Photo credits to Jay Rommel Labra
In a commentary, SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Yasmin Ortiga discussed about the experiences of Filipino cruise workers repatriated to the Philippines since losing their jobs due to COVID-19. Together with NUS PhD candidate Karen Liao, they carried out in-depth interviews of 45 workers from the biggest cruise companies in the world. She opined that “in thinking about how the pandemic impacts migrants, the struggles of Filipino cruise workers underline the need to go beyond the task of repatriation and consider deeper issues of home country reintegration”. She urged governments and social institutions to channel resources towards interventions that go beyond simply bringing people home if they are looking for sustainable solutions to the struggles of cruise workers.