I believe that there is no parent who would want to leave their kids in the care of other people to go abroad so that they can give them a better life and a future. It is truly a SACRIFICE because of the love they have for their own children.
I am writing this post because I am so stirred and disturbed upon reading an article from my newsfeed wherein an OFW mother returned home to bury her 2-year old son who was allegedly beaten to death by his guardians. You can read the whole story HERE.
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Trend really bothers me. I am really disturbed with the idea wherein the father or mother or both have to leave their home to work abroad so they can earn a greater amount of money which they believe they cannot earn when they work here in the Philippines. My husband and I were OFWs for 5 years and we were navigators (seafarers) sailing on board different ships. Two months after getting married, I joined my vessel and my husband was left alone waiting for his embarkation on board his ship. We celebrated our birthdays and Christmas away from each other, as in oceans apart! We really felt so sad during those times, if only we can be together. Yes, we have lucrative income and yes we can travel the world for FREE but we seldom see each other and we cannot enjoy the money we were earning from seafaring because most of the time, we were in the middle of the ocean with no network signals on our phone until finally, after almost 5 years of marriage ,we decided to quit sailing and have our own babies .We stopped sailing for 5 years now and God has blessed us with 2 cute kids. We are much happier today because we are together and I know that God will blessed us with more great things. If God can do it to us, He can do it to you also!
I am not against those people who go abroad to be OFW, I am against the idea of choosing it over your family. I interviewed seafarers and OFW's and here are the reasons why they are still forced to go abroad and leave their families despite the disadvantages:
I am not against those people who go abroad to be OFW, I am against the idea of choosing it over your family. I interviewed seafarers and OFW's and here are the reasons why they are still forced to go abroad and leave their families despite the disadvantages:
1. Economic Benefits - With the income earned abroad, their families are able to live more comfortably in the Philippines. But actually, wherever we are, as long as we work hard, God will bless us. " The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none." - Deuteronomy 28:12
2. No Other Source of Income - Most of the wives of OFW are busy taking good care of their kids so they rely solely with their husband's income. But actually, wives can also earn extra income and help their husbands with the family cash flow even if they are busy managing their homes. " She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard." -Proverbs 16:31
3. To Live the Expectations of Other People from Them- OFWs are sometimes forced to leave the country because their immediate family and extended family have high expectation especially on earning dollars or euro. Some live the dream of other people for themselves. Your friends plan to go abroad, so you decided also to go abroad because it is the trend of the community. " The number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at anytime during the period April to September 2015 was estimated at 2.4 million." - https://psa.gov.ph/content/total-number-ofws-estimated-24-million-results-2015-survey-overseas-filipinos
4. Culture of the Environment - Sometimes in a community, people think that if you will not go abroad, you CANNOT:
- Give a more comfortable life to your family
- Send your kids to great school
- Buy your own dream house
- Buy your own dream car
- etc.
But what disturbed me are the effects of this OFW Program in our society especially in our own children. Below are some of them:
1. Absence of Parental Role - When a parent is absent, there will be no one to play the father figure or the mother figure so the child will look for it outside the home.
2. Feeling of Neglect - The children will look for the love , care and support of their parents. If they did well, they want to be appreciated. If the parents are not around, they will feel abandoned and envious of the other kids who have their parents with them.
3. Trauma - This is usually experienced by toddlers when their parents will make them sleep before they leave them. And when they wake up, their parents are no longer with them and this will develop to a sleep trauma that children will be afraid to sleep because they know when they wake up, they will lose somebody they love. There are children also who blame themselves when their parents get divorced because they are constantly being reminded that " your mama or your papa works abroad for you". So they think that they are the reason why it happened.
4. Abuse - When there are no parents looking after and protecting their children, they can be prone to sexual abuse, mental abuse,verbal abuse, physical abuse and worst is death just like the 2-year old boy I was mentioning a while ago.
5. Bad Company - Children will more likely fall to a bad company if there are no parents who will correct and guide them .
6. Attitude Problem - When the parents are absent, there will no one to guide and discipline the children .
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11
We should pray that God will show us His plan and let us be willing to cooperate with His plan. Our plan should not be an OFW forever and be away from our families for a longer period of time. We should pray for God to show us our "EXIT PLAN" and grant us wisdom so we can make our priorities in order: God first, family second and career third.
