Philippine Migration Research Network

14/09/2026

29/04/2026

PMRN @ 30: SAMA-SAMA, SALO-SALO 🎉

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who celebrated PMRN's 30th anniversary with us last 24 April at the PSSC Garden.

With three decades of service to the migration community and contributions to migration research and policy, we are grateful for the opportunity to not only share memories and stories of PMRN, but also to envision our plans as a leading organization of Philippine migration scholars moving forward.

Getting to this point would not be possible without the support of our steering committee, members, partners, and of course, the very people whom our organization aims to serve — Filipino migrants, overseas workers, and the migration community. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat! 💙🤍

24/02/2026

For 30 years, the Philippine Migration Research Network has been committed to advancing knowledge on national and international migration trends and developments. Since its founding in 1996, PMRN has empowered migration scholars and workers alike through knowledge-sharing activities and disseminating research and publications on migration, human development, and social transformation.

Today, we celebrate three decades of PMRN's impact and engagement to the Philippine migration community.

📚 Discover our collection here: https://pssc.org.ph/bookshop/

03/12/2025

NARRATING PANDEMIC IMMOBILITIES IN THE NATION OF EMIGRATION

In celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos, the Philippine Migration Research Network (PMRN), with the support of the Philippine Social Science Council, co-organized a book launch with the UP Department of Geography and the UP Population Institute on November 28, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Pilar Herrera Hall, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman. The event drew 75 in-person attendees.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, immobility shaped the experiences of Filipinos in a nation known for its migrant workers. Public health restrictions and successive lockdowns halted and limited mobility both within the Philippines and across borders.

Dr. Yasmin Ortiga’s book, Stuck at Home: Pandemic Immobilities in the Nation of Emigration, asks a central question: What happens when workers encouraged to emigrate are suddenly unable to leave? The book argues that “migration governance involves not only regulating people’s movement, but also managing the meaning and implications of how they remain in place,” and examines competing narratives of immobility through the experiences of cruise ship workers and nurses who were prevented from leaving during the pandemic.

“This gem of a book is an invitation to reflect on what we have learned from the crisis of the pandemic. It offers lessons, questions, and cautionary tales to enlighten us as we move forward in the spheres of research, teaching, advocacy, and policymaking,” said Dr. Marla Asis, PMRN Steering Committee member, in her blurb for the book. Dr. Asis, Senior Researcher at the Scalabrini Migration Center, served as a discussant during the launch alongside Dr. Evangeline Katigbak-Montoya of the De La Salle University Department of International Studies.

The Month of Overseas Filipinos is celebrated every December through Proclamation No. 276 issued by President Corazon C. Aquino to honor overseas Filipinos who contributed to restoring Philippine democracy and advancing national development through their taxes and remittances. In 2007, Administrative Order No. 202 created the Inter-Agency Committee for the Celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos (IAC-MOF), of which PMRN is an active member.

The book launch of Dr. Ortiga, a PMRN member, contributes to an important conversation on migration from the perspective of the sending country—an area that remains underexplored in migration studies. Discussions on migration regimes and governance continue to play a key role in advocating for effective, pro-migrant policies in a post-pandemic Philippines where mobility and migration remain central to our national narrative.

12/11/2025

Join us for the official book launch of Stuck at Home: Pandemic Immobilities in the Nation of Emigration!

Discover how the Philippines’ aspiring migrants and returning workers navigated and negotiated the meaning of immobility during COVID-19.

🗓 November 28, 2025 (Friday)
🕑 2:00–4:00 PM
📍 Pilar Herrera Hall, CSSP, UP Diliman

Listen to and join the migration conversations with Dr. Yasmin Y. Ortiga, book author and member of the Philippine Migration Research Network, and discussants Dr. Marla Asis of the Scalabrini Migration Center and Dr. Evangeline Katigbak-Montoya of the De La Salle University.

In collaboration with the UP Department of Geography and the UP Population Institute, with the support of the Philippine Social Science Council, this event is PMRN's contribution to the celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos.

(Register through the link in the comment section)

11/11/2025

Calling all migration advocates, policy professionals, and researchers!

Join us in an online session that will spotlight the importance of research and data in advancing migration and development efforts.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞:
From Evidence to Impact: The Role of Research in Migration and Development

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬:

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐢
Topic 1: “Migration Research for Policy Innovation and Development”

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐫
Topic 2: “Migration and Development: Evidence from the Philippines”

📅 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: December 09, 2025, Tuesday
⏰ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (Philippine Standard Time)
⏰ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦: Zoom and FB Live

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤: https://bit.ly/CFOMigrationTalks

This event is open to the 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂. Be sure to secure your spot and join insightful conversations related to the Filipino diaspora!

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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘍𝘖 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘍𝘖 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

25/06/2025

CONGRATULATIONS, PMRN!

Officers of the Philippine Migration Research Network (PMRN) attended the 45th Anniversary Forum and Milestone Celebration of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) on June 16 at Marriott Hotel, Pasay City to join meaningful discussions on various migration-related themes and receive the CFO’s certificate of appreciation for PMRN’s valuable role in “advancing the cause and promoting the welfare of overseas Filipinos”.

For more details, visit this page:

Officers of the Philippine Migration Research Network (PMRN) attended the 45th Anniversary Forum and Milestone Celebration of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) on June 16 at Marriott Hotel, Pasay City to join meaningful discussions on various migration-related themes and receive the CFO’s...

30/04/2025

Conversations with PMRN: Local Governments and Global Migration

In this podcast episode, discussants focused on the role of local governments in global migration governance and processes. Dr. Stefan Rother shared some key points from his recent work entitled Making Space for Cities: The Mayors Mechanisms’ quest for actorness in global governance fora on migration and refugees. He argued that cities are now important actors in global migration as they are taking on a more active role in influencing the policies and processes governing global migration.

Access the podcast through https://bit.ly/pmrn-podcast-rother

27/03/2025

LOOK: The Scalabrini Migration Center, Inc. hosted a Migration Dialogues session today in their office, featuring the research work led by Dr. Marta Bivand Erdal and Dr. Karen Liao (Manila team) from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Migration Centre.

Dr. Erdal and Dr. Liao discussed PRIO's quasi-longitudinal research project, Migration Ryhthms in Trajectories of Upward Social Mobility in Asia. The study analyzed the drivers of middle class growth in Asia and the role of migration flows in being and becoming middle class in four major Asian cities, including Manila. They found out that some notable factors in middle-class growth of Asian households are income, education, and the ability to afford basic needs and schooling; the underexplored role of internal migration and staying in place; and the role of other family members and relatives and their norms, values, and the capacity to tackle crises.

The team also launched the Migration Rhythms, a creative project with Positive Negatives aimed at translating the findings of the study into a comics and animation, to effectively communicate to the broader lay audience. You may freely access the materials here: https://positivenegatives.org/story/migration-rhythms/.

Some members of the PMRN Steering Committee such as Prof. Jorge Tigno, Ms. Stella Go, and Dr. Jeremaiah Opiniano attended the event. Dr. Marla Asis of SMC moderated this afternoon's session.

24/02/2025

HAPPY 29TH ANNIVERSARY, PMRN! 🎉🎉🎉

On February 24, 1996, leading migration scholars in the country organized the Philippine Migration Research Network (PMRN) as a multidisciplinary community of researchers contributing to the understanding of migration in human development and social transformation. It aims to advance knowledge and understanding of national and international migration trends and developments.

The direct impetus for the establishment of PMRN was UNESCO’s major program in the Social and Human Sciences, the Management of Social Transformation (MOST) Programme, which aimed to promote “international, comparative and policy-relevant research on contemporary social transformations and issues of global importance.”

In its 29 years, PMRN, with the support of the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC), led and shaped migration and knowledge creation and sharing in the country. As a research network, PMRN has organized numerous discursive spaces such as roundtable discussions, fora, webinars, and conferences to study migration trends and issues. In 2018, PMRN hosted the International Conference on Philippine Labor Migration which brought together at least 170 Filipino and foreign academics, researchers, migration scholars, government officials, and civil society and private stakeholders in a dialogue to interrogate the past, present, and future of labor migration in the Philippines.

Aside from knowledge sharing activities, PMRN has also been active in publishing various research work on migration such as its most recent publication, Looking Back, Moving Forward: Philippine Migration Issues, Policies, and Narratives (2021; edited by Prof. Jean S. Encinas-Franco). As a key stakeholder in policymaking and public discourse on migration, PMRN is also a member of different migrant advocacy networks such as the Philippine Migrant Health Network (PMHN), and the Inter-Agency Committee on the Celebration of Month of Overseas Filipinos (IAC-MOF).

Today, PMRN continues to advance our knowledge and understanding of the trends and developments in migration here in the Philippines and abroad. We celebrate PMRN's crucial role in leading and shaping migration knowledge creation and sharing, advancing migration studies in the country, and influencing policymaking on migration.

Mabuhay ang PMRN! Join us and register through bit.ly/pmrn-membership.