Juan Dayang Jr. on the 'human face' of diplomacy

Like many developing countries, the Philippines is seeing sustained growth, thanks in part to remittances from overseas Filipino workers. That’s why for Juan Dayang Jr., he and the rest of the Philippine diplomatic community should make it a priority to ensure the welfare and rights of these workers.

Dayang’s staunch support for migrant Filipinos is not purely rhetoric. While posted at the Philippine embassy in Seoul between 2002 and 2008, he led a program to build financial literacy of Filipino workers. And for that, Sunlife’s It’s Time Awards named him its 2011 grand prize winner.

Dayang, now the director of the ASEAN Coordinating Council at the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of ASEAN Affairs, is one the most influential development leaders aged 40 and under in Manila.

Devex is recognizing 40 of these young trailblazers in international development. They are social entrepreneurs, government leaders, development consultants, business innovators, advocates, development researchers, nonprofit executives and journalists.

We spoke with Dayang about his cause.

Could you tell us why you’ve been especially passionate about migration issues throughout your career in the foreign service?

Migration and Philippine development is inextricably linked. Ten percent of the Philippine population are overseas Filipino workers and about half of the Philippine population depend in some way on the remittances of a migrant relative.

The World Bank projected that the Philippines will receive $24 billion in 2012, slightly higher than Mexico and below China and India. Remittances are more reliable during financial crisis compared to foreign direct investments or foreign aid. In the Philippines, remittances have spurred growth in housing, real estate, education, health and small enterprises which have improved family incomes and reduced poverty incidence. Despite its benefits, social cost of migration such as breaking up of families and workers falling victims of abuse must be addressed. The Department of Foreign Affairs is at the forefront of this effort to promote and advance the interest of OFWs and its citizens overseas.

As a foreign service officer, my role as a diplomat and as a consular officer is indistinct. The highest priority of the Philippine foreign policy, apart from promoting the political and economic interest of the state, is to protect the rights and welfare of its citizens. This is the human face of Philippine diplomacy.

I have been raised by a journalist father and a social worker which has probably made me more socially aware of Philippine and human conditions. Diplomats are public servants. When we are abroad, our constituents are Filipino migrants. I am proud to say that the Philippines is No. 1 in the world for its advocacy in protecting the human rights of migrants and promoting the welfare of their families.

During your posting at the Philippine embassy in Seoul, you spearheaded a financial literacy program for migrant Filipino workers. Tell us about how this program started and why you think it became successful.

At first, it was a personal interest in financial literacy. Afterward, I wanted to share what I learned to OFWs. After talking to several OFWs, I found out that many do not have enough savings or investments due to lack of basic financial know-how. It became one of the reasons why they decide to work longer abroad despite being away from their families and for some as undocumented migrant workers.

I spearheaded the financial education program of the Philippine embassy for Filipino workers, under the leadership of Ambassador Luis Cruz, who supported the program and made it his flagship program. I also received support from fellow officers and staff of the embassy and assistance from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

I think the program succeeded because three factors: One, the program responded to a need and desire of OFWs to be financial independent; two, teamwork and the support of the ambassador and colleagues in the embassy who generously shared their time and resources; and three, the support of the Filipino community in Korea, including religious-based organizations who sponsored the events. I believe that the program was successful because it was a group effort and everybody had ownership of the program.

You’ve been with the Philippine foreign service for more than a decade. Do you get a sense that there’s recently been more optimism in the international community over the Philippines’ development?

You make me sound so old. Yes, I’ve been fortunate to be in the service of the Philippines and the Filipino people for about 13 years.

I agree that there has been more positive outlook over the Philippines’ development overall. One could see with our own eyes the changing landscape of Metro Manila. There has been a tremendous boom in the real estate market.

There is rising investors’ confidence in the Philippine economy which contributed to the all-time highs in the Philippine Stock Exchange Index staying above 5,500 levels. The Philippine gross domestic product growth in the last quarter was a strong 7.1 percent. We also received good marks from Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, which gave the Philippines a credit rating upgrade in 2012 due in part to our lower debt-to-GDP ratio. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are also upbeat about the Philippines, projecting the Philippines as one the world’s major economic players by 2050. We are really beating expectations.

I believe that one of the sources of our growth is human resource. We have to continuously harness our people. OFWs and business process outsourcing workers have contributed immensely to economic growth and poverty eradication in the Philippines in recent years. While we enjoy the unprecedented positive attention, I believe we have to make the most of it. Filipino diplomats are ready and geared toward advancing our country and people’s interests abroad through trade and investment promotion, tourism promotion, and protection of our migrant workers overseas.

Read more about the Devex 40 Under 40 International Development Leaders in Manila.