Sancelan, Red Immanuel

Sibala, Michelle Marie T.

Persons Interviewed:
OFW: Ma. Lucia Sibala
Husband: Angelo Sibala
Son: Nathaniel Louis Sibala

1. Why did the OFW work abroad?

Malou worked abroad to find greener pastures, to provide financial support for her family, and also
because her mother was working there. With the help of her mother, she was immediately hired as an office
employee in Dubai. She was a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Financial
Management.

2. What benefits are being enjoyed by the OFW and/or the OFW's family from the OFW working abroad?
Just as any other employee, Malou enjoys health insurances, and retirement benefits. She is also
enjoying her work as it allows her to travel to different places.
Providing the financial support that they needed, her family can sustain their daily needs and sometimes
buy their wants such as shoes and things for entertainment purposes. This makes their lives happy and
contented.

3. What are the disadvantages of working abroad?

Not being able to spend her time with her family is one thing that Malou worries about.

4. What are the problems encountered by the OFW and the family? (This includes fears, anxieties,
homesickness, absence of family member)
At first, Malou was nervous because of the new community however she just got used to it with the help
of her mother. Also, she misses her family every single day, especially his son which is still young.
Angelo, her husband, the one who is taking care of their son, also had a very hard time adapting to
household chores and becoming a solo parent in the house. Not being with his wife also saddens him.
Nathaniel misses her mother but his dad made him understand that her mom is working for them.
Persons Interviewed:
OFW: Yoyong Torres
Wife: Inday Torres
Daughter: Wendy Torres

1. Why did the OFW work abroad?

He believed that working abroad allows him to earn more money to support his family. He was married
at a young age and was employed in the Philippines, but he wasn’t contented with his salary here so he ventured
to find job opportunities in Japan.

2. What benefits are being enjoyed by the OFW and/or the OFW's family from the OFW working abroad?
Yoyong is now receiving higher salary than his work before here in the Philippines.
His family is now enjoying the fruits of his hard work. They are able to afford what they want and they
love to travel to tourist spots.

3. What are the disadvantages of working abroad?

For him, in the first few weeks, he said that it was very hard because of the language barrier. Not
everyone understands English and he also had a very hard time understanding them because of the accent. Also,
he misses his family and some nights he feels lonely.

4. What are the problems encountered by the OFW and the family?
Yoyong never came home for almost 10 years and right now he just misses his family.
His family, especially his wife, Inday, misses him too and hopes that he will come home soon. Their
communication is through calls and social media only. He missed most of the family events in their lives. His
daughter, Wendy, hopes that she can see his father again because she was still a child the last time she saw him.
Persons Interviewed:
OFW: Charies Gay Corotan
Mother: Perla Corotan
Brother: John Corotan

1. Why did the OFW work abroad?

Charies is a nurse and she always wanted and dreamed to work abroad because of the high
compensation or salary there.

2. What benefits are being enjoyed by the OFW and/or the OFW's family from the OFW working abroad?
As expected, working abroad gave Charies a higher salary than working here in the Philippines. She
gains work experience and expands her professional network. Working abroad also increased his cultural
awareness.
Her family was able to enjoy her high salary as well, as they can afford and sustain their daily needs and
even buy their wants.

3. What are the disadvantages of working abroad?

As a nurse, it is their duty to take care of the sick so they work for longer hours and can be
exposed to stress and pressure. Also, it’s hard to deal with different people especially with different nationality
when you’re new to their place so you need to adjust and understand more.

4. What are the problems encountered by the OFW and the family?
Charies said that being lonely and homesick are some of the problems in working abroad. But she can’t
do anything because she needs to work for her family.
To the family, they are worried on how Charies is doing abroad, especially when she is sick, no one will
take care of her. They also miss her every single day.