1. How long have you been working there?

I started working overseas in 2006 and have since been working in various countries
such as Western Europe, Africa and the Middle East for a total of 12 years. I get to pick
overseas contracts that are rotational basis. This simply means I get to go home to my
family in the Philippines several times per year on a rotational cycle i.e. 3 months work
then 1 months rest.

2. Why did you choose the go abroad?

There are many factors that influenced my decision to work overseas. One of the most
important is, the opportunity to increase my income at a shorter time period compared
to having a similar job in the Philippines. This enables me to give my family a better life
and afford good quality education for my two daughters.
Several other factors were; greater career enhancement, better employment conditions
and company health insurance benefits, high unemployment rate in my chosen
profession in the Philippines, high income tax, unstable Philippine economic conditions,
and discrimination among job applicants “Palakasan or padrino system”.

3. Were there any hardships or difficulties you experienced when living in the UAE?

I am a Senior Health, Safety and Environmental Professional that specialize in the Oil &
Gas Construction industry. I am tasked to manage the safety of more than 200
personnel. I am currently employed by a reputable company that provides all my needs.
These include food, accommodation, laundry, land transportation, top of the line health
insurance coverage, round trip flight tickets every 3 months and more.

Being an offshore worker; there are exponential amounts of hardships, difficulties and
hazards that I have to contend with to be able to function; especially at an isolated place
in the middle of the sea. I am not a seaman (as I am always asked), an offshore worker is
a person delegated to a facility away from land (either and island or an installation)
where it is surrounded by water.

There are always the threats of a hydrocarbon release from oil wells; Hydrogen sulfide is
a toxic gas that can immediately kill a person in 5 seconds at very high concentrations.
This gas is also flammable and can cause an explosion in confined spaces. Oil spill fire
and chemical mismanagement can and will happen if personnel are not careful. The
helicopter I use to travel and land at oil platforms can malfunction and crash into the
sea. However, I have been trained to deal with all such situations. These are just some
of the things that I face every day when I wake up in the morning here at work.

I have been fortunate enough that in my line of work, the physical hardships and
difficulties I endure are far tolerable compared to the emotional hardship I go through
 every time I leave my family in the Philippines. Being far from my family is the single
most painful thing I have ever felt and struggled with over the years. I missed important
events of my two daughter’s lives like Birthdays, school programs, Christmas and New
Year celebrations and many others. Those major life events can never be brought back
again ever again.

4. How has the Government supported you during such?

The Philippine Government developed good bilateral relations with the United Arab
Emirates. This provided better benefit among OFW’s that led employment companies
here to set rules and standards for work hours, leave period and salary. Repatriate
abused and misled Filipino workers and help increase the integrity of the Filipino worker
as a whole.

In my case, I was able to get government required documentations faster than before
without red tape. I do not suffer from delayed salaries and have little or nothing to
complain about. The Philippine government is also set to open an OFW Bank here in the
UAE 2nd quarter of the year. This will help Filipinos send money with fewer charges,
open savings accounts and get financial advice among others.

The hardships and hazards I face at work are part of my chosen profession; I accepted
my fate a long time ago. In my case, missing my family is not a government issue. This is
as much a part of my life struggles here as any other OFW working at any part of the
world. In my opinion, the only support the government can help the 10.2 million
Overseas Filipino Workers like me is to strengthen its ties with other countries where
Filipinos are most prevalent. Look into cases of illegal recruitment the lead to human
trafficking and modern day slavery. Hence the situation of house helps in Middle
Eastern countries.

5. Do you have any input for what the government should do for OFW’s?

At the end of the day, regardless of what ever economic development factors are
generated in the Philippines, there is no denying that the Overseas Filipino Workers are
the lifeblood of the country’s economic stability. OFW remittances alone keep the
country’s Gross Domestic Product among the strongest in Asia by having 23.5 Billion US
Dollars in 2017 injected into the economy.
That being said, the Philippine Government can do many actions for us OFW’s. The
following are just samples.
 Continue to generate skills development training and education for new and
upcoming OFW’s.
 Guide new applicants to understand the system of working abroad to prevent
illegal recruiters from organizing new schemes to cheat workers.
 Monitor and close illegal recruitment websites that promises jobs that are non-
existent.
 Repatriate exploited workers from countries that are continually violating
employment laws and borders human trafficking and modern day slavery.
 Create a bilateral law agreement allowing workers to keep their passports and
other documents whilst employed to enable swift released from abusive
employers as needed.
 Create an information drive to all current and future OFW’s to let each know the
function and aid that they can avail from OWWA, POEA, Philhealth, SSS and
many more.