Filipino seamen have remitted Dh 7.86 billion ($2.14B* / Php 109B**) to their loved ones in the Philippines from January to April, ACTS-OFW party-list said on Sunday.
ACTS-OFW chairman and former Representative John Bertiz III said this is 10.7 percent higher than the $1.93-billion remittance in the first quarter of 2018.
The top 10 sources of remittance in the first quarter of 2019 are the United States ($770.1 million); Singapore ($214.4 million); Germany ($186.6 million); Japan ($184.3 million); United Kingdom ($105.9 million); The Netherlands ($96.69 million); Hong Kong ($93.7 million); Panama ($58.7 million); Cyprus ($55.9 million); and Norway ($39.9 million).
In 2018, seafarers remitted $6.14 billion, which was 4.5 percent higher than $5.87 billion sent in 2017.
Bertiz said the high demand for the skills of Filipino seaman resulted in more deployment, which caused the increase in remittance.
“Fund transfers from sea-based Filipino workers abroad are actually rising at a rate five times faster than remittances coming from those based on land,” he added.
For this reason, Bertiz encouraged high school graduates to pursue Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation or Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering. He also urged the Commission on Higher Education to promote these courses among poor families.
“They should be favored in the grant of full scholarships in private maritime schools,” he added.
*$1 = Dh.367
**Dh 1 =
