The OFW Menace

Who says being an OFW is a blessing? On a glimpse, yes, it is, but every OFW understands that it carries with it a very heavy curse because of the many sacrifices and trials every OFW must have to overcome.

Any success one gain from working abroad, cannot compensate for the years missed being with the family, especially with the children whom you left when they were a few months old, or can barely walk when you left.

The warmth of love of being together as family was completely sacrificed.

What material things can replace the smiles, and hugs of children? What material things can replace the hugs and soothing rub of parents to their children when they’re afraid of lightning and thunders, or hurt from exploring new things? Nothing!

I know this from experience.

While it is true that you will be off better financially, you do not know how much love and affection your children lost from you as their father, from you as their mother or both from you as their parents when you were away. In addition, they lost the opportunity to learn from parents how to travel this life when their time comes to leave and live at their own. And vice-versa. How much smiles from kids each parents missed while being away? If their smiles in the internet cam makes a parent’s heart jumps with joy, then how much more if one is cradling the child?

How much opportunity you missed to teach them wisdom they need to learn to make them mature and responsible person while they grow up? You can’t reprimand them when you only have once in a while opportunity to speak on facebook, skype, or google+, or Ymessenger if their mother said about their mischiefs.

Because of this abroad syndrome, the strong sense of family closeness is now fading. Many children are now living like orphans of live parents. When these kids marry, they have no sense of how to become parents because they didn’t have “parents” during their kiddy times they could emulate. (I experienced this with my parents who grew up without parents – they were kind of learning how to handle us as when we were growing up)

I see people whose wife or husband is working abroad. They were young a decade ago or two ago, but now they have aged and I cannot imagine, where is the happiness of being married when they have been living separately most of their lives – if one call that a married life. These people are lying to their face if they say they’re living happily away from each other.

Okay, they built big houses, bought cars, lands, and complete material things as the number one investments of many OFWs, but what’s the use of having all those things when you cannot enjoy them because you’re still busy working to earn more money because there’s not enough saved for the future. One of my employers used to say, “Most people are working so hard as if they’re going to live forever!”

Many times, it’s already too late when they come home. I have seen many of these OFWs had arrived home very sick, disabled, and cold dead. What hurts the most is when one did not enjoy the warmth of love, parents and children were longing for when they were away from each other.



You may also like to read My Experiences as an OFW

When you ask OFWs why they are going abroad or staying away for so long, the foremost reason given is they are working for the future of their children. Yes, they’re sacrificing because of their love to their children. Love - or the ambition to get all the material things every human being desired to have in this world? Because if it is true that the ultimate reason is “Love for the children,” how come many if not most OFW families are broken? Why can’t the husband and wife stay together as one family for the sake of their children? Why can’t they forgive each other’s shortcomings – for the sake of the children? Poor children – they’re being used by their parents as escape goats for their selfishness. How many OFW parents applied for annulment of their marriage for the sake of themselves but did not think about the sake of their children?

Many children are wandering for they have no goals in life because they have no parents to guide and show them examples how to live life even without wealth. Then at the end when they failed on their studies and became menace to the society, they end up taking all the blames because they did not value the sacrifices of their parents - and did not listen to the teachings of their teachers!

When the kids are lucky enough to finish their college and got a degree, most of them end up working as OFWs because there were not enough jobs in their own country or the degree they finished is a low paying job. How many of those kids I saw were helped by their parents to go abroad after spending so much money in school? I said they’re the next generation or cycle of OFWs. When they get old and lucky enough to have family and children, the children will replace them, too, in after more than two decades, and the cycle continues – until nothing is done to stop the cycle.
My ten years of being an OFW made me understood, that OFW as a means to improve one’s financial status is a big blunder. It’s a menace to the family as a foundation of strong society.

A menace that must be addressed now to avoid the inevitable collapsed of a nation.

You may also like to read Cheapear Places to Remit In the Philippines

Cheaper Places to Remit in the Philippines

My work is sending remittances to different people to all four corners of the Philippines. And from doing it, I learned different things about those establishments, foremost of course is their charges, and how customers are served. 

These include some of the banks, and the different popular remittance shop we found around.

Banks 
Sending your remittance to a receiver through the bank, I say is the best, and is much cheaper compared to the remittance shop outside, like, Western Union, Cebuana, MLhuillier, and Palawan.

However, within the banks we want to find out which one has the cheapest, so I will enumerate those banks I only had transactions and not those banks I never made remittance transaction.

 In banks, it is required that the receiver must have a bank account on the particular bank you’re depositing the money.

Take note:  The information I have given below are all based on my own experiences and I am sharing it here for customers who want to have an idea of transferring money, locally. Thus, what's discuss here does not include remittances coming from overseas or sending remittance abroad.

Thus, it is advised that customers must ask for more information about bank policies regarding their charges, like, when the branch is located only on the other city, or if it’s located somewhere in Mindanao, or further places.

1. BPI (Bank of the Philippines Island)

Charges = it's no longer free

It used to be free. But beginning this year 2019, they started to charge Fifty-pesos(Php50)anywhere you sent in the Philippines. I just don't know if they have a bracket to base their charges. Because when I went to deposit money into the account of a friend located in Manila, they charged Php50 pesos even for the amount of Php1,850 pesos.

One thing I like about this bank is you feel comfortable waiting with their soft seats distributed around and you can cool-off if you've been stressed outside due to traffic and heat.

2. BDO (Banco De Oro)

Charges = P50 for the amount until P50, 000 pesos and there is additional charges above it. However, the bank has a program of Kabayan account, where in the deposit will not be charge. Ask the teller about it when you open your BDO account.

Areas covered = the whole Philippines

The service is good, however, if you want to avoid varicose veins try to send somebody to do the depositing for you or find out the best days wherein no line of people waiting. Standing an hour is a lot of work lost, lot of cholesterol used-up, and lot of additional age-lines if you have no patience. Just glad sometimes looking at their beautiful tellers can ease the pains on the neck.


3. PNB (Philippines National Bank)

Charges = Php100 pesos 

Areas Covered = Whole Philippines

I am glad PNB have those chairs to sit on while waiting. However, there are times bed is needed and just ask the guard to, please, wake you up when your number is called. But, if you have patience find the other smaller PNB branches where lines are short. And is it correct PNB is merging with Allied Bank? If they do, I hope that will improve their service

The main branch of PNB found at Session road, Baguio city is a large building, but can you believe it does not have comfort room for customers? Waiting an hour when people, are like having an agreement to meet at PNB on the same day and hour, can make one to feel the urge to visit that special room. So, if it happened you're troubled by call of nature get out and relief yourself somewhere - just don't forget to ask the guard to memorize your face so that when your number was passed by, you can go straight to the teller when you come back.

And they don't have utility worker/janitor, so if robbers attacked and able to get inside that's because some of the guards are busy wiping the floors when someone happened to wet it and others are guiding and helping the customers fill in the blank test questions. I believe guards are guards not utility men and assistants to tell customers how to fill up deposit slips.

4. DBP (Development Bank of the Philippines)

Charges = Php100 pesos 

Area Covered = Whole Philippines

So, far the only thing I encountered here is the teller will let you change what have you written because they don't include charges on the amount of deposit. I got used with PNB who includes charges to the amount of deposit. 5. Metro Bank

Charges = Php50 pesos

Areas covered = Whole Philippines

They work fast and systematically to avoid crowding the chairs, so if you've waited for ten minutes you can start to complain.

6. Land Bank

Charges = free to areas covered by the place they’re doing business. Ex. Enter branch deposits within Cordillera region are all free of charges. However, areas outside cordillera will be charge Php50 pesos and above, I believe depending on the amount of money.

The only time you at least scratch your head here is during paying taxes. Other than that, it seems they mastered how to dispatch customers fast like Metro Bank. However, you can't make transactions outside while you're inside the building - it's forbidden to use cellphones. Seems like their security needs upgrading, together with the other banks' security companies. They think cellphones can be an instrument to call your partners outside and rob the bank, but you never see an improvement on how they detect bad people by just looking at them.


7. RCBC (Rizal Commercial Bank of Corporation)

Charges = Free, however, I am not sure for further places because I have been depositing it to branches within the area.

The last time I used this bank was awful! I waited more than an hour. You know why? Some smart real Filipino-blooded people found ways to sneak in the line because the guard was not looking - because the guard was, again, busy helping customers to fill in the blank test papers. If we did not find out about it and complained, we could have waited ‘til closing time.

Remittance Shops

Remittance shops varies on their charges and one is cheaper and one is very expensive. Customers must be keen to see the brackets because that is where many consumers are confused. I snapped images of charges by these shops and I am giving you the work of comparing them.

Palawan Express Pera Padala
  I just saw for the first time that PEPP has branches located at Kayang Street, Baguio City.  So, I snapped an image of their updated rates as one can see below.

*NOTE:  Palawan Express updated and lowered it's charges.  Below is the new rates.

MLhuillier or ML Kwarta Padala This is the remittance place I used the most because it has the lowest rate compared to Cebuana, and Western Union. That's before I found Palawan Express Pera Padala. Another thing is MLhuillier has a shop open 24 hrs a day - just hope their internet connection is okay - and is spread all over the place 15 minutes away from each other.

NOTE:  MLhuillier  Updated and lowered remittance rates:  Below is their new rates.

Cebuana Lhuillier Money Remittance Service 

The good things about this shop is you don't have to answer a lot of questions you feel like you're taking examination on a subject you did not review. In addition to that, they have card where you can earn points and be able to use it to pay your next remittance or use it to buy load. And they have shops spread around you don't need a map to locate one.

The only thing that makes me dread using this for remittance is it has a very high rate compared to MLhuillier. Look at their rate to the amount of Php28,000 pesos. Cebuana charges Php720 pesos while MLhuillier charges Php300 pesos. You can eat with the best food in a restaurant with that amount.

Figure C1:   Old Rates (Before September 01, 2013)

Cebuana updated its charges a month after I posted this one, and I haven't used the company for a long time.  Well, I found out that they lowered their charges somewhat, though it's still high, it's no longer as sky high like the old one.  Figure C2 shows the updated charges.

Figure C2:   Updated Charges(September 01, 2013)

Western Union I used this twice to send and thrice to received, but if I have the choice, I will never use it. Their charges are ridiculous, compared to the other remittance places. Another thing is when you receive money from abroad you are charged for a service fee masked by another name. The only good thing about this shop is spread almost anywhere.

My Experience as an OFW

  Life as an OFW is very challenging. Aside from the challenge of overcoming the melancholy of being away with your family, there always comes a time when other challenges confronts you up to a point the question of morality and practicality of life become two distinctive things where one is sacrificed in order to survive. And most of the times morality is given up in favor of practicality because, as a common reason, you can’t live and achieve what you want by being upright. Thus, in the most trying times, many OFWs resort to “selling” their bodies in order to survive – Filipina and other races. While others always find ways to survive, upholding their integrity and moral life, like, Manang Lex. She said she went abroad to earn money for her children’s future, and to help her family.

Here is her story, retelling me how she survived two of her very trying moments abroad including the crisis that beset the world economy at the latter part of year 2000 when I visited her at their modest home at La Trnidad, Benguet.

I worked in Abu Dhabi, Manang Lex said, as she pointed to me some of her pictures taken abroad that are inserted on the pages of a medium size photo album.

I don’t know if the word “hard” can picture the difficulties I went through, she said, in between smiles and jokes. Just glad I am now home alive and healthy, she continued. Many times, I did not have a permanent job, so, I worked as freelancer, customary term for people who don’t have a permanent working visa, yet. As being a freelancer, I experienced different kinds of employers and life experiences abroad.

Most of the works, I say, were okay, although they all bring out your best, spiritually. I said, spiritually because, as one of the daughters of very conservative religious parents, we were strictly thought to always follow the right path, or not to compromise “good for bad” even though it can make your life or situation better. And when that time comes, trust Him and have faith. I did not know those teachings were put to test later.

The time came when I must go away; endure the taught of being away from my love ones – to survive!

Here at home, the word "abroad" was a sweet word to hear. It sounds like it is the ultimate solution to all your problems. But a thing I found out to be also a bitter word because of the dreadful experiences I had to go through. However, it was not that so dreadful because all those experiences made me a better and stronger person today.

And out of those experiences, there’s an incident that sometimes makes me shudder when I think about it.

For being an honest employee, I offended or triggered the anger of one boss(I called him the little-boss or right-hand boss) in the company I was working. He was the right-hand of the owner(I called him Big-boss) of the company, and the overall administrator each time the owner leaves to do his business abroad.

 The Big-boss, hired me as his secretary through the recommendation of one of my employer who was his friend. As the secretary I was tasked to check stuffs that arrived, released, and updated him of what was happening while he was away.

 So, I did as he directed. And from doing my job, I didn’t know that the little-boss was offended and upset. He became so nasty to me, saying insulting words, but I did not mind him because he was not the one who hired me. And in addition, I was just doing what was told to me by my Big-boss.

Then, one day, while the big-boss was away, the right-hand boss told me to pack-up and go home as I am no longer needed in the company. Surprised from his reactions, I told him, he was not in a position to fire me. It was only the big-boss who can do it because he was the one who hired me. But, he would not listen and even had all my stuffs removed from my office.

Then he ordered his Sri Lankan driver to bring me home to my apartment. At first, I did not want to go home yet, and stayed inside the office for almost two hours, because I know the big-boss will be arriving on that day. While I was waiting, the driver tried to persuade me to go home. And sensing I was determined to wait for the arrival of my own boss, he told me that it’s better for me to go home then contact my boss if I wanted to speak with him, and do it in another place.

Then I was shocked when he revealed about his boss’ plan of hurting me. He said the assistant boss ordered him to bring me to the farthest desert – mistreat me, and then leave me alone. However, the driver said he cannot do such a thing, so he will just pretend he carried out the plan. But, he needed my cooperation, so, the bad man will not notice.

The driver said he learned from friends who worked with the bad man, it’s what he was doing to all employees who drew his resentment. Afraid of what I learned, I decided to follow his advice, and agreed he drove me home.



Another challenge came again on the later years of my being an OFW. The company I worked closed due to the crisis that affected the country in 2008. I was jobless, and had so many things to pay. I was paying a flat, and sending money to my children who were in college, and also to my mother who was sick.

There were some part time jobs, but I don’t like the job work of cleaning houses. I am an office girl and not used to working in houses. I thought hard what to do to survive. I had experience selling goods here in the Philippines, thus, I thought of giving it a try.

 I went to the malls to look for something to sell. I bought herbal medicines and things for women to use and I sold them to anyone on the streets I met. To the Filipinos and foreigners who are interested with my stuff.

It was awkward at first because I had to introduce my products and convince them to try and get them as steady customers. The wok required me to walk daily. Also to take advantage of time when I know more customers are easier to be found. I got up at 5a.m in the morning to prepare myself and the goods I had to sell. At 7a.m. I was out from my flat and go to the parks, restaurants, and on weekends, I visited Filipino flats, because it was there day off. Most of the times, I was home late around 10-11 at night. For almost a year, it was what I did to survive and be able to not break sending money home – monthly.

As I am thinking about it now, I secretly feel proud I had the courage to do such things and survived. However, I feel bad and sad about many of our kababayans there who submitted to the lure getting into a relationship with foreigners in exchange for a few hundred dollars($200-$300 a month) as allowance just to survive and no to “default” sending money to their families home. Many of them were tempting me to do the same; however, I cannot stand the idea. Although, I am already widow when I went there, it never occurred to me to marry a Muslim man, especially, when I observed they have a very low regard of their women. In fact, many of the Filipina who had relationship with them ended in a very bad situation. They lost their freedom; because they had to report every move they do to their partner, and in addition, got black-eyes as bonus, and worst others got killed by their partners. My big thanks go to my parents who thought us a very strong spiritual foundation, because who knows what happened to me if I gave in to the temptations of taking the shortcuts to survive.

 Looking back, I don’t know if I can do it again. Nevertheless, those experiences gave me one important lesson, when your back is against the wall, you will learn to find ways to get over the humps, no matter how high they are. And you don’t have to give up your dignity because there are many ways the Lord provided for you to overcome problems as there are many problems cropping up to test how strong your faith is.

The U.P. Dilemma

 

The suspected suicide of one of U.P.’s(University of the Philippines) students is being blamed on the school’s tuition policy of “No Late Fees” and many people are shouting the institution should change it because it puts too much pressure on students that when they cannot handle it will force them to do something unthinkable – worst – to take their own life.

In the first look of the policy, we say it is the reason why this poor student took its life.  And as we could read from the comments of many, they are telling U.P.  committed an indirect murder.  Well, that is true if we only listen to what we think, but if people really have the wisdom, U.P.’s policy has nothing to do with the decision of the student’s ending her life.   I will say it is exactly as what the old saying says, “Barking at the wrong tree” or pointing a finger at the wrong cause.   

I am not saying the U.P. management has no fault at all, but they lack hindsight on how students react when they are put to pressures.  

The student, maybe in the future, will take her life, just the same, when confronted with more debilitating problems.  It just happened that her emotion cannot take it any longer than this time.  In short, she was not prepared to stand strong in the midst of challenges.  The truth is the problem has a more established reasons. 

Where a child’s character foundation starts?  There’s no question that it is at home.   Thus, the parents could also be blamed for their child’s weakness when faced with problems like the one she just had.  The schools the child attended since she started learning her ABCs are also partly blamed for not recognizing the child’s shakiness and made corrections about it (which I see as a national problem on education) because the department of education is not doing enough to prepare children to become emotionally strong when they face the stress of college life and the challenges of life by the time they look for a job and think of having a family of their own.  

Where parents are deficient, the school should be wise enough to fill up.   Suicide is uncalled for as a response to pressures.  During college, pressures should be a welcome challenges for students and supposed to solve them answering riddles with their playmates.

In the case of the U.P. policy, the school should have provided some remedies to overcome it, like offering study now pay later to students or granting loan to students who can’t afford at the moment, offer part time paid jobs, etc.   It is like teaching them to solve problem by looking at possibilities.  If there are remedies offered and the student still failed to pay, then there is no choice but for the student to face the consequence of her action because 90%, I am sure, is irresponsibility on her part.

Reflection of Life as OFW

By:  Jolyn

Fast, like the weaver’s thread whirled, days spun and be gone.  And the only reminder is how we missed our families at home!  We know how much time had gone when we experienced an inexplicable longing for our children to be with them.  Worst, when a long holiday is near fast approaching, but we cannot make use of our time to be with our family!

We need to work hard to support our family. For me, I need to do more extra job cleaning houses, aside from being a caregiver during the night, just to earn more dollars and save some for the future of my kids especially for their education. 

Life is a gamble. Never in my wildest dream had I planned to leave my husband, especially, my two precious daughters for abroad. I just want to be a simple mother and a simple wife. However, life nowadays is very demanding that to fulfill my goals in life, I decided to sacrifice, thinking that in few years, all I planned will be achieved… but it’s not easy like the way I thought.  The few years became a big chunk of absence from my family, that in between, challenges are cropping up like bitter and poisonous mushrooms.  Problems that is common to OFWs – family matters.  

Many times, I feel so tired from working hard, which is aggravated by being alone and away from the comfort of my family. Physical tiredness I can deal with, but mental tiredness is tough to overcome when it slowly sets in as I start questioning myself why I need to work in a foreign land. Leaving behind what are dearest to me.  The thought of circumstances why I am away starts to torment me emotionally until sometimes I get the feeling of anger as I begin looking for people to blame.  Or, many times, I question G-d why he allows me to suffer; albeit, there is no one to turn to in times like this, thus I pray to Him for help. 

I pray every morning and whenever I am feeling distraught. I ask God to help me overcome obstacles; to help me accomplish my goals, and be home as soon as possible for my family.  Oh, how I missed my kids. For my husband? I do not know, his ego must have been slighted, because I now bring home a greater share of the bacon, that he looks for causes to do his crooked things, and find ways to hurt me – emotionally. 

Life is a bed of roses – however, thorny roses that the stings penetrate to the bottom of my heart.  But G-d is a real solace.  He brought me to stay and work here in the Holy Land, in His beloved City of JERUSALEM.  Being here lessens my loneliness for I feel God’s presence as I meditate with His words I hear from attending Messianic Services.  Thanks to God help, I stayed firm and strong despite the trials in life, trials that made me appreciate more the beauty of living.

Finally, I saw the purpose of my life, telling others what God has done for me.  Thank you to the one and only G-d, the trials and challenges opened my eyes and filled me with His spirit. I hope that sharing Yahweh’s kindness, in every opportunity, could also open the way for my friends and others find their way to the Lord and surrender to Him while His spirit guides them to the path of life.

After all the challenges that came into my life while being an OFW, I am glad that I overcame it all, and I am happy to reached the sixth year, this week, staying and working here in the Holy Land. I considered these as an inspiration to guide me as I journey in this constantly changing world where I can blend rhythm of my work and passion.  

Let me take this opportunity to say a BIG THANK YOU, to all the people who love and trusted me and accepted me for what I am. Thank you, Lord for guiding and loving me constantly. To my husband, whom I don’t know, if he still adores me till now. And to my children who serves as my inspiration? And for the undying love of my parents and brothers and sisters. Yahweh keeps us always safe and blesses us more and more…