Searching for a Path of a Former OFW

The number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) currently has increased and each has their own reasons for working abroad. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported that the Philippines had deployed 2,330,720 land- and sea-based migrant workers in 2023.

With that number, do you know someone who is also an OFW who chose to be an OFW because of the good lifestyle they encountered? If they continue to pursue being an OFW, it is the opposite of the life of a mother who will be featured in this story.

Whose kababayan could or could not continue working abroad? What are some of the stories they told of how some OFWs decided to stop while others remained?

A former OFW who favored her current life awaits you to buy her sako bags if you ever drop by the Commonwealth Market on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Sarah Mullaneda, a 50-year-old from Mindanao who has lived in Barangay Payatas, Quezon City, for the past eleven years. Currently, she has four children while separated from her husband due to some personal reasons.

Despite selling sako bags in the commonwealth market for eleven years, her income reached a thousand or more per day. However, Sarah is content with her life because her children have continued to pursue their studies.

Going back to Sarah's OFW days, she was prompted to work abroad because she needed to fulfill the needs of her children.

Mulleda spent a year and two months working as a domestic helper in Kuwait in 2010. Due to rigorous policies at the workplace, she is unable to complete the employment contract with the employer. She can't handle the situation of restricting her to use gadgets, the thing that is necessary to connect with her family. It persuaded her to decide to leave and seek help from the Philippine Embassy, where she spent three months preparing documentation to return to the country.

In 2012, she went abroad again to work as a domestic helper in Riyadh for a year, since her employer had asked to return to the Philippines because she was unable to get the salaries in full due to the employer's situation.

Sarah applied to be a vendor at Optical as she had no other option but to return home to the Philippines. However, after the shop closed, she began selling sako bags in the Commonwealth Market. She made the decision to stay here after realizing that working overseas was not the best path for her.

‘’I have no good experiences when I was working abroad, I was only feeling sadness, distant from the family, unable to eat desired food, unable to communicate with my family,'' Sarah said.

After trying some paths, especially being an OFW, one thing she can share for OFW working abroad should become familiar with the culture of the country since there are many aspects of our own culture that we are unaware of due to its uniqueness.

‘’They should be brave to face challenges while working abroad. For me, OFW is lucky when they finish their contract because they successfully confronted any challenges,’’ she added.

It's wonderful that Sarah is one of the OFW who is fearless since when she felt mistreated, she didn't hesitate twice regarding asking for help. And, she is searching for a destiny—one that will benefit her and family—more and more.

Not everyone will have the good fortune of going abroad, no matter how hard they try, they cannot get anything because there is a reason why those are not suitable for them. However, since we will be able to make a smart choice about our path, there is also nothing wrong with learning new things.