“Greener pasture” at the cost of life

By Roselle P. Gale

I AM an OFW daughter. And I have no regret that I am. But considering the plight of other overseas Filipino workers and their families out there, I grieve.

For almost 14 years now, my mother has been working as an OFW. From all that hard work and sacrifice, she has given us a better life.

Before, our house was made of wood, but now it is made of concrete. Before, we only had a small television, now we have a big one (well, bigger than our old television unit but still not nearly as big as the screen in cinemas). Plus we have other appliances like electric fan, iron, audio player, DVD player, and refrigerator. Before, we had to ask our neighbors to refrigerate some of our food, now we don’t have to. And in the past, we would eat in a squat position on our bamboo floor, now we eat on our dining table.

And above all, we have been able to get education. My sister has already graduated, and I am about to in just a few months.

These are only some of my mother’s dreams-come-true for working as a domestic helper in Singapore. And I think that those are the same dreams, and perhaps more, that drive so many other Filipinos to work abroad to try their luck.

Greener pasture is what they aim for. Go to a greener pasture and bring that greener pasture to their family back home. That is not easy to achieve. It takes a lot of sacrifices and perseverance – it means missing their children’s birthdays, missing other occasions like Christmas and New Year’s Eve, missing their children’s ups and downs as they grow up, or simply missing being together with the family. It is sacrificing your family for your family.

On top of the emotional battles, they also face physical challenges like handling tough workloads, each hour of the day devoted to toiling. And not all overseas Filipino workers have stable jobs, even worse is the fact that some are being maltreated and abused.

Recently, we’ve read or heard of news of Filipinos abroad who are facing death sentences for drug possession. Initially, I was annoyed that these Filipinos would commit such illegal acts but my brother, who also now works in Singapore, told me about this one Filipina who was caught carrying drugs that were fastened on her legs using masking tape.  The woman said she was forced by her foreign boyfriend to do it or else her family will be in danger. I feel for that woman. She wants what is best for her family but ended up being in a worse situation.

To this day, many Filipinos continue to act as “drug couriers” and are caught. While some say they were forced, others probably only do it because they want to earn extra income for their families.

It is painful to see they who only want to give their families a better life end up begging for their own lives.

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