SEAPRAP RESEARCH REPORT NO. 74 BOHOL OUTMIGRANTS: A CASE STUDY ELISEA S ADEM Research Institute for Mindanao Culture Xavier University Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines March 1982 OTTAWA A report of research undertaken with the assistance of an award from the Southeast Asia Population Research Awards Program (SEAPRAP), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Republic of Singapore ARCHIV 56143 (an edited version) ACKNOWLEDGEME I am greatly indebted to the Southeast Asia Population Research Awards Program (SEAPRAP) for financial support in the carrying out of this study. I wish to thank Dr Wilfredo Arce and Dr Jesucita Sodusta, Regional Coordinators for their encouragement. I wish to thank the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture through which I have received advice and encouragement from Dra Marilou and Michael Costello, Dr Francis C Madigan, and through which I have availed of facilities in the preparation of the data collection instruments and the typing of the manuscript. I am equally indebted to the cooperative case migrants and household respondents who patiently sat with me and my interviewers for long hours; and to my interviewers for their dedication to their work. Without them, this study would not have been possible. My special thanks go to my research assistants, Miss Edna S Adem and Mise Dioscora Bolong for their efficient assistance in several stages of the study and processing of the survey data; to Ms Caridad P Gomez and Ms Luisita Maandig for their typing services from the start of the study to the production of the final manuscript; to Ms Edwina D Lagos and Miss Edna S Adein for proof-reading the drafts and final copy of the manuscript. My family has been a great source of inspiration, especially my mother who patiently saw me through to completion of this work, and whose constant encouragement and special attention was the sweetest experience I ever had in the carrying out of this project. Last, but not the least, my special thanks also goes to a very dear friend who always believed in me - Ms Imelda G Pagtolun-an. She shoved and encouraged me when I faltered. Even with the help extended to me by the many persons mentioned above, I take full responsibility of the ideas expressed in this study and the quality of the work produced. Elisea S Adam (\L Philippines 32' March, 1982 F3 11 TABLE OF CONTE2TS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION I The Problem I Purpose of the Study 2 Importance of the Study 3 Definition of Terms 3 Survey of Related Literature 5 Organization of the Study 16 II METHODOLOGY 18 Methodology 18 The Setting of the Study 18 Sample Selection, Data Collection and Instruments 20 Respondents 22 Interviewers 22 III A LOOK INTO THE HOUSEHOLDS OF ORIGIN: FINDINGS FROM THE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY 2k HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION 2i Age and Sex Composition 2k Marital Statua by Sex 25 Highest Grade Completed bySex 25 Socioeconomic Status of Households 27 MIGRATION HISTORIES OF SELECTED HOUSEHOLD M(BERS 28 Migration Status of Household Heads and Wives 28 Age at Entrance to Bohol 28 Reasons for Coming to Bohol 28 iii CHAP1ER Page Frequency of Outmigration Before and After Coming to Bohol 29 Migration Status of Other Household Members in Contrast to Heads and Wives 30 Frequency of Outinigration 31 Age at First Outmigration 32 Current Age of Migrant and Frequency of Outmigration 33 Length of Outmigration and Frequency 33 Favored Reasons for Destination 34 Important Reasons for Outmigration 35 Main Activity at Place of Destination 35 Important Reasons for Returning -to Bohol 36 Important Reasons for Last Return 36 DECISION MAKING PROCESS IN TI HOUSEHOLD RELATED PO MOVING 3? 1. The Case of Stayers 38 Important Reasons for Staying in Province The Encouraged Versus Unencouraged Child 39 The Staying Eldest Child's Outmigration Plans '9 The Planned Area of Destination and Reasons for Choice Whether or not respondents have visited areas cited for Future Migration before and Planned Activity There The Stayers' Perception of Pull Factors of Chosen Future Area 0±' Destination and Push Factors of Community of Origin The Respondents' Perception of Pull Factors of a Place and Push Factors of Community of Origin Does Respondent Encourage Any Household Member to Migrate 43 Reasons Given for Encouragement iv CHAPTER Reasons Given for Non-encouragement 2. The Case of the Outnigrants to Cagayan de Oro and Other Mindanao Areas 1+1+ Was Outmigra.nt Encouraged by Any Houeehold Member to Outmigrate Whose Decision Prevailed n Permitting Migrant to Migrate? 1+5 Was the Unencouraged (by 1ousehold Members) Outmigrant Encouraged b:' Anyone Outside the Household? 1+5 Perceived Reasons for OutTligration 1+5 THE IMPACT OF OUTMIGRATION 1 PON ThE UOUSEHOII) OF ORIGIN 1+6 Who Are the Respondents? 1+6 Perceived Impact of Outmi{ ration Upon Household of Origin 1+6 Summarized impact perceptions 1+8 Supporting reasons for the assessment of impact 1+8 Does Outmigrant Remit Money? 51 SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 52 Household Composition 52 Migration Patterns 53 IV A LOOK INTO THE MIND OF THE MIGRANT: FINDINGS FROM CASE HISTORIES 59 BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS OF CA MIGRANTS 59 ON EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO MIGRATION 63 PREARRANGED EMPLOYINT. AND TIMING HIRING 6k The Fiesta 65 Preference for Kin Employees: The Case of Textile Sales Workers 66 Parent - Employer Contracts 66 The Case of Adult Migrants 71 T CHAFFER Page Preference for Kin Employees: The Case of House Helpers and Other Service Workers 72 Kin as Source of Information About Job Opportunities 76 There are Scout Agente in Bohol 80 PURSUIT 0F MORE EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF FAMILY M4BERS AND OTHER RELATIVES 82 PARIITS AND SThLINGS ARE MIGRATORY 87 FAMILY BUSINESS OUTSIDE BOHOL 90 CASH INCOME MOTIVES: SHOI-TERM JOBS 92 GROUP MIGRATION BY THE YOUNG 95 REflIRN AND REPEATED MIGRATION 99 PERCEPTIONS OF PULL FACTORS OF A PLACE, GREATEST NEEDS OF PLACE OF ORIGIN, COMPARISON OF LIFE IN BOHOL AND THE CITY AND IMPACT OF OUTMIGRATION UPON THE MIGRANT 103 Pull Factors 103 Greatest Needs of Community of Origin 10k Comparison of Life in the City and in Bohol 105 Impact of Outmigration Upon the Case Migrant 106 SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 108 Reasons for Migration 108 Decision Making in Migration 110 Shuttling Moves 111 The Impact of Outmigrant Upon the Migrant 113 V CONCLUSIONS AND ROMMDATIONS ilk SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 11k POLICY IMPLICATIONS 116 vi CHAPPER Page DIh:TIoNs FDR FUTURE INQUIRY 118 REFERENCES 119 APPDICES 122 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Problem Large numbers 0± Filipinos today continue to keep rr -ing from one place to another, hence, the continuing interest by researchers on the study of internal migration. However, the existing literature on migration tend to be fragmented rather than cumulative (Cariño, 1976) and determinants are little understood (Abad, 1981) and not uniformly and comprehensively covered (Simmons et al., 1977). There are good reasons for this current situation. Many migration studies do not focus directly on migration but rather are incorporated into larger concerns such as socio-cultural change, urbanization, peasant and, urban subcultures, and similar issues (as cited in Abad, 1981). 1econdly, investigators tend. to be stuck in their own disciplinary concerns rather than ask broader questions that cut across the conventional disciplinary boundaries (Simmons et al., 1977). A third source of limitation is the focus of' most migration research upon the macro rather than the micro level features of the migration process (Abad, 1981; Simmons et al., 1977). Another reason is that despite the recognition of the migration process as involving a variety of complex forces and relationships, methodologies used as the Census or narrowly focussed survey designs are ineffective in capturing these forces and relationships at work (Simmons et al., 1977). Migration can be influenced by economic, social, psychological, political and medical factors and these can occur in a great many combinations. Being complex, the genuine rsons for migration cannot be captured through the use o± non-probing survey interviews. They do not penetrate deeply; reasons for migration obtained from 2- studies using this method may just be post hoc rationalizations; therefore, they are not too useful (Mowat, 1977; Cariilo and Cariño, 1976). Purpose of the Study This study is aimed at uncovering the real reasons for outmigration that surveys fail to discover. The investigator believes that economic reasons too often cited in migration research (ef orna, 1972; Cariño, 1973; Zablan, 1977; o, 1979; Zachariah and Pernia as cited in Abad, 1981; Pernia, 1977; Cabaraban et al., 1975; Filipinas Foundation, Inc., 1975 among others) are too simplistic motives, and do not portray reality. Viewing migration as a wholly economic- motivated decision is stripping the migrant of his other needs that, in reality, transcend the economic. iather, she believes that an interplay of factors are responsible cr increasing outmigrations from rural areas. To this effect, the major objective of this study is to find out what these factors are by collecting partial life or case zories of the outmigrants by interviewing them personally. rhe secondary objectives of the study are to determine the ffect of the outmigration upon the migrant as he perceives ft. upon the household as the respondent (the household '. .d o spouse) perceives it, and to spell out policy mplic:tions and directions for future inquiries based upon the highlights of the research results. A complete pj(tUf of outmigration from the rural area requires 1) a look into the households of origin for background ii.formation relation to migration decision making and behavior and, more importantly, 2) a look into the mind of the outmigrant of which there are two types: the non-return migrants and returnees. Due to the exfloratory nature of the case study of migration, no hypotheses are formulated in this work to establish relationships.