The Philippines National Statistics Office (NSO) says laborers or unskilled overseas Filipino workers were the biggest source of remittances in the country last year.
In a statement, the NSO said laborers or unskilled workers posted the highest cash remittance of P18.03 billion from April to September last year among the different occupation groups. However, this was lower compared to the cash remittance sent home in the same period in 2008 of P19.5 billion.
Cash remittances of professional OFWs during the period amounted to P16.5 billion, higher than the P15.12 billion for the period April to September 2008.
The total remittance sent by OFWs during the period April to September 2009 was estimated at P138.5 billion, down by 2.4 percent compared to the same period in 2008 amounting to P141.9 billion.
Cash sent amounted to P102.5 billion, cash brought home P31.4 billion and remittance in kind, P4.5 billion.
Of the total cash remittance sent for the period April to September 2009, about P78 billion were sent through banks, P12.4 billion through other means, P8.6 billion through door-to-door and P3.5 billion pesos through agency or local office and friends or co-workers.