Dagala, Claire Danes T.

Interview with the OFW

The best way to know about the life of being an OFW is to ask the worker. For most
Filipinos, being an OFW is a dream come true. They get to earn more money and they are able
to provide a better future for their loved ones. Most Filipinos think that being able to work abroad
is a kind of life everyone wanted. Little they did know that it is hard to imagine how difficult it is to
be there, living away from your family and not able to talk to them is a kind of struggle they are
facing in their everyday living. There are several pros and cons of being an OFW. Some may
living now fancy and others don’t. There will always be success stories and former OFWs who
made it big either in the Philippines or abroad. Believe it or not, most OFWs are still not living the
good life despite earning more and in dollars. Some even have an existing home or auto loan with
banks that they are unable to pay.

We are able to ask two overseas Filipino workers who are close to us through chat. The
first interviewee is a nurse by profession. She is Apachie Dagala Salvacion. She is a wife and a
mother of two lovely daughters. She is now 37 years old. We asked her several questions about
how was the life living there and the following are the conversation we have discussed. We asked
her about what did she do before going abroad, how she got the money to buy the ticket. She
said that it is all family support. Her family helped her to prepare all the papers that need to be
done and asked money from them. She added that “Family will always there for you no matter
what you do in life.” She is now in Kuwait where her destination is and she is a nurse there. She
said that it is always her dream to go abroad and be a nurse there. We also asked her how was
the language, “Is there any problem or experience about their language and your language?”
Then she replied, “Most of the people I’m dealing with can communicate in English already so
less barrier in language especially in my work but outside you have to learn at least the basic
Arabic.” She has to study their language because some of her patients are pure Arabic people. It
is not a problem to her because she said that it is nice to learn new things and learn new language
and people. Next thing we ask is about their food. She said that she doesn’t like their food, the
taste and the smell of it. Their cuisines are often centuries old and reflect the culture of great
trading in spices, herbs, and foods. We think that these are the reasons why she hates it. She
then added that she just buy Filipino like foods. There is a branch of Jollibee there. Whenever she
misses Filipino food she just buy there. Next, we asked her how was the relationship with her
employer, how the employer treats her. “There is no problem at all. In fact, he is very friendly and
very approaching”, she said. Indeed, she is very lucky to have that kind of employer because not
all can have that. We also asked her about how was her relationship with her employer and co-
workers. She replied. “Fair enough.” She meant that they are all her friends. She don’t have any
problem with them. Also, some of her co-workers are also Filipinos so it is very easy for her to
communicate with them.

We also asked her and we are very pleased because she really answered it. We asked
her what she thinks about the impact of migration to the Philippine economy. She said, “It helps
in the steady growth and size of remittances and it also helps to sustain the country's domestic
consumption and growth.” This is a fact because apparently the money they are sending us helps
the economy. It is a fact that they are the highest contributor in terms of remittances. Remittances
are considered one of the biggest financial inflows for the developing economies. They are sent
through banks or money transfer companies. We were also able to ask her what she thinks about
how migration helps the country’s labor supply. She said, “The most immediate impact is the loss
of people in the labor market. If these people were unemployed before leaving, a significant drop
in the labor supply can in theory reduce competition in the labor market, which in turn increases
wage levels and decreases unemployment. The consequences, however, can vary according to
many factors. If the workers come from a skilled sector for which there is little supply in the labor
market, their skills can be lost. If the labor market can easily substitute for workers who emigrate
there may be little impact (although there is a general loss of work experience).”

Our second interviewee is Ms. Rowena B. Kumaka. She is a 35 years old woman and a
college graduate. “I worked as a factory worker at the Philippines economic zone, Cavite in order
to save money for agency processing fee and placement fee.” She said she did not have any
other skills and trainings while she is in the Philippines. She is now in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
as a data entry clerk. She said that her work in the Philippines and what she is now are completely
not related but it is still okay because she is qualified in the position anyway. There is no problem
with that. “Their food has added with too much kinds of spices, you have to adjust with the strong
smell if you will experience it for the first time. I hate cumin but you will love their shawarma and
kabsa. They are my favorites. I would love if you try it also.” We asked her about their language,
she said that Arabic is hard to learn especially in writing but in speaking the language you can
adjust to some common words you used to speak with your colleagues. And, about her
relationship with her employer and co-workers if there is any problem she replied that “I don’t
have any problem with them because I am working inside the company and me just seldom
meeting them in personal so no problem at all. All is fine.” We were very glad to hear it. She then
added “For almost 13 years working in the same company, I need to be humble, not being rude
to anyone, stay focus and alert on your work. Be patient always even how tired you are and I
believe that these are the keys to have a good relationship with them.” She said that Arabic
people prefer to hire people like us Filipinos because we can offer or give less salary compare to
their citizen especially if you will stay for long years. “It is a fact that our country the Philippines
has too much jobless persons. We migrate to work abroad and it helps the unemployment rates
to decrease.”

Nowadays, many people in developing countries tend to leave their homes because they
think that working abroad would be a great help to achieve their dreams and to earn money fast.
Not to mention our very own country the Philippines, Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs make
up for one of the largest group of expat workers in the world accordingly. It is very obvious that
we hugely depend on their contribution to the economy. The Philippines are the third country
receiving the most remittances worldwide. Thanks to the OFW who worked hard and continue to
help us. According to a blog, Philippines hugely depends on remittances sent by millions of OFWs
working in different parts of the world. Even today, people are considered to be the top export of
this country. The receipt of settlements builds the absolute livelihoods of the beneficiary families.
In the event that the family units have any wellsprings of local salaries, this adds an extensive lift
to its discretionary cash flow. With more salary, family utilization rises. This goes in various ways
– from essential needs toward an improved utilization container of nourishment, attire, recreation,
and after that a few extravagances. Henceforth, most families appreciate an improvement in their
way of life. An essential component of this marvel is the effect on the ordinary family unit's
instructive decisions. Families have better open doors for higher quality training for their
youngsters, which is presumably a standout amongst the most urgent effects of OFW settlements
on the economy.

We all cannot deny the truth that the Overseas Filipino Workers have a crucial role in our
today’s economy. They have a great contribution to our country. They are considered to be our
today’s national heroes. They play a big part so we must thank them for their sacrifices. They
decide to live thousands of miles away from their loved ones to financially support them and that
is a sad truth that cannot be untold. We see thousands of Filipinos leaving the country carrying
heavy hearts.