To Pimp a Breadwinner: An Analysis of the Overseas Filipino Condition
- lightningszenith
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
By: Karl Xyrus Christian Barrantes
Introduction
Walang Natira (2010) is a rap song written and performed by Filipino rapper Aristotle Pollisco, known professionally as Gloc-9. The song follows the perspective of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who have chosen to leave the country in search of better jobs thousands of miles away from loved ones to provide economically. Even in the earliest days of such practice, migrant Filipino workers have been unsung heroes and are rarely represented in the audio and visual media. Prominent audio and visual media such as the song Napakasakit Kuya Eddie (1992) and the movie Anak (2000) speak about the struggles of Filipino workers overseas and other emotional burdens that come with it (Villasanta, 2024). Through historical and sociological criticism, Gloc-9’s rap song reveals through prose the burdens of OFWs, exploring the inequalities of the Philippines, such as job insecurities and government neglect, perpetuating the need for Filipinos to seek jobs elsewhere.
Body
Overseas Filipino Workers, more commonly known as OFWs, are migrant Filipino workers who find jobs abroad
in foreign countries where the exchange rate of currency is far higher than in the Philippines. Dating back to the 1970s, the Marcos administration greatly encouraged migrant labor, who back then were called Overseas Contract Workers (OCWs) in an effort to stimulate the economy (Agunias & Ruiz, 2022). The government of the USA, civilian agencies, and contractors within the US Armed Forces began recruiting Filipinos to work jobs in the construction and service sectors abroad, bolstering the numbers of Filipino workers abroad (Medina & Pulumbarit, 2012).
Contributing a whopping 7.7% of the Philippines’ GDP, overseas Filipino workers are typically seen as the
breadwinners of the family and the main contributors to the family’s economic responsibilities (Liamzon, 2024). With such a significant role in the Philippines’ economy, not only are OFWs required by the family function but the whole nation as well, reinforcing the nation’s reliance on exported labor to compensate for the lack of local job opportunities. Walang Natira encapsulates this trajectory of job opportunity by highlighting how licensed professionals such as nurses, teachers, and other skilled workers leave the country in search of better opportunities, leaving gaps in industries in the Philippines and, in recent events, an overabundance of Filipino skilled professionals overseas (Rodriguez, 2010).
Critical Analysis
From a sociological perspective, the song critiques the labor policies put in place to stabilize the expanding
venue of profit, which has led to the effect known as brain drain, wherein skilled professionals flee the country, which leaves behind the aforesaid workforce gap for unskilled laborers to fill, diluting the competency of the Filipino workforce as a whole (Cagoco-Guiam, 2024). Conversely, the song's lyrics also underscore the emotional turmoil between family and OFWs. The family is left with a long-distance relationship, which strains familial bonds, especially for the OFWs with children left behind. On the other hand, overseas workers face unseen troubles in foreign countries, where there is no local help, and the OFWs are left to fend off any harm. The song sheds light on the injustices committed by foreign employers, such as exploitation and discrimination, many of which are still faced by OFWs to this day (Bautista & Tamayo, 2020). Within the country, injustices also occur towards the would-be OFWs, specifically female overseas Filipino workers. Despite having higher education and working as skilled nurses, most Filipino women are categorized as unskilled, low-paid domestic workers (Straiton et al., 2017). This label has ultimately forced female Filipino workers to find jobs overseas, causing a deficit in the local nursing market, as mentioned in the song.
The contents of the song not only critique the labor policies but also the impact of colonialism that still endures in Filipino society and the modern slavery the Filipino government has put OFWs in. The preference for the overseas can be traced to colonial influences; however, modern circumstances have put the future of not only the OFWs but also the future of all Filipinos in jeopardy by allowing such talented and much-desired competency in professional workers to walk and be exploited in a foreign land.
Conclusion
Walang Natira serves not only as a reflection of modern labor policies, a critique of the ongoing job crisis, and a
tragedy of the modern family torn by labor miles apart, but also a callout to the unseen suffering of the OFW workers spread all throughout the world, working day and night to ensure the nation’s future. While the turmoil of the migration worker has still not been solved, or more so addressed, the song is still a powerful anthem that sheds light on the problems of the laborer, the family, and the country in insightful prose. Walang Natira coaxes listeners to reminisce about the unfortunate past and rethink the state of the nation in the present.
REFERENCE LIST
Agunias, D. R., & Ruiz, N. G. (2022, June 27). Protecting Overseas Workers: Lessons and Cautions from the Philippines. migrationpolicy.org.
Bautista, A. G. M., & Tamayo, V. T. (2020). Life challenges of overseas Filipino workers. OALib, 07(10), 1–9.
Cagoco-Guiam, R. (2024, April 23). Brain drain, once more. INQUIRER.net.
Liamzon, C. (2024, January 21). The pros and cons of Philippine migration. World Mission.
Medina, A., & Pulumbarit, V. (2012, September 21). How Martial Law helped create the OFW phenomenon. GMA News Online.
Rodriguez, R. M. (2010). Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World (NED-New edition). University of Minnesota Press.
Straiton, M. L., Ledesma, H. M. L., & Donnelly, T. T. (2017). A qualitative study of Filipina immigrants’ stress, distress and coping: the impact of their multiple, transnational roles as women. BMC Women S Health, 17(1).
Villasanta, B. (2024, February 22). Vilma Santos’ ‘Anak’ still relevant after 24 years. OpinYon News.
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