I have long wanted to write about this but did not have the chance to do so, until I saw Jim Paredes’ blog post, How to Handle a Hero. He has beautifully (what other adjective can I use?) presented the plight of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), dubbed as “heroes” or “hinirang na bayani ng ating pamahalaan”, that I can only add to what he has written.
I have met a lot of OFWs in my travels the past 15 years before I went on early retirement (myself being a semi-OFW perhaps, as I have been traveling 1/3 of my time as part of my work), and some of these OFWs were working even in countries poorer than ours, either as documented or undocumented workers, as domestic helpers, band members, singers, quality control workers in factories, office workers, and many other workers for menial jobs. Some OFWs may be luckier, them working as professionals in banks, financing companies and IT firms, but they are OFWs just the same, working away from their families. They cannot help but talk about their loneliness and how they miss their families back home. Most could not even afford to come home regularly, or do not have any choice as they are not documented. Sometimes, I would wonder, like for those who are in Asian countries very near ours (Hongkong, Singapore, Thailand) some could not even afford to raise even $200 for airfare money. They would rather send that money home.
While all the time, we witness in real life, in television, in movies and read in newspapers, the sufferings and loneliness of the OFW dependents/families. On the other hand, we also see how some of the OFW dependents/families behave way back home. While the OFW parent toils abroad in dire circumstances, in a lonely environment, bored, craving for anything Filipino, away from home, here is his/her child/ren spending money as though the supply were endless, some going astray, use drugs, alcohol and drop out of school, here is his/her extended family asking for help to finance this or that, here is his/her other half sending every month a list of what the family needs to spend on, to pay for…the list is endless. And here is the poor OFW spending more than what he/she earns, afraid, not having the guts to tell his/her family that, “Hey! this is only what I earn or can afford.” At the same time, some families become broken families, the children left out, lost in their own world.
Having missed the growing years of their children, having missed milestones like baby’s first step, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, religious events, homecomings, etc., at the back of the minds of OFWs are the questions, “what am I to my family? to my children?”, “is my sacrifice worth it?” and many more. While the families back home equally have the questions, “why does my father/mother have to leave?”, “am I not important?”, “is money all that matters?” and many more. Questions seeking answers, each OFW, each dependent/family has a different answer. Everyone just has to make do with what is there, everyone just has to sacrifice, everyone has to prioritize and make decisions. Well, others who can afford to be online are lucky, but this cannot really compensate for being with each other in person.
And there are places, where many OFWs are a-plenty, where loan sharks thrive, ready to lend money with high interest. It is a never ending cycle, and before the OFW knows it, he/she is in debt and does not even have anything to start even a small business with when he/she would like to come home for good. This is a dim picture, but it happens in many places.
While our authorities appreciate the billions of dollars that are injected in our economy, isn’t it high time that something be done, other than deploying our foreign service staff to represent the country, to take care of the workers’ documentations, to take care of protocol, and gather the Filipino community every now and then? Our OFWs really need as much support as we can give them. It’s high time that the dependents/ families be educated, support groups be put up so that the OFW dependents/families be oriented about the harsh realities of the life of an OFW. How i wish our authorities be mindful of these things, as the OFWs and the Filipino diaspora are here to stay.
In the same way, the same support groups can be set up for the OFW to give them pep talks, advise them, give them options, make them aware of how to start a small business, be more down to earth, communicate with their families, open up to them, so that both parties may be understanding of each other’s situations. If this already happening in some places—do it in a larger scale. This way, even if families were dysfunctional (the absence of one or both parents), the dysfunctionality may be as minimum as possible.
In Sri Lanka, some high schools in remote areas, even in the cities, are equipped with computers for the use of the students during the day. In the evenings, for a small user fee, the poor farmer, fisherman, housewife, husband, etc., can go online and communicate with his/her family member who is an overseas foreign worker, either by emails, chats, or voice/cam. I am not sure if we have this facility here.
At least something still holds the Filipinos and Filipinas, here or abroad, together, at least in places where there are churches and where worship is allowed. Every Sunday, or Saturday evening, when you are in a different country, and you want to meet up with co-Filipinos, just go to a church. Chances are, you will spot one or two, or lots of them. On the other hand, you would also spot a Filipino or a band of Filipinos in the evenings, in hotels or places of entertainment, as singers or dancers. You would even spot them working in duty free shops, airlines, airline lounges, hotels, and many other places. This is how diverse a Filipino is.
The OFW is indeed a “hero”, but still “human”, in want of a true family life. The OFW dependent/family is equally a “hero”, wanting the family whole, don’t you think so? Mabuhay ang ating mga bagong bayani!
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10 responses so far ↓
ivy // Aug 7, 2008 at 1:50 pm
i hope the gorvernment will do better in helping our OFWs. my dad is an OFW too and we always pray for his welfare and protection especially that he’s so away from us. it fears us to see or hear stories about exploited OFWs.
i hope OFWs’ families will also value their hard work by spending their money wisely and of course to keep in touch with them as frequently as possible. i wonder how terrible it must be for them to leave their families behind.
lei // Aug 7, 2008 at 3:04 pm
my father was an ofw for 5 years. it’s really hard back then since there’s no cellphones and internet yet. we have to write him every week and send voice tapes as requested by him to fight homesickness. he brought not much money since the pay was not that big. just enough for him to buy us a small house and a tricycle. us children were not maluho naman and we understood that he’s there for our education and future. the tricyle was a big help in my college education and i’m so proud of my father for all his efforts and sacrifices.
now, my husband’s applying for a job abroad. maybe, it will be easier this time with the help of the technology we have now.
thank you for visiting my blog. i added you in my blog list already. hope it’s okay. thanks again.
nice blog you have.
Kyels // Aug 7, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I am not biased pero I think that OFWs are heroes to their families b/c the worked outside of their own country just to provide the best they can for their spouses and kids. It is really heroic of them to live w/o their family just to earn a comfortable living.
This article reminded me of the movie “Anak” which I really really love b/c of the themes and the sentiments of a mother as an OFW.
myepinoy // Aug 8, 2008 at 9:52 pm
So you think I am a hero? I guess it is an understatement! LOL
Human yes, 1000%.
Bles // Aug 9, 2008 at 7:10 am
I’m glad Dine that you have written this article in your blogsite.
Actually sila ang gusto kong tulungan when I get to retire na. How they and their families can reintegrate into the system. Napakalalim na mga problema ang nakakabit at nakaugat sa issue ng migration. Bukod sa abuse, incest, drugs, white slavery, at ang walang kamatayan na yatang illegal recruitment (dapat talaga maximum sentence ang ibigay sa mga ito!) ay halos walang protection na naibibigay ang ating government sa kanila. If you will really get a chance to interview yung mga former OFWs na galing sa ME, nakakaawa sila talaga. Isama mo pa doon yung mga Pinoy na nagwo-work ngayon sa Italy and other countries in Europe kung gaano ang hirap na dinanas nila just to get there. Meron nga akong nainterview na she worked in Iraq, sa US military base, nung umalis sila dito hindi sinabi sa kanila na doon ang destination nila. They had to go to Istanbul, then from there nung sinundo na sila ng military convoy saka lang nila nalaman yung destination nila. Ang consolation nga lang eh she and her fellow Pinays were paid well and were treated well kasi nga military base pero naku yung peligro sa buhay nila ang kapalit naman. At ang ating government ginagawa silang gatasan ng dollars.
More power sa inyong mga bloggers and hope that more will write about social issues.
annamanila // Aug 9, 2008 at 8:15 pm
The OFW phenomenon has been a boon to the economy. But the social costs are tremendous too. The OFWS and their families need strength and discipline and love (for each other) to transcend the problems that has become an inevitable byproduct of this condition. God bless them.
vk // Aug 11, 2008 at 6:03 am
thanks for sharing this post, dine,
not all here, nasa labas ng pinas, masarap ang buhay,
sabihin euro ang kita, malaki or what….
pero hindi alam ng familya kung ano ang trabaho ng anak nila or sino sa familya nandito sa labas.
lalo na dito sa amin, we have another languages, mabuti kung english, siguro ok, pero imagine, we have to learn german first, tapos yon, sabihin…taga labas lang.
i know some, they have so many sidelines, sana kung maganda or light sidelines lang.
some hindi na nila nakita ang asawa at anak nila.
kaya yon, nasira din ang familya nila, pati mga anak….........
kasi needs to have a job, a partime job para maka help sa family sa pinas.
nakahiya naman laging humingi sa asawa or to anybody…..mahirap dito to ask a HElp::::TO ask a cent.
mabuti pa dyan, maka hingi pa ng SALT sa kapitbahay….dito mahirap, hindi pa kilala ang kapitbahay…..minsan namatay na ang k-bahay, hindi pa alam.
out of topic na ito….......
alam ko pa, some circular friends, ang dami nilang credit, yon mataas ang interest…....
i ask why you do this….kasi yon para sa pinas.
familya sa Pinas.
marami din dito my titles sa atin, may pinag-aralan, yon napunta lang sa …..
hindi naman masama na wrks, proud din kasi clean wrks, kaya lang kung isipin kung sa pinas, siguro, papel n lapis lang ang hawak.
pero wla nang magagawa, kasi we need euros para sa familya sa pinas.
sorry my commentar….......
issai // Aug 14, 2008 at 3:47 am
my mom was an ofw, i’m happy she was, she eventually divorced my dad which is the best decision she has made for her and me. that’s the cost, everything has a cost. but i wouldn’t have it any other way. i was sort of an ofw for 2 years. my son was left in the philippines in the care of my dad. i worked in the US while waiting for the right time to bring my son here. i sent him home because i had no money for a baby sitter or nanny. i’m a single mom btw. i just sent money to my son, but missing him was too much. 4 weeks ago, i was recently reunited with my son, it’s the best moment of my life. i know i’ll never see the last 2 years of his life, i accept that cost. but the benefit is much better. communication is key, and my mom tried her best to explain why she had to leave. now, i have to do the same to my son.
Wowowee–and the children of OFWs : The D Spot // Nov 12, 2008 at 4:21 pm
[...] SAD, it seems like our country will remain this way for a longer period of time—capitalizing on the earnings of our OFWs, such that sending people abroad has become a Filipino way of life. As more and more Filipinos and Filipinas go abroad to earn a living, more families will be torn apart, in different degrees of dysfunctionalities. These and many more are the harsh realities in the lives of our OFWs and their families. [...]
Happy International Women’s Day (2009) | The D Spot // Mar 7, 2009 at 7:50 pm
[...] toast to us Filipina women, especially to our overseas foreign workers, our present day heroes, who have taken the ultimate sacrifice of leaving their families behind [...]
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