About the Migration Governance Indicators
About the Migration Governance Indicators
Migrants' rights
Migrants' rights

Indicators in this domain assess the extent to which migrants have the same status as citizens in terms of access to basic social services such as health, education, and social security. It also describes the rights of migrants to family reunification, to work, and to residency and citizenship. The ratification of the main international conventions is also included within this domain.

Indicators in this category look at the extent to which migrants have access to certain social services such as health, education and social security. They also examine measures to ensure integration and access to work.

Whole of government approach
Whole of government approach

Indicators in this domain assess countries’ institutional, legal, and regulatory frameworks related to migration policies. Domain 2 also reviews the existence of national migration strategies that are in-line with development, as well as institutional transparency and coherence in relation to migration management. This domain also investigates the extent to which governments collect and use migration data.

Indicators in this category assess the institutional frameworks of cities for migration. This area also examines the existence of migration strategies consistent with development objectives, as well as institutional transparency and coherence in migration management.

Partnerships
Partnerships

This domain focuses on countries’ efforts to cooperate on migration-related issues with other states and with relevant non-governmental actors, including civil society organizations and the private sector. Cooperation can lead to improvements in governance by aligning and raising standards, increasing dialogue and providing structures to overcome challenges.

Indicators in this category focus on cities’ efforts to cooperate on migration issues with the national government as well as other cities and relevant non-governmental actors, including civil society organizations and the private sector.

Well-being of migrants
Well-being of migrants

This domain includes indicators on countries’ policies for managing the socioeconomic well-being of migrants, through aspects such as the recognition of migrants’ educational and professional qualifications, provisions regulating student migration and the existence of bilateral labour agreements between countries. Indicators equally focus on policies and strategies related to diaspora engagement and migrant remittances.

Indicators in this category assess cities’ initiatives in terms of international student mobility, access to the labour market and decent working conditions for migrant workers. Aspects related to diaspora engagement and migrant remittances are also included in this domain.

Mobility dimensions of crises
Mobility dimensions of crises

This domain studies the type and level of preparedness of countries when they are faced with mobility dimensions of crises, linked to either disasters, the environment and/or conflict. The questions are used to identify the processes in place for nationals and non-nationals both during and after disasters, including whether humanitarian assistance is equally available to migrants as it is to citizens.

Indicators in this category examine the type and level of readiness of cities to deal with aspects of mobility crises. The questions focus on the processes in place for citizens and non-citizens both during and after disasters, especially if humanitarian assistance is available for migrants and citizens.

Safe, orderly and regular migration
Safe, orderly and regular migration

This domain analyses countries’ approach to migration management in terms of border control and enforcement policies, admission criteria for migrants, preparedness and resilience in the case of significant and unexpected migration flows, as well as the fight against trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants. It also assesses efforts and incentives to help integrate returning citizens.

Indicators in this category look at the cities’ approaches to migrant safety as well as return and reintegration policies and the fight against trafficking in persons.

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Key findings
Introduction

This local Profile describes examples of well-developed areas of the Province of Albay (The Philippines) migration governance structures and areas with potential for further development, as evaluated through the six domains of the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI). These address migrants’ rights, a “whole-of-government” approach, partnerships, socioeconomic well-being of migrants, the mobility dimensions of crises, and safe and orderly migration.

Click the icons on the wheel to explore the key findings.

The Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) initiative is a policy-benchmarking programme led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and implemented with research and analysis from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Funding is provided by IOM Member States. 

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Key findings
Migrants' rights

Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas

  • The Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) provides access to Government-funded health services for all its residents, including migrants who contribute to the national social health insurance benefits scheme. 
  • The Albay Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office and the Albay Public Employment Service Office jointly provide technical and vocational training to nationals and migrants in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
  • PGA provides cultural mediation services to help resolve disputes among its residents, including migrants. 

Areas with potential for further development 

  • PGA does not have orientation programmes for migrants. 
  • There is no specific policy or strategy to combat discrimination against migrants at the local level. 
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Key findings
Whole of government approach

Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas

  • The Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office, in partnership with national government, is responsible for designing and implementing migration policies and strategic plans, as well as coordinating the implementation and management of services for migrant workers. 
  • The Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) has taken steps to enhance vertical policy coherence on migration-related issues.

Areas with potential for further development 

  • There is no overall provincial-level migration strategy in Albay, nor are migration issues integrated into local development or disaster risk reduction and climate change policies.
  • PGA does not regularly collect and publish data related to migration, neither on Filipino migrant workers, internally displaced populations during disasters, nor foreign nationals. 
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Key findings
Partnerships

Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas

  • The Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) cooperates with United Nations organizations to provide humanitarian assistance, particularly in the aftermath of typhoons.
  • Albay collaborates with Atikha Overseas Workers and Communities Initiative, a non-governmental organization, to provide economic and social services to overseas Filipinos and their families in the Philippines. 

Areas with potential for further development 

  • PGA engages with civil society organizations in agenda-setting and the implementation of migration-related policies and programmes on an ad hoc basis.
  • There is no formal engagement with the academia to inform migration policies and programmes.
  • PGA also does not have any bilateral programmes for province-to-province cooperation within the Philippines or internationally on migration-related issues.
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Key findings
Well-being of migrants

Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas

  • The Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) allocates 25 per cent of its budget to gender and development programmes that are also intended for female Filipino migrants and returning overseas Filipino workers.
  • The Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office (PCEDO) and the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) regularly coordinate with licensed recruitment agencies and upload employment opportunities to the PESO Employment Information System. 
  • PCEDO/PESO conducts the Special Recruitment Activity, which notifies jobseekers, including migrants, regarding available career opportunities in the province.

Areas with potential for further development 

  • There is no provincial-level assessment for monitoring the local labour market demand for immigrants or the local labour supply and the effects of emigration on the labour market.
  • There are no specific measures to help foreign residents access private-sector employment or to assist employers in hiring foreign residents.
  • There are no provincial-level programmes to reduce the cost of sending and receiving remittances or to promote the financial inclusion of migrants and their families. 
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Key findings
Mobility dimensions of crises

Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas

  • The Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, along with the Philippine National Police in Albay, acts as the focal point of embassies and consulates in checking the welfare of their nationals, both in regular circumstances and during times of crises.
  • The Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) contributed to the development of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) (2020 –2030) which states the commitment to “[f]ully respect the rights of refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons regardless of their migration status”. 
  • PGA’s two-way communication systems in place for emergency response consider the specific vulnerabilities that migrants face, and information is communicated in the English and Bicolano languages.
  • Albay implements measures aimed at ensuring the protection of migrant children, unaccompanied minors and children left behind in times of crisis, set out in the NDRRMP. 

Areas with potential for further development 

  • PGA partners with key actors in the event of an emergency only on an ad hoc basis.
  • There is no contingency plan in place to manage large-scale population movements in times of crisis. 
  • Migration issues are not explicitly included in Albay’s recovery strategies.
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Key findings
Safe, orderly and regular migration

Migration Governance: examples of well-developed areas

  • Migrants can access justice through mechanisms that are mandated at the national level and also implemented at the local level.
  • The Provincial Council Against Trafficking and Violence Against Women and their Children and the Provincial Council for the Protection of Children, hold quarterly meetings on counter trafficking, including for overseas Filipino workers and migrants. 

Areas with potential for further development 

  • There is no specific policy, protocol or guideline in the province for responding to cases of disappearances or deaths that might have occurred during the migration process.
  • Albay does not have a health facility accredited by the Department of Health to address the pre-departure and post-deployment medical needs of Filipino overseas workers and seafarers. 

2022 December

Migration Governance Profile: Province of Albay (The Philippines)