ZERO REMITTANCE DAY

By E. Maestro

Migrante Canada | Statement | December 3, 2025

Migrante Canada joins Filipino migrants and progressive organizations worldwide in supporting Zero Remittance Day (ZRD) on December 18, International Migrants Day. This global action is a powerful assertion of the political and economic power of migrants against the corruption, exploitation, and systemic neglect that continue to characterize the Philippine government’s labor export program.

For decades, the Philippine state has depended on remittances as a lifeline for a failing economy. Yet the same government that relies on our hard-earned dollars repeatedly fails to protect us from abuse, illegal recruitment, labour exploitation, trafficking, and state exactions. Our families continue to pay the price of poverty, while corruption and impunity thrive at the highest levels.

Migrante Canada calls on Filipino migrants, their families, and allies across Canada to stand together.

On December 18, 2025, International Migrants Day:

• Support ZERO REMITTANCE DAY as part of the global protest against corruption and anti-migrant policies.
• Unite migrants in resisting exploitation by both government and private recruitment interests.
• Uphold the original political meaning of Zero Remittance as a tool of migrant empowerment, not political distortion.
• Expose corruption and demand accountability from the Philippine government and its agencies.
• Push for genuine jobs, services, and development so migration becomes a choice, not a necessity.

Our remittances help provide economic relief to the Philippine economy but exposes the government’s dependence on Filipino overseas workers. And yet, our overseas workers are treated as second-class citizens by the very government that profits from their labour.

The ZRD provides the taste of what will happen and a preview of what a zero remittance days, week, or month would look like.###

 Photo credits: MIgrante Canada