The country takes pride in our national heroes such as Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Gabriela Silang, and Apolinario Mabini, among many others. But in today’s time, considering their sacrifices for their families and contribution to keep the country’s economy afloat, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) have been dubbed as “modern-day heroes.” But since the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed the entire world, how have they been surviving these trying times?
Since the 1980s, OFWs have been keeping the Philippines afloat through remittances, which in 2019 reached P1.56 trillion, or about 8% of the country’s economy.
OFWs amid the pandemic
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the ongoing global pandemic as well as and border restrictions, have negatively affected human mobility, leaving migrant workers and their remittance-dependent families being one of the most vulnerable groups at present.
By the end of 2020, the Philippines recorded a drastic 75% reduction in the deployment of OFWs, which constitutes the lowest deployment numbers in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, the number of repatriated OFWs has reached nearly 800,000.
IOM Philippines launched “COVID-19 Impact Assessment on Returned Overseas Filipino Workers” in May 2021, which consists of interviews with over 8,000 returned OFWs.
The report revealed over 67% of the assessed OFWs’ decision to return was due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, 83% of the repatriated OFWs were unemployed for an average of three months of their post-arrival. According to the said report, almost half of repatriated OFWs had a 60% drop in their household income upon return.
However, despite the programs of various migration agencies in the country to repatriate OFWs—such as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)—various OFWs decided to stay in their host countries and continuously work in foreign territories amid the global pandemic due to their remittance-dependent families.
In a report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA), the story of Annabelle Joy Villamarin, a 42-year-old primary school principal in India, was featured as they continue to struggle brought about by the global pandemic.
Villamarin shared that she was not able to return home despite the passing of her father as she anticipated the strict protocols she would have gone through.
While they are far from their home country, the Filipino community residing in India keep each other company online and stand as a Filipino community support group where they seek assistance from their co-Filipinos.
There are other untold stories similar to Villamarin’s story, with their selfless sacrifices, indeed OFWs are the reincarnated heroes—the modern-day heroes.
