Finally home in the Philippines after months of taking chances being jobless in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of the pandemic, exacerbated by cancelled flights, arriving overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) heaved a sigh of relief, eager to start over again no matter how troubled the times are back here.
“We’re planning to build our lives again,” said Sarah Gollayan, who went through the odd jobs like house cleaning and nannying to survive two years of not having regular employment in Abu Dhabi. She eventually got admin work at a medical clinic before the COVID pandemic struck.
“Dito sa Pilipinas,” she added, “hindi na namin kailangan mag-isip pa para sa mga visa namin at rents.
“We may be in troubled times now, pero we know the ins and outs here. Kumbaga, balwarte natin ‘to. Totoo, mangangapa pa. Mahirap sa umpisa. Pero this is our home.”
Gollayan said they were still trying to explore and learn the norms, having been away for years.
“Upon observation, wala naman pong masyadong nabago. Medyo pasaway lang po ang mga tao when it comes to law implementation. Nandito pa rin sa Pilipinas ang warm and friendly approach ng mga taong nakakasalamuha namin.
“We haven’t really explored pa fully ang Pinas experience, pero as of now, it’s good to be back,” she said.
Meantime, another OFW, Phillipe Liwaliw, a flights operations officer for a private aviation company, who is currently on leave without pay, has also returned home.
Liwaliw said he will be staying in the Philippines temporarily because it will cost him his hard-earned savings staying in the UAE with no income.
“Nagdya-job hunting din habang naka-forced leave para kahit paano may kinikita,” he said.
Gollayan, who arrived at Clark International Airport on board an Emirates Airline flight EK 2572, July 6, with husband, Jose Gollayan, Jr., a restaurant staff, said they will be looking for jobs. “Maraming offers actually. Kailangan lang mas maging masipag, matyaga at maingat. Also, hindi mawawala ang paghingi ng guidance sa Panginoon,” she said.
Gollayan, who has been in the UAE together with her husband since Dec. 7, 2014, said returning home was a “hard decision” for them to make. “But it has to be done,” she said.
The couple, who stays in Commonwealth, Quezon City, Metro Manila, said they booked their flight as early as in the second week of May following the partial lifting of restrictions on the movement of people as part of COVID-19 measures in the UAE. It was cancelled to a later date which prolonged their predicament as resources were running out.
Liwaliw arrived June 30, 2020 on board Emirates Airlines. He said he decided to return home for the time being to save on expenses living jobless in Dubai. His flight was cancelled twice.
The Daily Bread 