Familiar stories back home
Every Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) has a story to tell – and so does each family member who stays behind.
Son longing for mom
Budding actor James Teng was old enough to remember at 12 when his mother left for Hong Kong to work as a household service worker (HSW).
He could have begged her to stay but he knew that for them to have a better life, he had to let go.
“But you know the feeling that your mother is not around to lift you when you’re down, to hug and kiss you every time you need it? It’s painful to be without her,” he said eight years later.
It was harder spending certain occasions and life milestones without her there but they have to be practical.
“She needs the income and we don’t want to waste the opportunity that’s been given to her.”
Best friend from Down Under
Sibling rivalry is unavoidable at times but not for model David Licauco. He consid- ers sister Elan Licauco his best friend despite the distance between them. She has been a chef on Hamilton Island in Australia for five years now.
They see each other yearly during family vacations but it’s not enough.
“All my life we’d been together. We have the same room, we eat, we talk, we play together. Then all of a sudden, she’s gone having her own life without me by the side,” he said.
On the bright side, he is happy she has a six-digit salary, something she’ll have a hard time earning in the Philippines.
“I know it has always been her dream,” he said. “I’m glad she is pursuing it the way she knows how.”
Different time zones
Kris Bernal’s sister Katherine Ann is a nurse abroad. The actress remembers the many times she’d get homesick during her first three months in Los Angeles. Another challenge was looking for a nursing job, which took a year despite her credentials. The time difference between Manila and California entails more effort for them to update each other. When Katherine’s twin sister, Kate, gave birth to the first nephew in their family, Katherine learned about it the next day. When Katherine gets sick, her family only learns about it later.
“I have high respects for OFWs,” Kris said. “Even if they earn big abroad, it’s hard to be away from family.”