Flor Contemplacion was like any other overseas Filipina worker — hardworking and willing to travel the distance to support her family. However, when she was given a death sentence in 1995 for allegedly murdering another Filipina domestic maid in Singapore, her strong work ethic may have cost her her life.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) risk much when they go overseas to support their families. Today, the number of OFWs is estimated to be 10 million people, accounting for 10 percent of the population. There are 192 members in the United Nations, and OFWs can be found in 191 of them.

Hubert Humphrey Fellow Arnel Bañas paid tribute to these “Modern Day Heroes” in his talk, “Filipino workers: modern day heroes cope in a globalized world” Friday.

“This is my way of paying tribute to those who have left their homes,” Bañas said. “To those who are thinking about their homes in their minds and in their hearts.”

Bañas began his talk with an introduction to Filipino history. While many recognize the 1970s as a period when Filipinos began to work overseas, the migration of Filipinos can be traced back to the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade during the 1580s. Later in 1763, Filipinos established settlements, such as the Manila Village, in the bayous of Louisiana, Bañas said.

Despite the fact that OFWs are not physically in the Philippines, they have played a large role in the Philippine economy, specifically through the forms of remittances, which are money transfers foreign workers send to their home countries.

“How important are remittances?” Bañas asked. “They’re not important — they’re extremely important. We rely so much on remittances from the OFWs.”

In 2007, remittances to the Philippines were estimated at $15 billion. The Philippines is the fourth-largest receiver of remittances after India, China and Mexico.

Despite many of the OFWs being highly skilled, educated and having the ability to speak English, many are seen as unskilled when they migrate overseas. As a result, the Philippines, like many other countries, is experiencing a “brain drain,” where intellectuals in highly specialized fields move away from their home countries. Brain drains are one of the several challenges faced by OFWs.

However, Bañas pointed out that while there are challenges to the OFWs, there are also several “bright spots.” While there are “brain drains,” he said, there are also “brain gains.”

“Filipinos gain skills and knowledge when they’re overseas,” he said. “If the conditions were right, we could encourage them back to apply those skills.”

Bañas ended his presentation by making an appeal to those in the audience.

“I would like to end by making an appeal,” he said. “To those of you who might someday be the president of the United States or the CEO of a business, you might meet some OFWs. … Please treat them with compassion.”

Evans School graduate student Vicki Aken was in the audience during Bañas’ talk.

“I thought Arnel did a fantastic job,” she said. “The stories he told is stuff that you don’t get from facts. It makes you think about what they [the OFWs] are going through.”

[Reach reporter Kim Lee at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]