Walang Iwanan
Mike Banos
August 03, 2006
THAT might well be the battle cry of every US expeditionary force which has ever sallied forth to conquer foreign shores like Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq or Bosnia. Every soldier in the US military, no matter how low in rank, has to be accounted for, dead or alive, before his comrades return to their ship or aircraft after every sortie.
While we may not have carrier battle groups to project our military power and political clout anywhere in the globe like the US does, we what I believe is even better: we have our overseas Filipino workers who now cover virtually all of the seven continents and we have something even better to bring them over there and back, when needed.
I was fortunate to have been invited last Wednesday by the provincial press office for a press conference, or we can say what was more of a chat, with two returning OFWs from Lebanon: Maygelyn Lopez Taron-Enero of Cagayan de Oro and Charina Flores-Buton of Luga-it, Misamis Oriental.
It was a fascinating story that these ladies had to tell: both just 29, they sought employment as domestic helpers abroad for a pittance, earning a mere US$200-150 a month, and with no pay at all for the first three months, since they had to pay off their expenses getting there with their respective agencies.
Charina was a third-year computer science student who had to stop studying when she got married to help raise her two kids and eventually work abroad for a song as a DH to augment her husband Nigel’s meager income as a contractual construction worker.
Maygelyn is a B.S. Elementary Education graduate who never got the chance to practice as a teacher since she is under board and has yet to take the Licensure Examination for Teachers.
For a maximum of P10,500 a month (assuming an exchange rate of P52:US$1) these two brave but desperate women risked life and limb in Beirut, Lebanon where the Hezbollah and the Israeli Army are going after each other’s throats like nobody’s business.
I can’t help but reflect that but for the sorry lack of opportunities here, these two might-have-been professionals would be earning even more had they pursued their profession right here in Cagayan de Oro or Iligan City.
What they are earning as domestic helpers abroad are easily entry-level salaries for both teachers and even more for software programmers they could have been.
Instead, both had to leave their families and face the dreaded 3D’s as one of our country’s women OFWs who now comprise 75 percent of our citizens leaving RP to work abroad: that’s Dirty, Difficult and Dangerous, especially considering how most of them work in "high risk" service industries as domestic helpers and entertainers.
Both Charina and Maygelyn ran away from their employers, even though this wasn’t the first time either had been abroad. Besides the meager food and appalling working conditions, they were also maltreated and accused of petty crimes they did not commit.
One of them, however, admitted having to "steal" one of her employer’s lollipops since she was very hungry and her employer did not leave any food in the house. At another time, she was given all of one lonely banana to last her for an entire day of work. It’s no wonder many of their colleagues have what they call "Darnas", or those who sought the ultimate escape from their sorry plight by leaping off a high building.
Our indefatigable Owwa regional director Pet Bergado says runaways and "Darnas" are not uncommon among OFWs, especially for those first timers who often leave under financial or marital duress only to face abusive employers who hardly give them anything to eat, don’t pay them their wages, and work their fingers to the bone doing additional work 24/7 which are not even mentioned in their employment contracts and nary of the benefits like a day off every week that are listed in those same contracts.
However, after they had run away from their employers, both OFWs were equally profuse in their praise for the welcome they were given at the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, whose complement includes a former Owwa staffer from Cagayan de Oro, Ms. Teresita Bonghanoy.
Pet explained that "Team Lebanon" which is an inter-agency task force spearheaded by the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Dole, Owwa, and other related government agencies, has been tasked to look after the welfare of OFWs in the strife-torn country and if possible, bring them back home or safely out to another safer destination.
Charina and Maygelyn described how, despite their fear of meeting their end in Beirut, they were always taken cared of by "Team Lebanon" staffers who often worked 24/7, night or day, often multi-tasking beyond the scope of their assigned tasks and taking risks beyond the call of duty like a certain "Mario" whom Maygelyn describes as in charge of rescuing stranded OFWs from their employers in areas within the war zone (believe it or not, many were not only denied permission to go home or visit the embassy, but were even locked inside the house by their agalons!).
Another time, embassy staffers accompanied five trucks full of fleeing OFWs from the RP Embassy in Beirut to the Syrian border. Thanks to the foresight of Embassy staffers who adorned the vehicle both with the white flag of truce and the Philippine flag, they were not fired upon or bombed by either side. Two other buses which only carried the white flag were bombed.
The usually three-hour trek took all of 17 hours since most of the highway had zero or nil visibility due to the smoke of battle and the smoke bombs and shells both sides were continuously lobbying at each other.
To the men and women, our brothers and sisters in the OFW Army working abroad whose remittances are keeping our economy afloat, our warmest thanks and prayers for your sacrifice.
We are sorry we have not done enough to keep you here close to your spouses and children who need you most, and we are ashamed it is by the bitter fruits of your continued separation because of desperate necessity that we are able to buy affordable food, live in comfortable abodes, wear adequate clothing and send our children to school.
And to the brave and untiring men and women of Team Lebanon, and Team Afghanistan, and other teams who have ever safely extricated our brothers and sisters from other areas of conflict in the seven continents of this earth and safely back to the arms of their loved ones, our prayers that the Almighty may continuously favor you with his grace and glory, and give you strength of mind, body and spirit, that you may carry out your appointed tasks and much more you have unselfishly shared with your fellow Bagong Bayanis.
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While we may not have carrier battle groups to project our military power and political clout anywhere in the globe like the US does, we what I believe is even better: we have our overseas Filipino workers who now cover virtually all of the seven continents and we have something even better to bring them over there and back, when needed.
I was fortunate to have been invited last Wednesday by the provincial press office for a press conference, or we can say what was more of a chat, with two returning OFWs from Lebanon: Maygelyn Lopez Taron-Enero of Cagayan de Oro and Charina Flores-Buton of Luga-it, Misamis Oriental.
It was a fascinating story that these ladies had to tell: both just 29, they sought employment as domestic helpers abroad for a pittance, earning a mere US$200-150 a month, and with no pay at all for the first three months, since they had to pay off their expenses getting there with their respective agencies.
Charina was a third-year computer science student who had to stop studying when she got married to help raise her two kids and eventually work abroad for a song as a DH to augment her husband Nigel’s meager income as a contractual construction worker.
Maygelyn is a B.S. Elementary Education graduate who never got the chance to practice as a teacher since she is under board and has yet to take the Licensure Examination for Teachers.
For a maximum of P10,500 a month (assuming an exchange rate of P52:US$1) these two brave but desperate women risked life and limb in Beirut, Lebanon where the Hezbollah and the Israeli Army are going after each other’s throats like nobody’s business.
I can’t help but reflect that but for the sorry lack of opportunities here, these two might-have-been professionals would be earning even more had they pursued their profession right here in Cagayan de Oro or Iligan City.
What they are earning as domestic helpers abroad are easily entry-level salaries for both teachers and even more for software programmers they could have been.
Instead, both had to leave their families and face the dreaded 3D’s as one of our country’s women OFWs who now comprise 75 percent of our citizens leaving RP to work abroad: that’s Dirty, Difficult and Dangerous, especially considering how most of them work in "high risk" service industries as domestic helpers and entertainers.
Both Charina and Maygelyn ran away from their employers, even though this wasn’t the first time either had been abroad. Besides the meager food and appalling working conditions, they were also maltreated and accused of petty crimes they did not commit.
One of them, however, admitted having to "steal" one of her employer’s lollipops since she was very hungry and her employer did not leave any food in the house. At another time, she was given all of one lonely banana to last her for an entire day of work. It’s no wonder many of their colleagues have what they call "Darnas", or those who sought the ultimate escape from their sorry plight by leaping off a high building.
Our indefatigable Owwa regional director Pet Bergado says runaways and "Darnas" are not uncommon among OFWs, especially for those first timers who often leave under financial or marital duress only to face abusive employers who hardly give them anything to eat, don’t pay them their wages, and work their fingers to the bone doing additional work 24/7 which are not even mentioned in their employment contracts and nary of the benefits like a day off every week that are listed in those same contracts.
However, after they had run away from their employers, both OFWs were equally profuse in their praise for the welcome they were given at the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, whose complement includes a former Owwa staffer from Cagayan de Oro, Ms. Teresita Bonghanoy.
Pet explained that "Team Lebanon" which is an inter-agency task force spearheaded by the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Dole, Owwa, and other related government agencies, has been tasked to look after the welfare of OFWs in the strife-torn country and if possible, bring them back home or safely out to another safer destination.
Charina and Maygelyn described how, despite their fear of meeting their end in Beirut, they were always taken cared of by "Team Lebanon" staffers who often worked 24/7, night or day, often multi-tasking beyond the scope of their assigned tasks and taking risks beyond the call of duty like a certain "Mario" whom Maygelyn describes as in charge of rescuing stranded OFWs from their employers in areas within the war zone (believe it or not, many were not only denied permission to go home or visit the embassy, but were even locked inside the house by their agalons!).
Another time, embassy staffers accompanied five trucks full of fleeing OFWs from the RP Embassy in Beirut to the Syrian border. Thanks to the foresight of Embassy staffers who adorned the vehicle both with the white flag of truce and the Philippine flag, they were not fired upon or bombed by either side. Two other buses which only carried the white flag were bombed.
The usually three-hour trek took all of 17 hours since most of the highway had zero or nil visibility due to the smoke of battle and the smoke bombs and shells both sides were continuously lobbying at each other.
To the men and women, our brothers and sisters in the OFW Army working abroad whose remittances are keeping our economy afloat, our warmest thanks and prayers for your sacrifice.
We are sorry we have not done enough to keep you here close to your spouses and children who need you most, and we are ashamed it is by the bitter fruits of your continued separation because of desperate necessity that we are able to buy affordable food, live in comfortable abodes, wear adequate clothing and send our children to school.
And to the brave and untiring men and women of Team Lebanon, and Team Afghanistan, and other teams who have ever safely extricated our brothers and sisters from other areas of conflict in the seven continents of this earth and safely back to the arms of their loved ones, our prayers that the Almighty may continuously favor you with his grace and glory, and give you strength of mind, body and spirit, that you may carry out your appointed tasks and much more you have unselfishly shared with your fellow Bagong Bayanis.
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