OFW: A Modern Hero

How many times have we heard this as someone's ambition? The fact that the Philippines receives over $20 billion in annual OFW remittances does not lie. Many of our homes are built and children's educations are funded by overseas money. To ambitious young people, it doesn't even matter what kind of work they end up doing, so as long as they are paid in a different currency. Landing a job abroad has become the ultimate dream, and the OFW life is associated with flowery images of success and prosperity.

But there are a few things they don't tell you about the OFW life; things that are often kept secret from those we leave behind.

Moving to a new place always comes with displacement. And believe me, that good English that you boast about is no match to a particular region's version of English, especially when spoken fast. No matter how Americanized or how independent you feel you are, you'll always feel like you've been dropped overboard in cold water without a life jacket. It takes a while before you adjust and tread water on your own.

Children who are left are usually not guided properly. Sometimes, both parents are working abroad and children would only be left under the guidance of one of their relatives. Sometimes the guardian cannot fully discipline them that can cause children to be stubborn and hard-headed in the long run. Long separation also creates gap between the parents and children; closeness with each other is not that firm or strong anymore.

For the Overseas Filipino Worker, working abroad without saving extra income for the retirement years is one of the biggest mistakes that should be avoided. This is the reason why many Overseas Filipino Workers are coming back to the country for retirement but are not successful. Finding local jobs after working abroad is also a problem for the Ex-Overseas Filipino Workers. Some companies are choosy and don’t want to accept applicants whose job experience is outside Philippines. You can be accepted in a local job sometimes, but the salary would not be the same anymore. That is why, although they would like to stay at home, they are forced to leave the country again and bear the hardships of being alone and far from their loved ones….and so the cycle goes on.