10 stories of OFWs' pains, gains in new book

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Migrants’ Rights Watch (PMRW) recently launched its fourth volume of the book called “Migrants’ Stories, Migrants’ Voices”.

“We always make sure na itong book namin comes out on this day (International Migrants’ Day). It’s like our contribution, our tribute din to the OFWs,” said PMRW President Carmelita Nuqui.

The book features 10 stories of personal success and hardships experienced by the by OFW-contributor and their families.

“By sharing their stories, the 10 contributors hope that others would learn from their stories,” said Nuqui.

The 10 stories are:

In “The Usherette”, Fr. Edwin Corros shares his encounters with OFWs in Taiwan while serving there as a parish priest. This time, he shares the story of an OFW who, during her days off, served as an usherette in a Catholic Church in Taiwan.

“The Wonders of Migration”, is a story of a family whose father was forced to work abroad to be able to send all his children to good schools. One of the children tells how he came to accept his father’s decision to leave the family and change his religion.

“Not a Bed of Roses” is a story of Filipina who had to work in Japan as an entertainer and who eventually married a Japanese. But things did not work out as expected.

“Migration Made Me a Strong Woman” is a story of a Pinay who left the country to give her two children a better life after her husband left her for another woman.

“The Duality in Migration” is a story of what it is like to grow up in a family with many OFWs. Shalom shares that although her experience as a child of an OFW was good, other relatives did not fare well and were actually negatively affected by the separation.

“No Plan to Work Abroad” tells the story of how a man ended up working in Spain. The experience, although difficult, taught him how to value hard work.

“Amidst a Multi-cultural Environment” shares the story of a woman who left the county as a bride of an Australia. But while there, the Pinay recounts her experiences of how difficult it is to land a job in Australia.

“My Life in Korea: Learning and Understanding” is a story of a Pinay who married a Korean. She explains the difficulties she went through during the early years of her marriage because of language barrier and culture differences.

“A glimpse from My Past” is a story of an OFW caught in the crossfires in Libya. He narrates the traumatic experiences he had to endure just to get home to the Philippines safely.

“The Best Thing” tells the story of Andre, a ship steward. Before being a ship steward, he had to take on several jobs aboard that almost killed his desire to work in a ship.

Nuqui said PMRW hopes to be able to publish more stories of OFWs to inspire others and make people understand and the appreciate the plight of Filipino workers overseas.