Just like any other Filipino family, those of the overseas Filipino workers ((OFWs) have also experienced the impact of the pandemic.
And just like any Filipino, OFWs also face the threat of losing their livelihood as their host countries come up with programs that will prioritize their own citizens. Because of the situation in their host countries, there is nowhere for them to go but home.
The good thing is that the government has prepared key programs not just for the poor but also for OFWs who have opted to come home to their families and find ways to survive.
Based on the report of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, as of June 6, about 31,000 OFWs have been sent home to their families after undergoing quarantine in government facilities.
Many of these workers have not prepared for their future either because their families have no idea how to, or that their salaries could only bring three square meals to their tables as their work abroad was menial.
It is during this time that the government, their communities and their families should not leave the stones unturned to ensure that their stay in their homes become worthwhile. After all, their hard-earned incomes have helped not just their families but the economy of the country that they have been branded our modern hero.
So how do we treat our heroes? Let us not wait for them to die, just like our war heroes, before we provide them with the appreciation that they truly deserve. Now is the time to help them. Our way of helping them will showcase how we as a nation have become.
