SINGAPORE --- Filipinos here in Singapore aired their appeal to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to help them live more comfortable lives and to lessen their "suffering" whenever they return to the Philippines.
Two Filipinos shared their sentiments ahead of Marcos' two-day State Visit to Singapore, a country that is home to 200,000 Filipinos.
In an interview, Narcisa Lim said she is happy that the President decided to visit Singapore and meet members of the Filipino community.
"Siyempre masayang-masaya po dahil talagang ano ko si Bongbong — syempre Ilocano ako. Tsaka gustong-gusto ko po talaga ang Marcos (I'm happy because I'm a supporter of the President. I'm an Ilocano. I also like the Marcoses)," she said.
Lim has been in Singapore for 35 years. She is married to a Singaporean, and they have two kids together. They run a stall at the Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road, selling SIM cards to tourists and other Filipino products.
Despite starting her own life in Singapore, Lim could not help but feel bad for her fellow Filipinos striving to make a living in a foreign country.
"Yung matulungan niya (President Marcos) po ang mga OFW, mga kababayan ko, siyempre. Pangalagaan din niya po ang mga kalagayan ng mga domestic dito (I hope he could help the overseas Filipino workers here. I hope he can protect the welfare of domestic workers here)," she said.
"Mataas yung sahod nila, tapos yung sa mga labas nila sa off day nila. Tapos yung itrato ng amo nila ng maganda (I hope he could help increase their salary and allow them to leave their house during off days. I hope their employers would treat them better)," she added.
Lim said life is not easy in Singapore as the prices of goods are high. The Covid-19 pandemic also did not help their business which had just started to bounce back.
"Apektado po dahil yung mga customer namin kasi karamihan puro mga kababayan (The pandemic hit our business because most of our customers are Filipinos)," she said.
"Dahil nga sa pandemic, yung mga amo hindi pinapalabas yung mga maid. So parang wala kaming customer (Because of the pandemic, employers didn't allow the maids to go out. So it's like we didn't have customers)," she added.
No savings, just receipts
Nerissa dela Torre had the same sentiment and hoped President Marcos would help lessen the burden OFWs are experiencing in Singapore. Even so, she said she would choose to stay in Singapore because of the difficulty of finding a job in the Philippines.
"Gusto kong umuwi kaya lang kung uuwi ka na wala naman ding trabaho doon, mas gusto ko nang manatili dito para may maisuporta ako sa pamilya ko (I want to go home but I don't have a job there. I'd rather stay here so I can support my family)," she said.
"Mahirap maghanap ng trabaho sa Pilipinas. Kung wala kang natapos ‘di ba? Dito, mas mataas pa sahod mo kaysa sa teacher (It's hard to find a job in the Philippines. Especially if you're not a college graduate, right? Here you can earn higher than a teacher)," she added.
Dela Torre has been working in Singapore for eight years as a house helper to support her two children back in Laguna. Despite this, she said she had not saved up anything.
"Sa tagal ko na dito, ako lang inaasahan ng pamilya ko. Wala akong ipon. Lahat. Kada sweldo mo, ‘di ba (I've been here for so long and I'm the only one my family can count on. I don't have savings. I send everything back home)," she said.
"Masakit man isipin, pero yun talaga ang katotohanan. Puro resibo lang ang savings ko dito. At least nakatulong ka, kaya ka nga nagtatrabaho dito, eh (It's painful to think about it but that is the truth. All I've saved up are receipts. At least if I'm here, I can help them because I have a job here)," she added.
"Tinitiis ko lahat ng hirap dito kasi gusto kong mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga anak ko (I'm enduring every hardship here because I want to give my kids a bright future)," she continued.
Lessen the burden
Meanwhile, Dela Torre hoped President Marcos would ease requirements for OFWs returning to the Philippines.
In particular, she lamented how it was taking a long time before their Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) could get approved. An OEC is a document certifying the regularity of the recruitment and documentation of an OFW.
"Binigyan ka ng employer ng one week para mag-asikaso ng papel mo. After that wala ka pa ring OEC (Your employer would give you a week to work on your papers. That would pass by and you still don't have your OEC)," she said.
Dela Torre also noted how difficult it was for some OFWs to go home because not all domestic workers are tech-savvy. She specifically cited the One Health Pass, a requirement by the Philippine government to ensure a convenient and seamless movement of international travelers.
"Gusto ko lahat ay padaliin niya (I want him to make everything easier)," Dela Torre said.
"Hindi naman lahat ng helper dito matatalino. Katulad ko, minsan hindi ko rin alam mag-upload ng mga ganyan (Not all helpers here are smart. Like me, I don't know how to upload files there)," she added.
"Yun yung isang hindi nga naman din maganda. Bakit kailangan pa nilang mag-suffer kami bago kami makauwi (That is one unpleasant thing. Why do we have to suffer first before we can go home)?" she continued.