“Modern day Heroes”, Often romanticized, Overseas Filipino workers are not always living the fairy tale

life that most people think of. More than 1 million Filipinos leave the country each year with hopes of
living a better life and finally seeking the way out of poverty.

Since the 1970's, migration has become a “culture” in the Philippines that made
living in another country common and acceptable, sometimes even preferable. It
became an option or strategy for a better life and a way out of poverty. For
decades, a large number of Filipinos find permanent settlement or work overseas,
almost 10 million Filipinos are living abroad and more than 1 million leave the
country each year to look for jobs.

Overseas Filipino Workers are often romaticized being

As much as we romanticize and glorify the contributions of OFWs in our economy, we must also