By Raymund Antonio There are many stories of Filipino workers abroad worth sharing in the hope that such provide inspiration and encouragement to their countrymen who endure their daily struggles. Vice President Leni Robredo during the P&G Philippines Women's Symposium, Thursday. (OVP / MANILA BULLETIN) Vice President Leni Robredo met with some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in London and they shared their tales of woes and stories of survival to create a better life for them and their families back home. They arrived in the United Kingdom under different conditions, motivations and circumstances, but there is no denying they found a second home there. Virginia Uri de Villa, a native of Quezon, recalled things weren’t looking good at first upon arrival in her adopted country, but then she made it work even she was not an elementary graduate. “I didn't know how to speak English, but I was good in Arabic. That was the hardest part so I needed to have a friend who speaks English all the time. That way I could encourage myself to speak English,” she said during Robredo’s radio show. The special episode of her program “BISErbisyong Leni,” which were uploaded in Robredo’s Facebook page, featured Villa and another OFW, Grant Gannaban-O’neill, who told their success stories. Robredo met overseas Filipinos during her official visit to London as part of Istorya ng Pag-asa, her office’s initiative to promote stories of hope to counter the prevailing trend of negativity and hate. The Vice President then spoke at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she discussed “Overcoming Poverty in the Philippines and the Role of Politics in Economic Growth.” Robredo highlighted the importance of sharing the stories of OFWs because they inspire their fellow Filipinos. Villa worked in Kuwait as a domestic employee before she moved to Tottenham, North London, where she owned a beauty salon named “Thumbelina.” She narrated how she had to leave her four children over 20 years ago to earn a better living in London. “I worked for three years in a nursing home,” she said. Thereafter, Villa found herself moving from one job to another since she was an illegal immigrant. Her fate changed after she was among those granted amnesty by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “I have been working here. I feel I was born here,” the OFW said. Like most Filipino workers abroad, she helps support her family and relatives in the Philippines. For his part, Grant’s humble beginnings did not stop him from achieving his biggest dream to live and work in London. He hails from Naga City in Bicol like Robredo. A political science and nursing graduate, he continued his studies to become a make-up artist. He juggled being a student while working in a home care facility, but he surpassed the difficulties. “The only opportunity for me to come here was to become a student. By that time, the hiring of nurses had stopped,” he said. They are the country’s unsung ambassadors of goodwill—earning the respect of the people of London and making their “kababayans” here proud that they are Filipinos. Protest action Rallyists, composed of UK-based Filipino supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte and former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., greeted Robredo’s visit in London. Before the Vice President was slated to speak at the London School of Economics, the group of Filipino rallyists gathered outside the LSE building carrying placards and posters with the message “Fake VP” and “Leni Lugaw.” They assailed Robredo for her presence in the school. Some even called on her to step down from office due to allegations that she cheated in the 2016 elections. Asked for a comment, Robredo chose not to dwell with protesters and instead enjoined Filipinos to “channel all of our energies into all things positive.” “We will progress through collaboration not through division. There is no sense in arguing with others,” she told ABS-CBN Europe news bureau in Filipino.