Introduction
When it comes to the concept of migration, Philippines isn’t new to it as they have a long history relocating to different areas. Social, economic, and cultural aspects all contribute to the resettlement of the people living in the Philippines. As a result, it has become one of the largest origin country for migrants. Having such a deep and rich history, Philippine migration not only helps us understand how it affected and shaped their political and social agenda, but also explains their motives and challenges that Filipinos face. With that being said, migration in the Philippines is characterized in four significant waves. Those are:
First wave
Second wave
Third wave
Fourth wave
First Wave
Predating over six centuries ago, the first ever recorded Philippine migration occurred in 1417 when Sultan Paduka Pahala, who was the first East King of Sulu wanted to improve trade relations with the Chinese Emperor. To do so, Pahala travelled to China on boat with a variety of gifts such as silk, pearls, and precious metals which he planned to give to the Emperor. Not much was written about his journey however it was recorded that he arrived at Chinese stores on August of 1417. Upon doing so, he successfully pleased the Emperor with his gifts and established a stronger relationship that both countries benefited via shared trading routes and hospitality. Paduka Pahala unfortunatly contracted a unknown disease at his time in China and died shortly after. His established relationship with China never seized however and both Filipinos and Chinese alike traveled to and fro between each country, some of which even immigrated and stayed permanently.
A couple centuries later, Filipinos, who were now under Spanish rule in the 18th century, established and maintained trade relations with Acapulco, a major city and seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Being under Spanish rule and participating in trading, some Filipinos migrated into the country. Following the migration to Mexico, Filipinos scattered and went about searching for jobs. It was noted that some stayed in Louisiana, while others found work as fruit pickers in California.
Second Wave
The second wave of migration occurred from the beginning of the 20th century up until the 1940s. In this time period, there was a large amount of migration of Filipinos moving into the United States. This huge amount of migration was a result of the American colonial period, a time where the first Filipino migrants arrived had to work on sugar plantations in Hawaii. Seeing opportunity in working in the US, more Filipino migrants arrived in Hawaii to work as fruit pickers. In total, between 1906 and 1934, roughly 100,000 Filipinos arrived in the US, most of whom are in Hawaii. Not all Filipinos were taken to Hawaii however. An example of this was other Filipino migrants were taken to Alaska to work in the fisheries.
It’s key to note that as a colony of the US, Filipinos were considered as US nationals, which in return facilitating migration.
Third Wave
The US government instituted the Immigration Act of 1924. This act which is also referred to as the national origin quota system is an act that limited immigration. This act introduced immigration visas for two percent of the total number of each nationality in the USA. This as a resulted in a significant decline in Filipino migration to the States. With this, more Filipinos started to migrate into Asian countries in the 1950s. Around 250,000 Filipinos were employed in logging camps in Sabah and Sarawak serving five year contracts. Many more Filipinos were employed on American army bases in Vietnam, Thailand and Guam during the Indochina war. At the start of the 1970s Filipinos also migrated to Iran and Iraq to work as engineers and technicians. In the 1960s, the US and Canada relaxed immigration regulations, allowing for family reunification, which led to an significant increase of Filipino migration to North America. In the same period, Filipinos started migrated as nurses or domestic workers to Western Europe.
Fourth Wave
In the 1970s former President Ferdinand Marco institutionalized a policy to encourage emigration to stimulate the economy. While these policies were aimed to be of temporary nature, labor migration has been steadily increasing since. High unemployment and poor living standards combined with a government policy of emigration encouraged thousands of Filipinos to seek employment overseas. In 1972, former President Marcos imposed Martial Law leading to the exile of political opponents. The political, social and economic uncertainty under martial law rule of President Marcos pushed opponents and middle class Filipinos to leave the country. Economic development in Asian neighbouring countries, the emergence of the Gulf region after the oil crisis and the change in immigration policies of destination countries further stimulated migration. Even after the ousting of President Marcos, the Philippine government remained increasingly reliant on remittances. While the current administration refutes migration as a development strategy, it cannot deny its dependency on it.