Mothers are the proverbial light of every family. But what happens when the light leaves home?
Official government statistics showed that as of 2017, Filipino women comprise 53.7% or 1.26 million of the total number of OFWs around the world, higher than males (46.3% or 1.08 million). The survey, done by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), adds that almost a million of these OFWs reside in the UAE.
This means 1.26 million motherless homes in the Philippines.
“Bilang ilaw ng tahanan na nawala sa tahanan, masasabi kong, oo nga’t dumilim ang lahat,” said Sheree Deliva De Claro, who has been working in Dubai as a nanny for the past six years.
“Maraming problema ang dumaan sa aming mag-iina. Minsan dinadaan ko na lang sa iyak ang lahat. Wala kang magawa kasi malayo ka. Pero, sabi nga, walang problemang ibinibigay ang taas na di malalampasan. Sa awa ng Diyos, nalampasan ko ang lahat at malalampasan pa ang darating,” she added.
De Claro said she joined the Filipino diaspora to provide her children with a bright future, something that she said she doubts possible given meager resources they have in the Philippines.
“Mahirap mang-iwan ng mga anak pero need kong mag-sakripisyo para sa magandang buhay at kinabukasan nila. Mahirap at masakit sa isang ina na malayo sa kanyang mga anak, pero sabi ko nga, kailangan dahil ako bilang single mom, I do everything for my kids para lang masigurado ko na hindi nila maranasan ang hirap ng buhay,” De Claro said.
It pains her heart having to leave “pero walang magagawa, kailangan eh.”
