This is a sequel to my first piece on OFWs where I had described the pitiful conditions our countrymen who work abroad undergo just to earn a decent income to sustain the families back home in the Philippines.
Last week, I had the luck to have boarded a van from the Gen.Santos International Airport with three women OFWs who had been repatriated home by DOLE following instructions from Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to bring home DHs working in Kuwait.
(I was on my way to attend the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing of the scandalous Road Right of Way at the SP session hall.)
The inquisitive (nosy I should say) journalist that I am, I wanted to ask them a few questions but my intuition told me to keep my mouth shut instead and just open my ears.
So, the women – two were bound for Tacurong City (S. Kudarat) and one for Banga, So. Cotabato – were unabashedly enjoying their refreshing liberation from their sad Kuwait experience as they availed of the amnesty program offered by the Kuwaiti government.
“Ang dami pa doon illegal OFW… ayaw umuwi kasi hindi sila maniwala na may amnesty na,” said the eldest (we shall call her Nora for brevity) of the three who I believed all worked as domestic helpers.
“Oo, buti na lang at mabilis ang utos ni Duterte na ayusin yung mga dokumento namin kaya nakauwi kami agad,” the next woman (we shall call Lucia) seated subscribed, as she narrated to the other passengers their lowly life in the hands of their Kuwaiti employers.
“Ako nga hindi na nagdalawang isip, uwi na agad para safe na,” said the third woman (we shall call Bebeng), the youngest of the three.
As they left that desert country, the Kuwait government and the police, they said, have begun rounding up illegal OFWs who did not avail of the amnesty and those caught will be put to jail in violation of immigration laws.
“Kung madakip sila, makukulong sila nang dalawang taon,” explained Nora who was more than happy to have gotten home.
“At least, makakasama ko na rin yung pamilya ko…mga five years ko na din hindi sila nakikita.”
Nora said she had spent the P10,000 gift given by DOLE to buy pasalubong for her family and relatives.
They exchanged jokes and laughed at themselves, while recalling some of their rending experiences in Kuwait. At the same time, they expressed their sympathy and commiserated with the family of Joana Demafelis.
“Grabe talaga ang ginawa kay Joana. Buti hindi nangyari sa akin yun,” said Lucia who had not been home for more than ten years. She described her employers as “mabait din, kung minsan, ganun…”
The trio disembarked at the Bulaong bus terminal where they boarded a connecting bus onto their respective destinations.
Before that, they each made an oath that they would never go back to Kuwait or seek employment abroad in Middle East countries.
“Iba rin yung kasama mo ang pamilya, walang worries…kasi kung malayo ang tatay o nanay di ka rin makatulog, iniisip mo kung ano ang kanyang kondisyon doon sa work niya abroad,” intoned Nora, a small forty-ish woman who stood below five feet.
It was raining but I could still hear their laughter when porters at the bus depot picked up and placed their large luggage inside the bus compartment. “Babay,” they bid us who were left in the van.
My eavesdropping has concretized my faith in the Filipino: that he is resilient, patient, industrious and hardworking.
Nora, Lucia and Bebeng have secured their freedom. They are now back in the welcoming arms of their loved ones.
Truly, there is no place like home. (email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
