PUSH AND PULL THEORY

For my thought paper, my chosen theory is the Push and Pull Theory. Since this theory
makes it possible to pinpoint why people want to leave their homeland or why they become
attracted to a certain country of destination, I figured that it was the most fitting to choose and
relate with what is happening in our country. When applied to the Philipppine migration milieu, I
think that the push factors outweigh the pull factors. For the longest time, the Philippines had
abundant accounts of migrants/OFWs, which even made Filipinos in demand when it comes to
domestic work. Aside from that, a lot of Filipinos, especially professionals, have always had in
mind and dreamt that someday, they would settle down abroad and manage to achieve it. All for
a better life. Based on our discussions and even from mere observation, there is this mentality
that life is better abroad. As ambitious as planning to migrate may sound, the events happening
in the Philippines prove that life will not be better for a lot of us, especially the vulnerable sectors
of the community.

As stated in our reading, the major causes of migration are economic. One of the
greatest push factors which prompt people to find opportunities abroad is poverty- an issue
which seems impossible to survive from, and even harder to alleviate Additionally, lack of
employment opportunities, as well as the constant increase in our cost of living add to the
worries of people. As for the pull factors, I think that it is most relevant towards the upper-middle
class and wealthy people. Since there are a lot of opportunities and businesses to invest in, this
makes migration towards the Philippines the best option for those who would like to take risks
without risking losing too much. Aside from that, it was also tackled in class that another pull
factor that our country has is for those who want to retire. As for how the Push and Pull Theory
fares with the other theories of migration, I think that they have similarities and will always be
interconnected to one another. When looked at as a whole, all of the theories are bound
together to explain why people migrate, their reasons behind it, and even links and relates it to
capitalism, dependency and globalization. It is able to look at every detail and perspective
despite having different outlooks and opinions towards migration.

Of course, there are implications that the COVID-19 Pandemic has to the push and pull
theory. First, is that the push factors have only increased and intensified, considering that a
massive percentage of the population has become unemployed. Job opportunities are yet to
come, considering that the pandemic had also closed down a lot of businesses. Aside from
that, thousands of families have exceeded the poverty line, struggling to survive everyday. For
sure, a lot of Filipinos are now looking to migrate towards other countries, especially now that
the incompetence of the government is obvious. After all of the unfortunate events, thousands of
deaths and having the longest lockdown in the world, a lot of eyes are now seeking a better life
where it is offered- abroad.