For most Filipinos nowadays, greener pastures means working in a foreign land. The lack of good opportunities here in the Philippines is the primary reason why many Filipino workers choose to work abroad

Overseas Filipino workers are always dreaming of a time when they don’t have to go to another country just to earn more money.

Fortunately, this is also the aim of the president elect Noynoy Aquino. The ultimate goal of the next President of the land is to create more local jobs so that Filipino workers will not have to go overseas to seek employment.

Aquino mentioned this during a press conference that was held after his proclamation in Batasang Pambansa last week.

He said, “The ultimate target has to be to provide jobs here in the country that will not necessitate our countrymen, by force of necessity, to venture out of the country and be at risk," Aquino said.

He said Filipino workers should leave the country “by choice rather than being forced by necessity."

The 15th President of the Philippines acknowledged that this target would not be easy to achieve and would take time. His immediate goal for now is to empower and strengthen government agencies so they can render effective services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

He said, “In the interim, all the concerned agencies that deal with overseas Filipino workers should really be focused, (such as) the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration). They should be demonstrating more readiness, more efficiency and greater scope in terms of being able to protect our citizens abroad."

Aquino also wants to study the possibility of a tie up between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

“The minimum change we'd like to see is to integrate (TESDA) with DepEd. If our youth want to pursue studies only until high school, they should have the skills and abilities with which they would be able to make a living," Aquino said.