One call from their Dubai employer made Gina Antonio and her Dubai co-worker “Maria” emotional after hearing the good news that they could soon fly to the emirate under a new contract as household helpers.
They had been waiting for this call in the past six months of being stuck in the Philippines.
According to Gina, it was an opportunity that she couldn’t miss even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Inantay ko po ang tawag ng amo ko. Kailangan na po umalis dahil sa hirap ng buhay. Kailangan talagang gawin ito kasi wala naman po trabaho ang asawa ko. Hindi naman po lagi may ayuda. Kaya kahit mahirap po malayo sa kanila ngayong [pandemic], titiisin na lang,” she said.
She narrated that she wasn’t able to buy her daughter even a slice of cake during her birthday last May, adding that it broke her heart not being able to give her children their simple wish. It stirred her into thinking that it’s not yet the right time for her to settle for good.
Maria narrated, “Pasalamat po kami na kami pa rin talaga ang kinuha sa dinami-rami ng iba na pwede nilang kunin ngayon.”
Both Filipina were both busy filling out their travel documents when The Filipino Times chanced upon them at the passenger terminal of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last August 4.
Their reemployment comes on the heels of increasing number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) being retrenched and repatriated due to the effects of the global pandemic that is hurting the economies of more than 200 countries.
To date, more than 130,000 OFWs have so far returned home after losing their jobs, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.
Gina, who hails from Gerona, Tarlac, said they both feel lucky to have an employer who also takes care of them. “Iisa po kami ng employer… Mababait naman kaya binabalik-balikan,” she shared.
This is her second two-year contract as household help in the same employer in Dubai. Prior to her employment in the emirate in 2018, she worked in Saudi Arabia.
When asked about her goals this time, Gina said she would like to continue sending his two children to school.
Meanwhile, Maria fears not being able to give her family a decent life if she’d only stay at home. If she would decline the offer, she feared that she might not be able to find another employer in Dubai who would readily sponsor her during this period of uncertainty.
She said, “Mahirap pong umayaw sa trabaho ngayon kahit delikado. Pero basta para sa family naman po, walang hindi kakayanin ang mga OFW.”
