DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –  “Napuntahan ko na ang lahat ng ayuda,” said 26-year-old Ma. Alianna Marasigan (real name withheld on request), who lives in Satwa, an older part of the city that has become a working class enclave, with mostly OFW residents.

Marasigan arrived in Dubai last year to look for work, but has decided to go home after failing to secure regular employment and ending up jobless for the past six months.

“Usually pumipila kami kapag may namimigay ng bigas,” Marasigan said. She has not been able to pay for her bedspace in the past months, too, she said. “Nakikitira na lang po ako. May kumukupkop po sa akin,” she said.

Marasigan said she has managed to get work, but none of her employers have been able to secure an employment visa for her. “Puro exit lang talaga ako,” she said.

Ameenah, another jobless OFW who got pregnant and recently gave birth, on the other hand, is now in a tight fix with her husband over Dh16,600 in hospital bills they have to raise.

The two OFWs are on visit visas.

Exit

By law, visit visa holders need to leave the country once their visa, which has a maximum of three months’ validity, expires. This, so they could apply for a new one while outside the country, usually in neighboring Oman, and extend their stay in the UAE to again try their luck.

They could also opt for a visit visa renewal option that does not require them to exit, considering border conditions as a result of the pandemic, but at higher price range of up to Dh2,500.

Meantime, some job hunters, like Marasigan, lands a job and gets paid, but is not issued employment visa because the employer apparently was not able to apply for it as the law requires, in which case the three-month stay was just used up.

Marasigan said her last job was as administrative staff at a construction company in Ajman, a neighboring city north of Dubai. But the company downsized with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UAE, and so her work permit was not processed.

Ameenah

Sharing Marasigan’s ordeal is Ameenah, an OFW who has converted to Islam and has taken on a Muslim name. She has ended up taking her chances in the city on a visit visa after resigning from work last year.

Ameenah, as she preferred to be named in this report, and husband, Ahmad, who is from India, are now in a tight fix. The couple needs to raise Dh16,634 to pay off their hospital bills.

Ameenah’s litany of woes started around February this year, she said, when she became jobless. She arrived on May 25, 2017; quit her job on June 6, 2019 at a logistics company in Jebel Ali, southern Dubai; and got herself a visit visa to extend her stay with hope that she could land a new job – but in vain.

She got married to Ahmad around January this year.

“Last employer ko na ginamit lang ako was sa isang travel agency.  Tapos, part-time, part-time na lang ako. Madalas pa, ginagamit lang ng employer yung visa ko. Ang malala pa, minsan ay one month ako nagwo-work tapos di nila ako binabayaran,” said Ameenah.

Ameenah, a single mom of two kids when she left the Philippines for the UAE, said she was “ready” to go underground, but fortunately managed to renew her visit visa for the umpteenth time, and try her luck once again at looking for a job especially now that she has a baby to raise. Her husband has also been unemployed for some time and is currently on training for a new job.

Requirements

By law, tourists in the UAE must first secure a residency visa and work permit from their employers before they could start employment.

Penalties including heavy fines of up to Dh50,000 and deportation are imposed on those caught working on a visit visa, who also are blacklisted from re-entering the UAE; companies employing people on visit visas are likewise heavily fined.

Some employers reportedly allow their employees to work even while on visit visas provided papers are already under process with the government for the issuance of the residency visa and work permit.

Holders of residency visas are allowed to bring relatives to the UAE as visit visa holders, who then themselves start looking for jobs.

Concerns on the alleged abuse of the UAE’s visit visa program by jobseekers and some employers have prompted the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi to recently issue a policy directive requiring OFWs sponsoring relatives to the country to at least be earning Dh10,000 a month. This to ensure they could pay for their relative’s stay.

Repatriation

Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes has said the consulate in Dubai has repatriated close to 3,000 Filipinos since the first flight took off in mid-June carrying some 370 OFWs on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 19. Other subsequent flights were made through the Philippine Airlines.

The latest repatriations were in two batches, which left Dubai International Airport on Aug. 28 and 31 on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 19 flying a total of 210 OFWs, said Cortes.

He said that up to 40% of this number were OFWs on visit visas, who, like Marasigan, had tried in vain to look for jobs during their stay and did not anymore have money to renew their visas for another three-month period.

He said his office has been organizing another repatriation flight tentatively scheduled for Sept. 24.

This is the highest since the pandemic hit the country in late January this year; a café was closed while 7 other commercial establishments were fined including a supermarket that held a sale event and allegedly failed to enforce social distancing.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –  The UAE today, Saturday, Sept. 12, registered its highest single-day detection of coronavirus infection since the pandemic hit the country in late January this year: 1,007 new cases.

This developed as a café was closed while seven other establishments were fined for not observing Covid-19 protocols. These included a branch of a department store, which held a discount sale a few days back and apparently failed to ensure social distancing.

Emirates News Agency, or WAM, the government’s official information outlet, said the new cases brought to 78,849 the total number of Covid-19 infections in the past eight months of which 68,983 patients have recovered, 399 have died and active cases stood at 9,467.

The UAE has been detecting high numbers of new Covid-19 cases in the past three consecutive days with 930 new Covid-19 cases were  reported by the Ministry of Health and Preventon (MOHAP) on Sept. 10 and another 931 the following day.

There were 883 new Covid-19 cases reported on Sept. 9.

Over 95,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past few days, according to MOHAP.

Meantime, authorities closed a café and fined 7 commercial establishments, including a department store, which held a discount sale event and apparently failed to enforce social distancing among customers. The store was closed and fined Dh50,000, according to local media reports.

WAM also reported that Dubai Economy, a government agency overseeing business activities across the city, has shut down a café in Karama in co-operation with Dubai Municipality and Dubai Tourism after the outlet was found to have ignored physical distancing guidelines issued as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) has already begun coordinating with local emergency and crisis committees across the UAE to tighten controls as a total of 1,861 new Covid-19 infections have been detected in a span of just two consecutive days on Sept. 10 and 11, Emirates News Agency (WAM) said.

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE Health sector, yesterday announced 930 new Covid-19 cases, according to WAM, the government’s official news source.

Today, Sept. 11, Friday, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) announced another 931 new cases, reported Gulf News. This brought the total to 1,861 new Covid-19 infections in two days.

Authorities said the number of new Covid-19 cases were the highest in four months, even as Dr. Al Hosani noted that only 179 infections were recorded a month ago on August 10.

There were also five Covid-related deaths on Sept. 10, according to MOHAP.

With this, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes joined the UAE government in reiterating calls to strictly observe health and safety protocols like social distancing and properly wearing masks.

 “Dr. Al Hosani explained that despite the high recovery rates, the increase in infections requires everyone to pause and consider their actions since just one month ago on August 10, only 179 infections were recorded. The rise in cases within a month to over 900 is an increase of more than five times,” WAM said.

Said Cortes: “The Consulate General continues to remind all Filipinos of the need to constantly adhere to health protocols as advised by the host government, that is, physical distancing, wearing of masks and gloves, among others.”

“We also urge everyone to boost their immune systems and work on a balance diet. Co-existing with the virus and adapting to the new normal are realities we need to live with,” he added.

Dr. Al Hosani, for her part, called on those who have been in contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 to follow the approved quarantine protocol.

She said these people who have been exposed to infected individuals should not rely on a negative test result from a period after the discovery of contact with an infected person as an excuse to return to normal life as the incubation period of the virus may last up to 14 days.

In all, the UAE has 77,842 Covid-19 cases to date of which 68,462 have recovered and 398 have died, according to MOHAP. There currently are 8,982 active cases, also according to the government health ministry.

Over 82,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents were conducted over the past few days, authorities said.

The UAE imposes stiff penalties for violators of Covid-19 regulations, among which include Dh3,000 for failure to wear face mask; and Dh3,000 for not observing social distancing.

The only child of a Filipino couple working in Ireland’s medical field as COVID-19 front liners, 15-year-old Joshua Emmanuel Regala appears headed to be one of the country’s pop stars.

So far, he has bragging rights to a good harvest of awards from various singing competitions in Ireland, the U.S. and, most recently last month, in the United Kingdom, having made it as semi-finalist at The Voice Kids UK 2020.

“I feel blessed,” said Regala, who, in the course of his budding singing career, has developed a growing fan base. “I thank the Lord for giving all these opportunities and the chance for my music and my voice to be heard and be of inspiration to others,” he added.

Regala mesmerized the judges with his version of “You are the Reason,” a song by Calum Scott, English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide stardom after competing on Britain’s Got Talent in 2015.

Loving parents

Behind Regala are his loving parents, Narcisa “Ysay” Regala, nurse at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland, which also has a campus; and Agustin Regala Jr., who works in the medical records section of the same hospital. Joshua goes to school at the same teaching hospital where he is currently in third year high.

“Mahirap, at first, kasi hindi lahat prepared sa kung anong klaseng virus ito o yung severity ng impact ng Covid-19,” said Narcisa of her job.

She said Joshua, the only child, is their stress-reliever. “Definitely, siya ang pangtanggal stress naming mag-asawa. We are so blessed to have a kind, good-hearted, God-fearing child,” said Narcisa, registered nurse in the Philippines, hailing from Clarin Plaridel, Misamis Occidental.

“We’ve been praying and waiting for six years bago ako na buntis. He is a gift,” Narcisa also said.

The couple has been in Ireland since 2002. Narcisa successfully applied before the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) for her license.

Having been born in Dublin, Narcisa said Joshua speaks little Filipino. “Kunti lang pero nakaka-intindi siya basta bagalan lang ang pagsasalita ng Tagalog. Kasi mixed kami sa bahay. Ako Bisaya, asawa ko Tagalog,” she explained.

Narcisa said Joshua does not have the Irish accent. “Wala siyang punto,” she said.

The family lives in Navan in County Meath, Ireland, 

Debut single

Joshua, who got four chair turns during The Voice Kids UK’s blind auditions, has recently released his brand new music video for his debut single, “If I’d Never Let Go.”

According to the Filipino rising star in Ireland, the song was written and arranged by Dave Browne and Yan O’Brein of Picture house, one of the top bands in Ireland who has worked with Bono of U2 and other top musicians.

“The song is all about regret of having someone whom I let go. Missing the memories that was once built together; bout love being let go and having regrets in return,” said Joshua.

“I feel the song is very relatable to all the people who have experienced these situations. I love singing songs that has a depth in meaning. It pushes my emotions more,” he added.

Joshua said he has “a few original songs lined up which I cannot wait to share with you all.”

Joshua said his singing career all started “when I first got my guitar from my father, Jun Regala.

“When I learned how to play it, I started to love singing with him and my family. Music has been a passion for our family.”

 He said his musical influences were Adele, “when I started to have the passion in singing.” Added on the list were Scottish singer-songwriter, Lewis Capaldi and Callum Scott.

Joshua was winner of Pulse Ireland 2018; grand champion of All Ireland Senior Teenstars singing competition 2019; gold medalist at World Championship of Performing Arts 2020 (WCOPA); and gold medalist for Mash up (WCOPA 2020).

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: During these days of the pandemic when uncertainties are riddling most people with anxieties, a community outreach group led by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) recently held a free online ukulele workshop to train people to be calm by keeping the mind busy with music.

The ukulele session was facilitated by Sherry Karen Martinez, a music instructor at the Sing and Swim Training Centre of Thomsun at Ibn Battuta Mall in Jebel Ali, south Dubai, who taught more than 40 participants from the UAE, Singapore and Philippines the basics of playing the instrument.

“It was like going to another dimension wherein all you need to think about is how to make the strings produce the music you want to hear. Such a refreshing activity. It gave some needed time off from the tensions in life. I think it did help me take my mind off from my current situation. It gave me some breathing space,” shared Minnie Marcelo, a Dubai resident and participant of the weekend event held Aug. 29.

Rachelle Salinel, one of the organizers, said putting together activities like this is “our way to relay the message, especially to those who are undergoing depression, that someone is listening and is doing something to help them cope with their situation; for them not to lose hope and to continue believing that together we can surpass any challenges we face while living and working overseas.”

“We provided the free basic ukulele workshop as it is a string instrument that is easy to carry around and it does produce a happy tune. I recall reading its benefits such as lowering stress level and improving brain function and mental clarity. It appeals to people of all ages, too,” Salinel added.

According to a 2011 study published in the British Journal of Psychiatrist by Finnish researchers, music therapy plus standard care shows steady improvement in depressive symptoms among the depressed than those just receiving standard care. It is helpful in improving the general well-being of individuals, as well.

Counselling expert Dr. Rommel Sergio, a supporter of the group, explained that creative arts are valuable tools in combating depression experienced by young and older adults.

Meantime, another Dubai resident, Maluh Malata Yap, said that having her Singapore-based 14-year old daughter Roxanne Jeniña join the session was a commendable activity. “I am happy that she can learn as many string instruments. Playing the ukulele became exciting for her, in addition to the guitar. This is a good activity instead of gadget exposure,” Yap said.

The session was part of a series of creative ways in raising awareness on mental health and in combating depression initiated by the group of volunteers belonging to a church-based community in the UAE. Last year, they organized basic photography, painting and journaling workshops held in a training room on separate dates.

DUBAI: She has never failed to send money home to her dad, who makes meager living as a carpenter, and her three siblings, as she was the eldest of four children.

Twenty-five-year-old Merriner Bartoces, quit college and went to Abu Dhabi in March 2018 with the resolve to someday be able to build a home for themselves and send her siblings to college.

It all ended at around 10am of that fateful Monday, Aug. 31, 2020 when an explosion, caused by a faulty gas connection, ripped the restaurant Bartoces was a working at to pieces and took her life. She was the opening cashier.

“Nag-abroad sya dahil mahirap lang sila,” Alfreda Bartoces Vilan said of Merriner, her niece. “Gusto nyang makatulong sa kanyang mga magulang,” she added.

“Wish nya na makapagpatayo ng bahay at mapag-aral ang kanyang mga kapatid,” Vilan said in an overseas interview from their place in Purok Maisan, Camanjac, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Merriner grew up in the same place and decided to leave their poverty-stricken home to make money.

Vilan said her Merriner’s father is a carpenter with no regular employment, only able to earn when there’s a construction job available.

 “Yung ama nya, biglang bagsak ang katawan. Di kumakain; di makatulog. Hindi nya matanggap ang nangyari sa kanyang anak,” Vilan said.

Bartoces, said Vilan, made it to college but “second year college lang ang inabot nya kasi hirap na hirap nga sila kaya nagdecide sya na mag-abroad na lang.”

She said Bartoces was a “responsableng anak.” (Responsible child).

“Kahit kapos sa pera, pilit pa ring nagpapadala,” Vilan said, recalling that two days before she died, Bartoces had tried to send money home. 

“Mapadala sana sya kasi sweldo. Kaso kinain ng ATM machine yung kanyang card, kaya nangutang muna sya sa kaibigan nya. Sabi nya, babayaran nya kapag na-ayos na ang ATM nya. Kaso nga, namatay na sya,” Vilan said.

Vilan said they learned about Bartoces’ death from her niece’s friend and roommate, who was working at a nearby restaurant when the explosion happened.

“Narinig nya yung pagsabog. Lumabas sya sa restaurant at nakita nya sabog na sabog yung (fastfood chain branch). She informed us about the explosion. Hindi kami makatulog dito. Text kami ng text. Chat ng chat.

“Naghanap sa mga ospital yung kaibigan nya pero wala dun. Bumalik sya sa site at nandun pa pala, natabunan ng debris,” narrated Vilan.

Relatives and friends took to the social media, posted Bartoces’ picture and asked for information that could lead to her whereabouts immediately after the incident.

Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi has said her office has been getting in touch with the blast victims’ relatives and assured of assistance.

In a statement issued the day after the tragic incident, the embassy said the ambassador “has reached out to the families of the deceased to express condolences and give assurance that they will be provided all necessary assistance.”

“It is with deep sadness that the Embassy shares the latest information that two Filipinos died from the unfortunate incident,” read the statement.

The ambassador, according to the statement, “continues to work with UAE authorities to also obtain details on some injured Filipinos who were brought to the hospital for treatment of minor and moderate injuries so they can be given appropriate support.”

The ambassador also advised the Filipino community to “remain safe and be mindful of the protocols of the host government.”

Vilan said they have already been contacted by authorities. “Gusto naming na makarating na agad dito (ang kanyang mga labi pero) yung mga gastusin, hindi naming kaya. Mahirap lang kami,” she said.

UAE authorities have confirmed that there were two fatalities at the blast, both of them Filipinos.

The other victim has been identified through local media reports as 38-year-old Clark Gasis who has been working from home and happened to be in the area for a medical check-up, his wife, Elna, told Gulf News.

“Very kind, patient, hardworking, considerate and thoughtful – that was my husband,” Gulf News reporter, Angel Tesorero, quoted her as saying. “Even if he was busy working, he would find time to cook and do other household chores. And after a day’s work, he would spend time with our kids – aged five (girl) and four (boy) – and do Zumba. He was also very focused on our kids’ online classes,” she said.

Clark went to the UAE in 2013 and was an Autocad draftsman; Elna works at a vehicle insurance company.

According to the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office (ADGMO), the massive explosion “was caused by a misalignment in the gas container fittings following refueling.”

The incident happened on Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Road, popularly, Airport Road.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Philippine Consulate General has recently been receiving fewer repatriation requests from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) economically displaced due to the pandemic as more job opportunities finally start opening up in the city following eased restrictions.

 In an interview, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said the number of OFWs wanting to go home has gone down.

“Very few na lang,” said Cortes. “Less than 1,000 kasi many have received job offers naman na,” he said.

Two months ago in mid-July, the figure was at approximately 8,000, according to Cortes, who clarified that there were repeat requests in the list. This has gone down to around 2,000 a few weeks back, still according to Cortes.

The latest repatriations were in two batches, which left Dubai International Airport on Aug. 28 and 31 on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 19 flying a total of 210 OFWs, said Cortes.

He said up to 40% of this figure were Filipinos on visit visas, who apparently had tried in vain to look for jobs during the 90-day duration of their stay and did not anymore have enough money to renew their visas for another three-month period.

“The rest were amnesty-seekers whose visas have expired long before (the) March 1, 2020 (cut-off date by the UAE government),” said Cortes.

He said also included in the repatriations were OFWs whose employment visas have been terminated by their employers.

In all, Cortes said, the consulate in Dubai has repatriated close to 3,000 Filipinos since the first flight took off in mid-June carrying some 370 OFWs on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 19. Other subsequent flights were made through the Philippine Airlines.

The UAE started gradually easing Covid-19 restrictions around June.

There were around 400,000 documented OFWs in Dubai before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the city in late January, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

Actual official number of Dubai-based OFWs who have gone home was not immediately available as there were also hundreds of them, mostly terminated by employers, who have managed to secure flight tickets either through their company’s expense as provided for by law, or their own funds.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates –  The Philippine Embassy has confirmed that two Filipinos have died while some others were injured, in Monday morning’s restaurant blast here, saying in a statement that Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana “has reached out to the families of the deceased to express condolences and give assurance that they will be provided all necessary assistance.”

Identities of the fatalities were not disclosed.

“It is with deep sadness that the Embassy shares the latest information that two Filipinos died from the unfortunate incident,” read the statement.

The ambassador, according to the statement, “continues to work with UAE authorities to also obtain details on some injured Filipinos who were brought to the hospital for treatment of minor and moderate injuries so they can be given appropriate support.”

The ambassador also advised the Filipino community to “remain safe and be mindful of the protocols of the host government.”

On Monday, Aug. 31, the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office (ADGMO) announced on Twitter that two persons died while several others were injured following an “explosion caused by a gas connection in a restaurant on Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Road,” at around 10am that morning.

“Unfortunately, two victims lost their lives – one near the site of the incident, and a second passer-by who was hit by debris. We extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, God rest their souls,” ADGMO tweeted.

Follow the announcement here:  https://twitter.com/admediaoffice/status/1300383755425796096

 “The embassy joins the Filipino community in UAE in hoping that there would be no further fatalities and that others involved in the incident would have no serious injuries. The embassy is on the alert and ready to extend assistance,” a statement issued by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on the same day read.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), “the Command and Control Centre in Abu Dhabi received a report… about an explosion in a restaurant” after which “Rapid Intervention Teams immediately rushed to the spot and safely evacuated the residents of the building, who sustained some minor to medium injuries, and cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of the public.”

It added that the Abu Dhabi Police have said “the injured have been transferred to the hospital for treatment.”

Meanwhile, ADGMO said that according to on-site investigations, “the incident was caused by a misalignment in the gas container fittings following refueling.”

It added that “relevant teams are arranging temporary accommodation for residents until the building’s safety is assured.”

ADGMO cautioned people about irresponsibly posting unconfirmed information regarding the incident.

“The relevant departments are dealing with the situation directly. We urge people to avoid spreading rumors and to use official news sources,” ADGMO said.

Citing the National, a UAE-based newspaper, Reuters reported that the blast hit KFC and Hardees restaurants. It added that other retail outlets were also damaged.

Two persons died while several others were injured following an “explosion caused by a gas connection in a restaurant on Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Road,” this morning, the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office announced on Twitter.

“Unfortunately, two victims lost their lives – one near the site of the incident, and a second passer-by who was hit by debris. We extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, God rest their souls,” ADGMO tweeted.

Follow the announcement here:  https://twitter.com/admediaoffice/status/1300383755425796096

With this, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued a statement saying the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, which is headed by Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana, is “monitoring developments, will extend every possible assistance (and) is coordinating with police.”

“Initial information reaching the embassy is that there may be Filipinos working at the affected establishments but company management was not able to confirm (this) as of press time,” stated the DFA statement.

The incident happened at around 10am, according to DFA. No details have been released as to the victims’ nationalities or identities, DFA said.

“The embassy joins the Filipino community in UAE in hoping that there would be no further fatalities and that others involved in the incident would have no serious injuries. The embassy is on the alert and ready to extend assistance,” the DFA statement read.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), “the Command and Control Centre in Abu Dhabi received a report on Monday morning (Aug. 31) about an explosion in a restaurant.

“Immediately, the Rapid Intervention Teams rushed to the spot and safely evacuated the residents of the building, who sustained some minor to medium injuries, and cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of the public.”

It added that the Abu Dhabi Police have said “the injured have been transferred to the hospital for treatment.”

Meanwhile, ADGMO said that according to on-site investigations, “the incident was caused by a misalignment in the gas container fittings following refueling.”

It added that “relevant teams are arranging temporary accommodation for residents until the building’s safety is assured.”

ADGMO cautioned people about irresponsibly posting unconfirmed information regarding the incident.

“The relevant departments are dealing with the situation directly. We urge people to avoid spreading rumors and to use official news sources,” ADGMO said.

Citing the National, a UAE-based newspaper, Reuters reported that the blast hit KFC and Hardees restaurants. It added that other retail outlets were also damaged.

DUBAI: A lot of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been returning home amid the pandemic due to job loss with barely enough savings to start over. But the millennial ones are getting comfy with real property they have invested in while working abroad.

Property experts say today’s batch of mostly-millennial OFWs are more inclined to invest their earnings, taking their cues from the experience of those who have worked abroad before them and returned with little or no savings at all for retirement – mainly because they lacked financial literacy and have acquired the “savior” mentality where money is sent to almost everyone back home at the slightest request.

Most were also raising families and sending children to college.

Moreover, experts also say that today’s batch of OFWs were mostly children of OFWs themselves who have been sent to good schools to be better educated and more financially adept.

Among the returning OFWs who have wisely invested their earnings were 36-year-old Janice Ponce de Leon-Francisco, a media practitioner in Dubai for nine years, and husband Albert, also 36 and a civil engineer, both of whom returned to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on March 14, 2020 eager to get their real property rolling.

“My husband had wanted to go home for good since 2014, but we weren’t ready to yet back then. It took me months to finally decide to go home,” recalls Janice, who arrived in Dubai on a visit visa in June of 2011.

She quit her job in October of 2019 after struggling with burnout “so I could live a grace-paced, simplified life.”

Being a civil engineer, Albert manages the ongoing construction of their property.

“We’ve been praying for this since last year. We got all the plans and designs ready then. It’s a residential property. But in the future, Lord willing, we might offer some rooms for AirBnB or short-term rentals after the world heals from the pandemic and once tourism in Palawan is back to normal,” said Janice, adding that they were building the house as their first project with plans to start their own construction company.

Janice said they managed to save by being diligent with their finances. “We saved my husband’s income and we lived on mine.  

“By God’s grace, we were able to invest in real estate. We bought two pieces of land – both prime property –  built a five-door apartment, invested in a food kiosk business, in stocks and mutual funds. We were also able to pay off my sister’s college plan and she’s now studying in the UK,” Janice said.

The couple quarantined in one of their apartment units upon arrival.

Another Dubai OFW millennial couple who likewise did their self-isolation in their real property was Arvin and Riza Papalid, both 38-year-old, who went through a period of long distance relationship for over a year, got reunited in the city, married, worked and saved hard, then just recently returned home to their lovely house in Tagum Davao del Norte after arriving on Aug. 11 at Clark International Airport.

“Bago pa ako magdecide magsapalaran sa abroad (Dubai) lagi ko po iniisip na dapat may bahay muna ako bago umalis para may mauuwian ako na akin talaga,” said Arvin, insurance administrator.

(I have decided that I should have my own house before I try my luck abroad. That way, I’ll have a place to come home to that I can call my own.)

“Alam ko na di po habangbuhay na adyan sa abroad. Marami na rin akong nakikita na mga OFWs na pag-uwi wala pong bahay na tutuluyan. Ayaw ko po yun mangyari sa akin,” he added.

(I know that working abroad is not a forever thing. I have seen a lot of OFWs who have returned home to the Philippines with no place to stay. I don’t want that to happen to me.)

Arvin acquired his P1.2 million Tagum City house and lot through a Pag-IBIG housing loan in July 2009, around three months before he flew to Dubai on a visit visa sponsored by a cousin.

Riza, a receptionist and assistant hair stylist, arrived in Dubai earlier in July 2008 also on a visit visa.

Having spent six years in a relationship back in the Philippines, the two got married in a civil wedding at the Philippine Consulate General on May 27, 2010. They returned home because the pandemic has affected their jobs in Dubai.

“Financially, we were not making big money, but we managed to invest and at the same time help our families while also enjoying some travels. We don’t dine out a lot because we realize we’d be overspending if we do so – and we use discount coupons if ever we do eat out,” said Arvin in a mix of English and vernacular.

“On day-offs we’d eat at home first before we go out to save money,” he added.

The couple has also invested in a Quezon City condominium unit near the metro’s Kamuning Station and a commercial lot in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.