— witsandnuts

Where his OFW dollars go?

Note: Below post was Isla de Nebz’s entry to the 2009 Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards (PEBA). Since the time I read it (in July of last year), I had no doubt that it will be the best entry and that his blog will be declared the best. We may not have the same situation as Filipinos working outside the Philippines, but I should say that his entry had spoken a lot for people like (and unlike) us. I thank him for allowing me to repost this.

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Where my OFW dollars go?
by Isla de Nebz

My OFW dollars go straight to the bank located in my hometown.

Most of it gets withdrawn by my family for their daily and emergency needs. Some dollars left in my account are used by the bank for investments: either as loans to Filipinos who want to acquire a house or to purchase a car or for putting up a small business.

Amy has two sons in grade school. My nieces go to that same school where Amy’s sons go.

One of them is Sir Peter.

Sir Peter is still single and is taking care of his ailing mother.

Sir Peter buys her mother’s medicines from Mercury Drugstore, where my parents also buy their own medicines.

Mang Kaloy has five kids, ages three, five, seven, nine and twelve. His wife, Aling Thelma, sells vegetables in the public market. We are her suki.

Gina has two sons, all grown-ups and studying engineering in college. The sons also want to work abroad but Gina narrates that they have to finish school first before they can do that.

For our groceries, we buy them from Shopwise (I think it’s owned by Rustan’s).

He finished second year in college and wants to get his degree. He said he dreams of going abroad too. In the meantime, he said, he’s saving his Shopwise salary for his education. He is single and ulila.

Every three months, a portion of my dollars go to Sunlife for my pension (hey, I’m getting old and a pension from Sunlife will be a great help when I reach 60 — many, many years from now!).

Ate Gloria has two kids and his husband is tricycle driver, Kuya Dave.

Kuya Dave (who’s gone driving elsewhere that’s why he’s not in the picture) charges us PHP15 per head from the market place to our home. Costly, but what can we do? That’s the tariff imposed by the association of tricycle drivers in our place.

That’s where Kuya Dave gets gas for his tricycle. That’s where we get our gas too for our small car (which my family only use during Sundays in attending mass).

Speaking of gas, we get our Shellane from Mr Katindig who also sells us rice. My mom said we consume one cavan of rice every month and two Shellanes every three months.

You see, there are a lot of people who benefit — directly and indirectly — from my OFW dollars.

Oh, by the way, I think a fraction of my dollars gets back to the government in the form of tax.

Being an OFW in Saudi, I am tax-free. But the likes of Aling Thelma, Mang Kaloy, Ate Gina and Kuya Dave are not. So in a way, a portion of my OFW dollars goes to the government.

Based on recent reports, the Philippine Government employs 501,188 public school teachers (PDI 05 July 2009), more than 110,000 police, more than 17,000 elected officials (from barangay councilors to senators) and a partridge in a pear tree.

(Note: The numbers quoted above were taken from the National Statistical Coordination Board. Except, of course, the partridge.)

Who else?…

That’s why they call me a modern-day hero and PEBA hails me — an OFW in Saudi — as a gift to the world and a hope of my country.

Just kidding.

To them who call me a hero, I, with all humility, blushingly say:

I’m only a lowly OFW working for my family.