Even in harm’s way

Working in a foreign country with a culture that’s different from ours is always risky. This is laced with the possibility that the children, whom our overseas Filipino workers basically work hard for, might grow up with incomplete parental supervision and guidance.

Sad stories of virtually broken homes of OFWs abound. Even in areas that are threatened by imminent hostilities and conflicts have hundreds, even thousands, of our countrymen almost desperately plunging to an uncertain fate as long as they will have the chance to support their loved ones and sustain their families, and quietly hope that the future can be better.

The ongoing military conflict between Israel and Hamas has again showcased the danger in the lives of Filipinos who have chosen to live and work abroad despite the challenges that they would encounter. The welfare of their families is paramount and given more importance than their own safety. Surely, our more than 23,000 OFWs in Israel will not be deterred by this violence. Most of them will definitely hang on and continue to work there even long after this war has subsided.

Modern day diaspora of Filipinos is witnessed by the whole world. Almost two million documented workers are across all continents. Their jobs range from the most crude and difficult to the most coveted c-suites. Since the 1970s, we have sent our kababayans as domestic helpers, farm hands, factory workers, musicians, entertainers, caregivers, nurses, doctors, IT experts, teachers, marine seafarers, managers and many other positions. But one thing, truly, has described the Filipino brand – dedicated workers who would never fail to remit their earnings back to the Philippines.

At least $36 billion annually is being sent by our OFWs to their families. This has propelled our economy, especially during the most difficult moments in our country such as the Asian financial crisis in 1997. The dollar remittances of our OFWs are considered the main shield during downturns in our unstable financial situations.  In business terms, these remittances kept us basically up-float.

Filipinos are almost everywhere. We’re in Europe, the Americas, Canada, Australia, China, Middle East,