#ofwproblems

I don’t want to judge other people because I don’t want them to judge me as well.  I’ve worked outside the country for over a decade and I’ve seen a lot of shenanigans that most of our fellow kabayans have committed.  The most common amongst them is having an elicit sexual relationships with our fellow compatriots and other nationalities as well. These sexual relationships can also be classified from the normal hetero ones and the homosexual relationships.

In Kingdom of the Sands in particular, Filipino males would meet women who works in the hospitals, schools and in the beauty salon.  Remember it’s the Kingdom of the Sands and Filipino women are restricted to work in these establishments alone.  In some cases, they’re housemaids.  Take note that nurses here are not paid well (approximately SR.1,800 to SR.2,500).  If they have boyfriends, the boyfriends would give them free groceries for the amount of SR.500 on a weekly basis.  That would really alleviate their situations here in the Kingdom of the Sands.  The only problem is if the boyfriends have families back home.  They have to send their families fixed amount of money on a monthly basis, hence, they’re always short of cash.

For the same sex relationships, gay guys who have respectable and high paying jobs in the offices would hunt for fresh meat at the fast-food chains.  These young, good looking Pinoy boy toys are only paid for about SR.1,500.  If they can get a bading who would support them, it can alleviate their situation here in the Kingdom of the Sands.  It is easier for Pinoy gay guys to book a guy since there’s not a lot of competition in here.  The Pinoy boy toys on the other hand wants somebody to buy them gadgets and even cash, and the most convenient are the Pinoy gay guys.

One of the reasons why most of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) could not save money is financial illiteracy. Our educational system and our culture do not teach us to be entrepreneurs.  Our educational system and curriculum is designed to prepare us to join the overseas workforce.  Our parents on the other hand believes that being gainfully employed is better than becoming an entrepreneur.  Because of that, most of the OFWs are living from paycheck to paycheck without the prospect of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Financial literacy is very important and must be added to the Pre-departure Orientation (PDOS) conducted by the POEA.  It is very important that every OFW should be educated on how to spend their money wisely. Most of the OFWs I know are in debt. Some because of their irresponsible families back home, some because of unwise spending, the others are because of plain stupidity when it comes to money.

One of the most notable traits that I gathered from my fellow OFWs are their hero complex.  As OFWs they take on all the financial responsibilities for their families.  I am not saying that it’s bad but this should be balanced.  We could not solve all our monetary problems ourselves.  Our respective families should also lend a helping hand.  One downside of the Filipino culture is that since there’s somebody in the family who works abroad, they will rely heavily on the person who works abroad for all their financial issues.  They wouldn’t even think of other alternative solutions to the problem and would right away contact their OFW relative to solve everything for them.

In some instances, this generosity is being abused by the relatives back home.  While the OFW is working 24/7, the ones receiving money are enjoying their lives through parties, shopping and eating out at Jollibee.  Not once did they ever thought of how difficult the money that they’re spending was earned.