Jimmy Distor was a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Malaysia as a welder and mechanic. His wife worked as a caregiver and household service worker in four countries.
However, a year later, they returned to the Philippines with no savings.
Distor said that they used his wife’s one-month salary for their child.
Distor and his wife belong to the many Filipinos who go abroad but go home empty-handed.
According to the Consumer Expectations Survey, OFWs save less these days compared to the past few years.
OFW advocate Susan Ople said that OFWs lack research. Sometimes they accept offers without realizing the cost of living in another country. In the end, Ople says that if the OFW and his family do not know how to handle money, then they will have a hard time getting by.
Senator Cynthia Villar says she wants to encourage OFWs and their families to invest their money in good ways.
While the government holds seminars to OFWs before they leave the country, these seminars do not include financial literacy to the family members who are left behind.
In the end, it is up to the family on how they manage the hard-earned money by the OFW.
WATCH
