COMPLETION REPORT
Cooperatives in Japan and in the Philippines: Basis for a Model for the Promotion of OFW Welfare
through Cooperativism
Dr.Veronica Esposo Ramirez, Ph.D (+1)
Director
Center for Research and Communication
University of Asia and the PacificThis research paper explored how the welfare of OFWs can be promoted through cooperatives. It aimed toanswer the research problem, “How can OFW welfare be promoted through cooperatives?”
Mixed-methods was employed in gathering data for this research, which included focus group discussions,interviews, document analyses and site visits. It examined the aspects of migrant work and worker cooperatives:(a) welfare programs for OFWs; (b) Overseas Filipino Work in Japan; and (3) the best practices in Worker
Cooperatives in Japan and the Philippines. Lessons learned from these practices was used as basis for designing amodel of OFW Cooperatives that can promote workers welfare.
The study found that both Workers Cooperatives, JWCU (Japan) and Asiapro (Philippines) satisfy the five Best
Operative Practices, they effectively achieve capacity building, manpower placement and business partnership.
Since workers’ welfare is the goal of OFW Workers Cooperative, its role, which is limited to providing advisory,
facilitation, consulting and guidance services cannot be neglected. This will reduce corrupt practices and will
ensure that the hard-earned OFW money go to their intended use.
Advisory for capacity building, manpower placement and business partners
In OFW Workers Cooperative, Advisory for capacity building is necessary and can be achieved when there iscontinuous education for OFWs that can provide them advisory, facilitation, consulting and guidance services fortraining in (a) language and culture; (b) work ethics and processes; (c) the laws that govern migrant work; (d)financial management; (e) skills upgrade; and (f) human relationships and family responsibility. Parallel to this is
the development of competencies and skills of their Family Left Behind to prepare them for their target
occupation. This can be done in partnership with private and government agencies after assessment of theircompetencies and skills.

Advisory for Manpower placement can be effectively done when the applicant is assisted in choosing thelicensed recruitment agency that can provide (a) the proper assessment of personal attributes, competencies andskills; (b) preparation of legal documents; and (c) contract assessment to ensure that employment salary, benefits,scope of work, accommodations, rights and benefits are appropriately specified. Because the OFW Workers
Cooperative is competent to connect with different offices that will ensure compliance to overseas requirements, it
can provide advisory, facilitation, consulting and guidance services in (a) the selection of recruitment agency withforeign employers that have the capacity to pay salary and award the benefits throughout the employment period(affirmed by the local and foreign recruitment Agencies); (b) establishing the integrity and employers’commitment to OFW welfare (affirmed by recruitment agencies, host-country-based Filipino Association or thePhilippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO); and (c) getting the commitment of both employer / employee to abideby the laws, regulations and scope of work stipulated in the contract.
Return and reintegration is also part of advisory for manpower placement. Here, the OFW Workers Cooperative
can provide advisory, facilitation, consulting and guidance services on matters pertaining to exit documents, takehome cash and goods, and community scanning for employment / livelihood. Guidance can be provided for family
conditioning and reunification, rest and recreation, socialization. The Workers Cooperative’s partnership withpublic and private agencies and institutions is essential to this task.
Because OFW Workers Cooperative is committed to promote participation of its members in any business thatcan provide them income, Advisory for Business partnership can be pursued. The aspects covered under thebusiness partnership are remittances and payments, savings, investments. Data on community absorptive capacity,labor supply and demand, business capitalization and sustainability, and areas of community participation towards
development should be made available through the OFW Workers Cooperative.
As the case may be, Pre-deployment (recruitment, documents, contract, government requirements,foreign employer, departure, deployment) and Stability and participation in community development (business,employment, income, sustainability, contribution to community development, nation building) cannot be
addressed through the OFW Cooperative whose major role is to provide advisory, facilitation, consulting andguidance services.
The Model for Promoting OFW Welfare through Workers Cooperative (Ramirez, 2017) how OFW welfare canbe attained through Workers Cooperative. Overseas Filipino work follows a trajectory composed of different
phases: pre-deployment; employment; pre-return; return; reintegration; and stability and participation incommunity development. Workers Cooperative, for its part, follows best operative practices. If Advisory forcapacity building, manpower placement and business partnership are applied to both overseas Filipino work andWorkers Cooperative, there are services that can be offered at each phase of migrant work to ensure OFWwelfare.
The OFW Workers Cooperative Model (Ramirez, 2017) is therefore recommended to guide the promotion ofOFW welfare in the different stages of migrant work.

Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
To be confirmed but no funds
International Symposium on Social Sciences and Management, Osaka, Japan February 6-8, 2018
“Cooperative Best Practices in Japan and the Philippines: Basis for Overseas Filipino Workers’ welfare throughWorkers Cooperative”
Presenter: Veronica Esposo Ramirez, Ph.D
The paper can also be presented in the Philippines in 2018 when a Cooperative conference is organized by theCooperative Development Authority. The date and venue to be confirmed.
It can also be presented at a Roundtable discussion or forum on Overseas Filipino Work. The date, organizer andvenue still to be determined.

Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
The paper will be published in a form of Monograph to be distributed to:JWCU, JapanAkira Kurimoto, Director of Consumer Cooperative Institute of JapanCooperative Development Authority, Philippines
Department of Labor and Employment, Philippines
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippines
National Reintegration Center for Filipinos Overseas, Philippines
Members of Coop Works Workers Cooperative
Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
N/A