DUBAI: A 33-year-old single mother, jobless in Dubai for the past six months due to the pandemic, has decided to finally go home and be reunited with her kids for Christmas after all efforts failed to try her luck in this international city that never sleeps to prepare a bright future for her kids.
This will be the first time Maria Ritchelle Uringan Ferras of Abra, would be home for Christmas and be with her sons – Emman Anthony Turas, who’d be turning 13 on Oct 22; and Dave Mitchel, who’d be 10 in December.
She left them in June of 2014 to find work in Dubai..
“I am happy dahil after six years makakapag-Pasko na ako sa Pilipinas kasama ang pamilya,” said Ferras, who worked at the Tineg Mayor’s Office in Abra before she went to Dubai on a visit visa, expenses of which were lent her by her sister that the she has managed to pay back.
Her plane ticket for home was paid for by an auntie in Canada, she said.
“Said na said na po ako, wala nang pambayad ng upa. May mahanap man na trabaho, sobrang baba ng offer na sahod. Di na kayang panustos ng dalawang anak na nag-aaral. Modular class na mga anak ko, kailangan na ng presence at guidance ko po,” Ferras said.
Ferras, once featured with other budding writers in ABS CBN’s “The Correspondents” in 2003, worked odd jobs in Dubai during the past months in the hope of brighter days ahead.
“Nagpo-post po ako ng mga flats, rooms, partitions na available. May commission ‘pag may naipasok na tao na mag-rent. Nagbe-bake po ako ng cassava cakes, nagluluto ng bilo-bilo at mga biko na ibinebenta sa mga kakilala or sa mga umo-order sa Facebook,” said Ferras, who holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Legal Management from University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City, when asked how she survived being jobless for half a year.
Balikbayan box
Like most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Dubai, Ferras religiously sends a balikbayan box at least every year, getting one as early as in March and filling it up every pay day in time for shipping around October or November for Christmas.
Despite the odds, Ferras managed to fill hers and take it with her on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 659 when she left Dubai in the evening of October 8, 2020.
“Yung inipon ko na pang cargo dapat, yun nalang po ipampapa-salubong ko. May mga namigay din po – yung mga kaibigan at kakilala na maswerteng may trabaho. May namigay ng chocolates at mga de-lata. Nakakatuwa mga may mga masks pang naka-box.
“Nag-iipon po ako yearly kahit nung wala na akong regular job. Kapag may extra part time work, naghahanap ako ng sale events,” narrated Ferras.
Her flatmates also held a despidida send-off for her the night she left.
“Yung kasama ko sa bahay na nagwo-work sa salon, nilinisan niya ako ng kuko. Yun na lang daw po maibibigay niya kasi 50% lang daw po sahod nila. Nakakatuwa po, sa kabila ng lahat gumagawa parin ang mga kabayan ng paraan para makatulong in their own little ways,” Ferras said.
Visit visa
Ferras, who have also managed to fly home for her sons’ special occasions like school graduation in March, has not been spared the sad stories of OFWs falling victims to alleged unscrupulous employers abusing visit visas.
It was the Holy Month of Ramadan when she arrived in Dubai in 2014, a time when job hunting was very challenging as most company officials involved in the hiring process were out of town on their annual leave and offices are open on reduced hours.
She got her first job as personal assistant to the general manager at a real estate company in September of the same year where after finishing her contract in October 2016, she transferred to a business consultancy firm as receptionist/secretary. Unfortunately, the company folded up after six months.
This was where her travails began.
Ferras found another company just as her one-month, post-contract cancellation grace period with the previous company that has closed down had 20 days left to it.
“They promised me a (residency/employment) visa. Pero natapos ang grace period ko wala pa ring visa,” shared Ferras.
She exited UAE to obtain a visit visa for a three-month stay on her expense. “Naubos yung visit visa duration. May kaso pa daw kasi kaya di pa makapag-visa. Nag-exit po ulit ako. Ako po ulit nagbayad.
“Pumayag na lang po ako since mahirap maghanap ng malilipatan at expired na rin naman yung visit visa. Nang matapos na naman yung pangatlong tourist visa ko, since kinukulit ko po sila sa visa ko, sabi po ay wag na raw akong mag-exit at yung company na ang bahala.
“Ipapa-change status daw ako (to residency visa) at babayaran ang (overstay) fine ko (dahil hindi na nga nag-exit). Pero wala pa rin po. Ang dami kong struggles Nagbayad ako ng fine at syempre po ako na naman bumili ng visit visa ko. Sa sobrang sayang ng loob ko po, umalis na ako sa company,” Ferras narrated.
Cost of a visit visa, which can be legally obtained from travel agencies, goes in the range of Dh2,000 dirhams or P26,500. Cost for an employer to provide for a residency visa is in the range of Dh9,000, according to reports.
Plans
Ferras, who was enticed to go to Dubai because a cousin who works in the city has told her she can make good money, said she plans to go back to baking sweets or kakanin and sell online like she did when she was jobless.
“Susubukan ko ang online food business. Maghahanap ng work. Magtuturo sa mga anak ko. Kung babalik pa sa Dubai ay depende po. Kapag po hindi makaraos sa Pilipinas, babalik po baka next year kapag okay na ang economy at wala nang pandemic. Kailangan ko pong maghanap buhay para sa mga anak ko,” Ferras said.
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