There may have been thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) throughout the world today. They work as professionals, farmers, small business owners, medical health workers, caregivers, or simply domestic or household helpers. We heard their stories all over printed and social media channels and we, somehow admired them for their strength to get by away from their families.
Yet, there is more to being an OFW. Being an OFW is synonymous with the word sacrifice. Being away from the family for a long time is tormenting that requires a huge amount of sacrifice and strength. Filipinos have close-knit family ties. The attachment to the family is one of the values that define Filipino culture. Hence, to be away from the family is devastating and painful to both – the OFW and the family left behind.
The question of why they choose to be an OFW is pretty obvious. Financial reasons. OFWs earn better in other countries than in the Philippines. The opportunity to provide their families with economic security is a lot better when they work abroad. By working in other countries, they are assured that the needs of their families are met.
OFWs are our modern heroes today. They have the unsurmountable courage to face the odds of being away from the family and survive in a different country with a different culture. We heard stories of Filipinas being harmed, raped, murdered, or sentenced to die in other countries. We ask, why do they have to suffer like this? Why is their vulnerability being abused?
Like our heroes, they feel that they have a mission to accomplish. Our heroes died for the love of the country. Our OFWs sacrifice their lives for the love of their families! It is a heroic love that gives them the courage to conquer loneliness, face the hardships of their jobs and accept the reality that they may not be able to see their families again once something goes wrong.
Thus, the least that we could do is appreciate them and honor them as the unsung heroes of our time!