Skip to main content

Who are These OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and Why are They the Modern Heroes of the Philippines

At the turn of the millennium, the Philippine government launches this campaign program calling the overseas Filipino workers or OFWs as “Mga Bagong Bayani ng Bayan” (Modern Heroes of the Nation). From then onwards, different organizations established programs giving awards and recognitions to selected OFWs who did a remarkable contribution or action to their family, friends, work or in general, to the country.


OFW ka ba?
Bakit?
Eh kasi dating mo pa lang, mayaman ka na. Boom! 

(Are you an OFW? Why? Because with just the way look, it seems that you’re rich. Boom!)


My Cousin Dado as an OFW in South Korea 


At present, OFWs around the world are estimated to be around 12 – 14 million. This is approximately 10 – 12 percent of the Philippines total population. These OFWs are distributed on many countries all over the globe majority of whom are in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Singapore, Hongkong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Italy. Immigrant workers in the United States, Australia and Europe are also considered OFWs although many of them already happen to acquire their permanent residency or citizenship there.

The above question and answer introduction is a “pick up line” or "hugot lines" that is currently very popular in the Philippines as a way of sharing jokes and humours on talks. This originates from a comedy program aired on the television known as “Bubble Gang” and later on becomes the word-of-mouth of many Filipinos whenever they gather during social activities in schools, offices and streets. The pickup line illustrates how common Filipinos treat or talk with OFWs whenever they arrive in the country from their long years of working abroad. That is because literally, OFWs have these new and more likely expensive-than-usual clothes, shoes, jewelries, gadgets, vehicles and many other things that are noticeably others don’t have or cannot afford to buy. The level of appreciation is different, as well as the level of respect to the OFWs. They call them “Balikbayan”, an OFW who just returned to the Philippines after 2 – 3 years of hardwork and sacrifices.


OFWs are Heroes in Many Ways
Heroism, on the case of Philippine national heroes, is an act of patriotism to one’s nation. Jose Rizal is Philippines’ national hero. He became a hero when he liberated Filipinos from the opportunist Spaniards during the 1900’s. He was executed in Manila for this heroic act. Philippines have many heroes, like any other nations. During the Japanese and American colonization of the country, different names emerge and are now contents of the books used by students on public and private schools. And so why an OFW is a hero at these modern times? Do they have love and devotion to the Philippines? Are they patriotic? The explanation below will give us some enlightenment.

“Tinaguriang mga bagong bayani ang mga OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) dahil sa kanilang pagsasakripisyong magtrabaho sa ibang bansa para matulungan at mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang kanilang pamilya gayon din ang kanilang bansa.”

(OFWs or Overseas Filipino Workers are considered modern heroes because of their sacrifices in working abroad in order to help and provide good future for their family and also to their country.)



With the Philippines economy now climbing towards the top of the rank of most progressive nations, the USD 20 billion (approximate) worth of remittances of OFWs each year is undeniably a huge contribution. And with regard to patriotism, remitting money to your country in order for its economy to become better is definitely within its scope. OFWs are therefore heroes, no doubt. Some people call OFWs as the “Mga Buhay na Bayani” (living heroes). But are all OFWs heroes? The next stories below can probably answer this question.


How to Become an OFW?
OFWs, despite of being well-known to the world for their big population and their heroic acts, have another side of the story. This blog will reveal that story as it aims to emphasize why they are really called heroes.

For one to become an OFW, he or she has to undergo an application process – a long, expensive and complex one.

Although there are OFWs who are applying directly to employers abroad, they also need undergo the same process like of those who apply thru private or public employment agencies. The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) is the main government body in charge of OFW for their employment matters. Illegal recruitment once upon a time becomes rampant in the Philippines. Filipinos who happened to be employed abroad thru these unlicensed agencies are still OFWs, however.

An application process can be as short as one month, provided documents are ready or complete, up to about a year and sometimes even more. Recruitment agencies call it “placement fee”, a big amount of money OFWs are paying for their final employment documents to be processed and released weeks before their flight abroad. It can range from 20,000 pesos up to about 200,000 pesos depending on the country, category and nature of employment. The complexity always comes in because of the long queue of applicants, miscellaneous fees and resources requested by some recruitment agencies, and the difficulty for an applicant to produce the placement fee in time. The truth is that many aspiring OFWs get this placement fee the hard and painful ways. This hard and painful story continues on the next paragraph.

Different Stories Behind Becoming an OFW
Domestic helpers, as the international community calls it, are the OFWs who work as helpers on the homes of a foreign employer. And by wage standards of almost all countries, they fall under the lowest paid OFWs. A big percentage of OFWs are actually domestic helpers. Factory workers, mechanics, technicians, engineers, nurses, and other professions compose the long list of OFWs.

Different people, different stories, and sad stories for many; these are the truth behind becoming an OFW.

Getting the money for placement, to many OFWs, is oftentimes equivalent to being in a bad debt, selling of homeland, and putting on hold of their kids’ education. You will hear stories that for one to complete the 100,000 pesos placement fee, he or she needs to please all his brothers and sisters to sell the land they inherit from their parents. There are some who were tempted to do evil things just to collect the money they need. On some cases, an OFW-to-be happens to be engaged on serious family conflicts only because of this ultimate objective of producing the money out of sacrificing things with high sentimental value to them.

The sad story for an OFW happens even before they become one.

If you will go deeper, you will likely become uncomfortable reading the stories of others, for example the OFWs whose real work upon discovery is related to sex and other illegal duties.

Although the government is now improving the rules on OFW recruitment, there are still issues that make everything complicated. Applicants from remote provinces are sometimes being scammed. After producing the money, illegal recruiters never come back again to process their application. There are many reports of this kind in the past 20 years. Other applicants are being forced for bribes just to process their application immediately. The worst things is when an OFW got deported after only some months of working abroad due to technical problems on the contract they signed. Its a complete lost. These things happen, in reality. In Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), it is a daily scenario to see kids and wives (or husbands) crying whenever this OFW is about to enter the airport and fly to the Middle East. The situation is still the same whenever they arrive, there will be somebody who will cry out of joy, out of relief that they are now once again complete.

Imagine these hardships and difficulties of OFWs. Its an extraordinary sacrifice.

During the days, weeks, months and years OFWs are away from their families, the situation even more becomes different, if not that worst. Relationship suffers and leads to broken families in the end. On the other side, when an OFW is already becoming financially stable, he forgets that he has a family back in the Philippines waiting for his financial support. Some OFWs lead to abandonment of their families in the Philippines for some personal reasons.

There are weird, horrible and sometimes shocking stories that are maybe your first time to know they happens.

OFWs caught on accidents while working, death of an OFW because of maltreatment from employers, death penalty imposed to an OFW who killed his employer, OFW took suicide due to loneliness , OFWs under hostage because of wars in the country where they are working, OFWs who became mentally distressed due to culture shock; these are some of them. But there are many reasons for an OFW to become happy, of course. Two or three photo albums containing happy moments of an OFW while abroad are typically what you will see on most of the OFWs’ home in the Philippines. Their parents, husband, wife, kids, friends, and relatives are happy as well to see these pictures two years after their heroic act. OFWs are happy because reaching a place where there is money, freedom, new friends, modern technologies, and personal satisfaction is in a time of their life an ambition fulfilled.

OFWs who are called professionals may seem to have better situation compared to domestic helpers. It is a fact that professionals have higher salaries, good working conditions, and therefore better living standard. They can travel two or thrice a year going back to the Philippines to visit their families. Others can manage to invite their families or love ones for a short vacation to the country where they work. But like any other OFWs, they also have sad stories and they are also heroes.

The after-work of an OFW is also part of the story. Some happened to earn enough and managed to invest their money wisely. Others were not. Others decided to return abroad for another term of 2 - 3 years. It's a good story for those who becomes citizens in the country they work. It's a sad story for those broken families that were no longer rebuilt. Somehow, the government are seeing these bad stories and they are launching programs that will likely prevent these from happening again.


You are an OFW - a Modern Hero of the Philippines
I am an OFW. Many years ago, I do not intend to become one because I already understand the hardships and difficulties. But out of needs, I convinced myself I need to. I consider myself a little bit lucky because I happen to belong in the list of OFWs who are professionals. But I am also a living witness to the stories of many OFWs, mainly of my own family and relatives. I actually belong to a clan of OFWs. And I therefore have sad stories too.

But the photo albums of my happy moments that I would like to show to my friends and families some years from now, I am trying to make them full of my real smiles and laughs. We are in the generation of Facebook, Skype, Yahoo and Gmail, unlike decades ago when letters from OFWs can only reach Philippines in one or two months-time. Those are the saddest times, today is a bit more different. Obviously, millions of OFWs are using the modern day technologies for communication, for talking to their love ones. I am one of them. It is my hope that these modern technologies will continue to do its purpose for the OFWs and may someday introduce more positive changes to the life of the modern heroes.


Thank You OFWs!

Mabuhay Kayo Mga Buhay na Bayani ng Pilipinas!


Heroes or not, born or made, OFWs are great people who built and are currently building the Philippines as a new nation. Yes, there are bad times in their lives. But if someday Philippines will become a nation of wealthy people, of good living standard, and of happy OFWs and their families, then we can say that we made it to the highest level of becoming a real hero for our country. To all OFWs, wherever are we, thank you for all your hardwork and sacrifices. They maybe calling us heroes, but let us not wait for them to give us medals or build our statues. Our country needs us, that if we happen to become a first-world country someday, the benefits will be for us, our families, and our future countrymen.

Here are some of the photos I would like to share with you. They are my close friends and relatives and so I would not bother to post their photos here because I am very proud of them. You too can request to post your photos. Tell me what country you are working and your nickname. You can then show it soon, thru this blog, to your friends and families.


On the Photos: OFW's All Over the World




My cousin Dado and Darius and their workmates in South Korea




My Friends Zaldy and Nhong with their friends in Saudi Arabia 


My Friend Manolo in Canada 




My brother Matt and his friends in Taiwan 


Me and my wife in Singapore on 2012 




Related Posts

Four Great Qualities of the Filipinos and the Realities Behind - A Wake Up Call

The Solutions to the Problems in the Philippines – an Appeal for Help from People Like You

Who is Jose Rizal Really?


About this Post
You've just read the story about OFWs. Thank you for reading this blog brought to you by Knowriel.com, a business and career knowledge and information source. If you’re an OFW aiming to establish a business someday, then we can help you on that. Visit our website, Knowriel.com, or send us an email at norielpanganiban@gmail.com for inquiries.

Comments

Popular Posts

“I Love Baguio City” - My Travel Story in the Summer Capital of the Philippines

The Strawberry Farm, Burnham Park, Mines View Park, the Mansion, Wright Park, Lourdes Grotto, and Session Road; these are among of the popular landmarks in the more commonly known “Summer Capital of the Philippines” – Baguio City. Why so? Well, the temperature here seldom exceeds 26 degree centigrade. During the cold season of December to February, the temperature falls down to even below 10 degree centigrade. The record low temperature was 6.3 degree and that was on January 18, 1961. How to Travel to Baguio City? Going to this cold city in the mountainous province of Benguet, Philippines is a six to seven hours travel by passenger utility bus from Manila. Starting from EDSA, traversing the NLEX, entering SCTEX, exiting the province of Tarlac and going through the neighbouring provinces of Pangasinan and La Union, and then exploring the zigzag road of either the Marcos Highway, the Kennon Road or the Naguilian Road, the coldest place in the Philippines will be reached. Baguio is a

"Business as Usual" as the Filipinos Define It (Vulcanizing Shop, Sari-Sari Store, Bakery) – Part 1

I asked the shop owner about these old unused tires on what are they doing with it. The Vulcanizing shop owners says, “Oh, someone will pick up those tires and pay us 5 or 10 pesos each. Sometimes they just take it for free”. Vulcanizing Shop - A Classic Example of Filipino Business You’ve most probably seen and been into a local, typical vulcanizing shop like this one in the photo. The business concept is very simple. Here’s a customer with his flat or deflated tire and the vulcanizing boy will repair it using a rubber compound patch, a heating tool, and an air pump. If it’s a regular car or van tire, repairing one may only take 10 minutes the cost of which is around 30 to 60 pesos. If it’s a tire from a truck or bus, it could be around 30 minutes and the repair would cost the vehicle owner around 100 to 150 pesos. Here’s the thing. A shop like this one could potentially earn a revenue of 1000 up to 2000 per day just by repairing a flat tire. Why? Well, with thousands of

Jesus Christ’s Hands (Kamay ni Hesus) – an Image of Ultimate Devotion

We visited Kamay ni Hesus in 2011. That big statue of Jesus Christ, similar to that one seen in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, is a magnificent wonder. Probably, this hidden place in the province of Quezon is not yet known to the world. Then this post is a good starting point to share it. More than 85% of the Filipinos are Catholics. Many are truly devoted. Some are not. This holy place is a place of worship for many Catholics. At about 50 feet tall, this statue of Jesus Christ is a magnificent structure made even more noticeable when placed on the mountain top. About two thousand to three thousand visitors come into this place everyday to pray, to stroll and to witness the beauty and holiness of this man-made mountain park. On the Photo: A view from the Foot of the Mountain at Lucban, Quezon, Philippines Kamay ni Hesus “Kamay ni Hesus” in Lucban, Quezon is proving it all. A structure, a park , a holy place – many believes that it will last for a lifetime. On a larger scale, Chris

The Solutions to the Problems in the Philippines – an Appeal for Help from People Like You

If I would become the political adviser of the Philippine president, I would propose to him solutions on how to resolve the problems and issues happening in this country. But if I would not become one, I will continue to become an adviser if not to the president then to the people. Manila, Philippines There are hundreds of problems the government of the Philippines is facing today and even in the past. Some of them can be considered solved while some are not. Some problems are recurring while others are permanent and therefore the solutions are only temporary. However, it is worth commending on how the current government is responding to the needs of time of the Filipino people. The rise of the Philippine Stock Exchange index is a valid proof that several economic measures are taking effect. The legal measures are showing results in the sense that the fight against corruption is not a “ningas-kugon” platform. The call for peace in Mindanao is on-going despite of the

The Divisoria Malls - Defining Shopping in the Philippines

They call it the 168 Mall. It is one of the busiest places in the Philippines during shopping days like Christmas season when longing for enjoyment and relaxation is on the air once again. From Cavite, my home place, going to Divisoria, it will take you about an hour travel under normal traffic flow. What is in this place? Well, Divisoria is the Bargain Shopping Capital of the Philippines . This is where wholesale and retail prices make shoppers say “WOW!” on delight. Visiting this place will definitely give you a realization about shopping on a different dimension. Find out why on the next paragraphs. On the Photo: The Popular 168 Mall in Divisoria, Manila, Philippines Divisoria is located in Binondo, Manila. It is accessible via Quiapo(where the famous Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church is) thru Recto Avenue and via Lawton near Manila City Hall. Divisoria has been there since the early 90’s. As it is near the North Harbour, Manila’s main seaport, the freshest and cheapest produc

“Fixer” in Philippine Government Agencies Like the Social Security System (SSS) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) – What We Filipinos Can Do About it?

Maybe in this post, I can clearly explain how “fixing” works in many government offices in the country. The idea is first, to warn you that such illegal fixing happens, and second, to give you tips on how you should avoid them. Plain and simple, we will not in anyway damage or speak against anyone or any particular office of the government in this post. It just happened that this is about my experience with LTO and SSS Tagaytay. I want to emphasize that still many government employees in the Philippines are doing their jobs right - including those who are working in the said branches. If you have experienced transacting with any government offices here in the Philippines, whether you're a Filipino or not, you should already be familiar with these signages. NO TO FIXER Banner in an LTO Office NO NOON BREAK Banner in LTO Tagaytay Here’s a bit of knowledge for you to digest first. What is “fixing” or who is a “fixer” by the way? In the Philippines, these good w

Beautiful Life in the Philippines in These Times of Pandemic

Life is beautiful if you will find ways to make it beautiful... This is what I learned from life experiences here in the planet. As the line from the poem Invictus states: I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. We are responsible for our happiness, at least in a world where everyone has freedom. Now, as to what happiness would mean to you, it something you must know. But defining happiness should not be complicated. Perhaps, this blog post can explain...  Cows Freely Eating Grasses in a Green Field A Lady Witnessing the Rising of the Sun Morning Sun as it Climbs Up to Start the Day We all experienced the horrible impact of pandemic over the past two years, and yet we still feel the difficulties and challenges up to this very moment coping up with the so-called "new normal". Maybe its already too much to say what this COVID-19 virus bring us...that's enough! An inspiration may cure our broken hearts and souls. This is the best way to calm us down, make us

Interesting Facts from the Historic Province of the Ilocanos - Ilocos Norte, the Philippines

In 2016, my friends traveled to the northern part of our country – in Ilocos region. The views there are truly amazing, so I decided to create this post about Ilocos Norte. No wonder, some of the places I am going to share here do exists in the Philippines for centuries. Yes, that old! Not only that, I researched more facts about these places that may help you appreciate more the beauty or importance of them. Ready to be fascinated? Here we go. Sand Dunes, Paoay, Ilocos Norte The Sand Dunes in Paoay Ilocos Norte is in some ways comparable to the desert safaris found in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Marrakech. Land cruisers or 4x4 rough terrain vehicles will tour you around the dunes. The place is also known as the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes (INSD) and is considered a National Geological Monument. The locals call it La Paz Sand Dunes or Bantay Bimmaboy. Notable feature of this tourist destination is that it is an 85 square kilometers dry zone facing the West Philippine Sea. Today, adventu