Walang Iwanan

NOT FAIR

Loving a Filipina

I thought the distance would be the most difficult part of this relationship, but hands down the biggest challenge is getting through the cultural differences and language barriers. Nove can speak English well enough we can converse, but trying to have deep meaningful conversations is a lot of  translating. I'll give you an example. We were discussing or actually I was being told when we get to the Philippines there are things I will need to change because they are not acceptable  there. I said I understand that and that was what relationships are all about. I told her It's all about compromise. I said I have no problem changing things that you don't like, but you also must do the same. She has this habit of getting extremely angry when I do something that is unacceptable in her culture. I said you must change in this way. Don't get angry. Just tell me and I'll keep it in mind. She shouts I'll never change. So, I was extremely hurt by this and said then this just isn't going to work out. After a few hours of trying to communicate why this was unacceptable she finally understands and explains she was saying her feelings for me would never change. She explained when she falls in love with me and decides she wants to spend her life with me it is for life as if we are already husband and wife. Now people say these types of things all the time and of course it doesn't always turn out that way, but in Philippine culture a lot of times this is fact. Filipinas are temperamental and jealous, but when they love it is a deep meaningful love that makes it all worth it.

Time difference

Time difference I've come to learn can be a big challenge especially if your significant other is overseas. In my case I'm seven hours behind which means saying goodnight is setting around 4 in the afternoon everyday free and since seeing her wake up is my favorite it means staying up to midnight every night which I gladly do. Her life is hard enough. Being there every morning to say I love you is just a small thing that hopefully helps her start her day off with a positive. Also, visiting is almost impossible because just plane ticket alone is over $1000 and that doesn't include hotel and spending money. So, when you're in my situation you just have to be thankful for the ability to video chat. 26 months to go........

Real Talk Video Productions

FORCED TO JUST SIT BACK AND CRY

            Sen. Grace Poe’s Overseas Filipino Workers

OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS

Facts:

In 2014, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) reached 2.3 million, and total OFW remittances amounted to PhP 173.2 billion (US$ 26.93B). These remittances have cushioned the economy from shifts in the volatile global market and have dubbed OFWs the “modern-day heroes.”

However, despite the crucial role that OFWs play in keeping the economy afloat, stories of OFWs who experience physical abuse at the hands of their employers, or of OFWs who were duped into being drug mules and have found themselves on death row, or of aspiring OFWs who have been victims of illegal recruiters, still plague our modern-day heroes. These situations point to the need for more mechanisms and stronger commitment from the government to protect the dignity and welfare of OFWs.

The most vulnerable of OFW populations are the unskilled or semi-skilled workers who are forced to take low-income jobs or accept posts that are different from what they had been promised before leaving the Philippines. Women, who comprise 50.5% of the total number of OFWs, are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution.

The government must take a more proactive approach in protecting OFWs from these situations, starting from pre-departure, to their arrival in a foreign country, to their arrival back in the Philippines.

Vision:

We envision a country where no Filipino will be forced to work abroad due to the lack of economic opportunities; and for those Filipinos who choose to work in other countries, that they may enjoy the full protection of the law and efficient government services, that their human rights be upheld; and that they live a life of dignity in their host countries.

What We Will Do:

• Encourage labor-receiving countries in the Middle East to abolish the Kafala system through diplomatic channels. Urge Middle Eastern governments to set minimum labor standards for all migrant workers and to make their national legislation compatible with international standards such Convention No. 189 of the International Labor Organization;

• Enact Senator Poe’s (1) SB No. 2162 to allow illegally terminated OFWs to get their remaining salaries for the unserved periods of their contracts and (2) SB 1421 to allow prospective OFWs who have a valid contract certified by the POEA to avail of a PhP 50,000 loan from OWWA to “defray the living expenses of his family during the first few months of his absence.”

• Establish tech-based services for OFWs—from registration, to database maintenance, to legal consulting, and acquisition of other services. Integrate these services in a one-stop OFW resource center. Create a central database and system for all OFWs.

• Transform government post offices into remittance centers. Amend the Bank Secrecy Law and coordinate with private sector in creating mechanisms for mobile/digital remittance transfers.

• Eliminate trafficking by strengthening the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Aggressively monitor trafficking hot spots locally and internationally.

• Establish in the POEA a reliable database of blacklisted employers to stop the cycle of abuse.

• Redesign pre- and post-departure seminars to include basic rights of employees and human rights.

• Prosecute and terminate the contracts of erring embassy officials and staff who have been subject of complaints of abuse.

• The deployment of DFA, DOLE, and DSWD personnel should be made commensurate with the work load and population of OFWs at overseas posts specifically in the Gulf States where the need is high.
  • Hire trained social workers and/or psychologists in embassies/consuls who will provide counseling, psychosocial support, life coaching, debriefing and all other interventions for OFWs.

Original story from:

http://gracepoe.ph/2015/12/30/sen-grace-poes-overseas-filipino-workers/

THE BOTTOM LINE

Nove works in Kuwait as a maid and is under contract until July 2018. She works from 7am to 11pm seven days a week. She is only aloud to leave the house one day a month to go into the city and send her salary home to the Philippines. Her contract stipulates she is to make 120 Kuwaiti Dinar a month which comes to a little over $300, but her "employer" only gives her 100 Dinar a month. Her contract also stipulates that she is provided medical treatment when needed, but of course this is not the case. Her passport is confiscated which is against Kuwaiti law and international law. If it were not for the measly $300 a month this would be slavery. She does all this just so she can pay for her children to go to school in the Philippines.
We, myself included, complain about so much and there are so many that live with such misery. The fact that the woman I love is going through this is so heart wrenching and there is nothing I can do and the fact she loves me knowing I'm not financially able to save her shows what kind of person she is. I think about what would I do if I was in that situation and I probably would have moved on to the next guy with money. I am partially disabled physically from a spinal cord injury so I am limited on the kinds of jobs I can get. I have two years to figure this out and come up with enough money to survive in the Philippines which is about $15-$20 thousand. I promised I would be there when she got off that plane from Kuwait in 2018 and somehow someway I will do it.


https://youtu.be/fdP1MQe0vYA