration, many caregivers are typically bound to a single employer, making them especially vulnerable to exploitation. With or without a formal contract, many endure long hours, low pay, and zero benefits. Legal protection is scarce, leaving them exposed to wage theft and abuse. Even after their contracts end, many continue working illegally just to keep sending money home. Few individuals even hold more than one job.

Some employers treat OFWs as second-class citizens without access to equal legal rights. Seeking justice becomes nearly impossible with language barriers or a lack of documentation. The Philippine government’s weak migrant support system only adds to the problem, offering little legal aid or shelter for those facing abuse.

Trapped by circumstance, many choose silence. Reporting mistreatment could mean losing their job or worse, being deported. So they endure quietly, in hopes that they could continue with their work.

Filipina Caregivers in the face of Zionism

Filipina migrant workers make up the largest group of foreign caregivers in Israel. They are brought in under strict work contracts, often unaware of their limited rights and restrictions such as bans on romantic relationships and starting families.

Despite these rules, regulations are loosely applied. Many Filipinos remain in the country for years, leading isolated lives separated from their families, and working long hours with little personal time. Feelings of loneliness and emotional fatigue are common.

Over time, some develop relationships and have children with Israelis. However, because Israel views them as temporary workers and immigration is streamlined for Jewish individuals, they and their children face legal and social limbo. There is no path to citizenship or permanent residency, even after decades of residence or raising Israeli-born children.

Their children, though raised in Israel and fluent in Hebrew, often remain undocumented or stateless. Many live in fear of deportation, as their parent’s status makes their own future in Israel uncertain, causing these families to resort into hiding.

Filipina mothers and their children face deportation, with Israeli authorities citing visa violations. Mothers would submit requests to legalize their status, along with that of their children, but these applications were consistently rejected. The courts repeatedly argued that “there were no humanitarian reasons to justify granting them legal status in Israel.” This highlights how so-called humanitarian criteria can be used as a legal mechanism for exclusion, even when those affected are clearly facing real and urgent difficulties.

While the government offers limited exceptions, they come with deceptive conditions. A child may gain permanent residency if eligible. And their parents, and any siblings, will be granted status until the child completes mandatory service in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The child must serve as an anchor for their family to obtain permanent residency.

This policy highlights a deep contradiction: Israel depends on migrant women to provide essential care, yet denies them the right to family life, stability, and full recognition. In Israel, many migrant workers hide their true situation to remain with the families they’ve built. They are essential to the country’s workforce but remain invisible, present in everyday life yet never fully accepted.

Lost Homes, Unclear Futures

A small number of OFWs live in Palestine, primarily in Gaza, after entering through Israel. Many met their spouses while working in Israel and settled in Palestine.

As the genocide escalates, many have fled, losing homes, jobs, and even loved ones. Because Palestine is unjustly not officially recognized as a state, these migrants lack clear legal protections and consular support. Their only option is to seek help from the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv.

Now back in the Philippines, these families live in uncertainty. Without official asylum status, they struggle to meet basic needs and remain unsure of their legal standing.

Workers, Not Commodities!

Labor migration from the Philippines is driven by long-standing issues such as poverty, lack of local employment opportunities, and landlessness. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) returning home due to war, militarization, and genocide face the harsh reality of joblessness and food insecurity.

Israel has shown interest in hiring more Filipino workers, not only in caregiving and hospitality but also in other expanding sectors. However, with Alert Level 2 still in effect, new deployments from the Philippines remain restricted.

This push for expansion, without improving labor protections, may worsen existing inequalities. Migrant workers’ rights risk being ignored, leading to higher chances of exploitation.

OFWs Demand Justice: At Home and Abroad

During May Day 2025, Migrante International joined calls for a national wage increase. Supporting the demand for a P1,200 living wage for all Filipino workers, including the families of OFWs. Migrants emphasized the urgent need for a livable wage and expressed solidarity with the working class worldwide, especially amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Moreover, we echo the urgent call of Migrante Canada and Migrante International for the Marcos Jr. government to launch a coordinated and systematic rescue operation for Filipinos and OFWs in Israel, as well as those still in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iran. 

Above all, as a collective of Filipino organizers, many of whom come from migrant families and have worked closely with migrant communities, we continue to amplify the call for a Free Palestine and stand firmly against the U.S.-backed Zionist genocide of the Palestinian people.

As Filipinos, it is imperative that we recognize the deep intersections of our struggles, against exploitation, displacement, and imperialism, with those of the Palestinian people. Our focus must remain sharp: the real enemy is the Zionist regime, which carries out the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians with impunity, showing no regard for human dignity, not even for the migrant workers who are forced to endure and survive under its brutal conditions

Junk Labor Export Program!
From Palestine to the Philippines, Stop the U.S. War Machine!
Workers of the world, unite!