[LOOK] OFW Spotted in HK Celebrating Birthday Alone in Make-Shift ‘Room’

There’s so much incongruence from people’s expectations about Filipino migrant workers, especially from those in the Philippines.

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Oftentimes, OFWs are esteemed only because they are the breadwinner of the family. Many people do not even consider what actually happens to them away from home or the sacrifices they have to make in order to support their loved ones back home. And the sad reality about this is that even families tend to overlook the situation of the OFW family member, as long as there’s constant food on the table, and everything is well-provided for.

OFW in Central HK Spotted Celebrating Birthday in Make-Shift Space

However, in a post by a concerned netizen on Facebook, a sad reality can no longer be overlooked. The struggles of living as an OFW in a foreign country such as Hong Kong is a story of anything but glamour and luxury.

This is especially true for the case of Filipino domestic workers, who are also at times even subjected to abuse and maltreatment by their employers, as if they are no better than slaves without rights as common residents in the country.

In the post shared by the Facebook user, he recounts his experience about witnessing a group of Filipino domestic workers having their day-off near the bus terminal in Central Hong Kong. As he took random photos of his kababayans to document the difficult situation they are going through in living in Hong Kong, he noticed that one of them was actually celebrating her own birthday in a make-shift space, a reality that’s just too difficult to accept, the user explained.

In his post, the user called onto the families of OFWs to be more considerate and grateful of the things their loved ones are doing for them, all the sacrifices they have to endure – for some, even for a very long time, just to make sure that their loved ones receive the best things they could provide in life.

Truth be told, no one would actually choose to take on the burden of living alone, away from home, had there only been other better ways for them to provide for their loved ones. At the minimum, families should always recognize the struggles of their OFW family member and to do their part in helping out at home or finding a decent job that would ease the burden off the OFW, and even allow them to return home if possible.

Remember, it’s always the little things that count the most: showing respect, concern, and gratefulness, as well as the determination to improve oneself are just some of the things we can do to support (or repay) our OFW family members for all their hard work and sacrifices.

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