Jerick Eliezer Rebula Practical Research 1

11 – Crystal

Title Study: “Lived Experiences of Children of OFW Parents

Studying Senior High School”

Growing up in a family with an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a different

experience from growing up in a family without one. The most obvious difference is
the distance between the student and his father. Instead of being able to go to his
father for comfort or advice, the student is separated by thousands of miles. This
distance often leaves the student without the opportunity to express his feelings and
concerns, which can result in the student feeling unsatisfied with the relationship with
his father. The experiences of a student in a distance learning program with a father
who is working abroad is also challenging. The student is constantly separated from
his father, and has little understanding of her circumstances or her needs. The
distance between the two has created a gap in their communication, which has
negatively impacted their relationship.
The experiences of Children of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Parents are
challenging and often provide little context for understanding the realities of their
lives. Parents of OFW experience separation and a lack of access to their children in
faraway countries, making it difficult to provide a context for their children. However,
the sacrifices made by OFW parents have enabled their children to have a better life
than they would have otherwise. They have given their children opportunities that
would have not been possible otherwise.

Local literature and related studies One of these is the article written by Jun
Burgos, April 18, 2010. He stated that some 18.05 per cent of all Filipino households
received cash from abroad in the year 2000, and this rose to 20.72 per cent in 2003
and then to 23.3 per cent in 2006. From the data, the author observed that more
families of OFWs were spending less on food and more on health, with the
percentage share of expenditures of migrant households on food down slightly from
44.9 per cent in 2000 to 43.3 per cent in 2006, while expenditures on health
increased from 2.3 per cent in 2000 to 3 per cent. Allocations for durables, he said,
were found to be steady at 2.2 per cent from 2000 to 2006, while fairly stable were
those for education (4.5 per cent in 2000 to 4.4 per cent in 2006), and for housing
operations (2.0 per cent in 2000 to 2.1 per cent in 2006.) he noted though that
spending of OFW families for transportation and communication (including cell
phone expenses) increased from 6.2 per cent in 2000 to 7.2 per cent in 2006. In its
2008 and 2009 reports, the BSP noted increasing savings and investments by OFW
families.
 The positive effects of working abroad of a parent have enabled many
children to have a better life than what would have been possible otherwise. The
opportunities that have been provided for the children have enabled them to learn
and grow, which has positively impacted their lives. The education that has been
provided for the children has enabled them to be able to pursue their career goals,
which has provided them with a sense of validation. The separation that has been
experienced by the children has enabled them to grow and develop a strong sense
of self, which has given them the ability to stand on their own. The sacrifices made
by OFW parents have enabled their children to have a better life than they would
have otherwise. They have given their children opportunities that would have not
been possible otherwise. Growing up in a family with an Overseas Filipino Worker is
a different experience from growing up in a family without one. Over the past few
years, the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) have been in high demand as Filipino
workers around the world. Many companies have been outsourcing their functions to
these workers, which has led to an increase in the number of OFWs in the world.
However, the life of an OFW is not easy. Many of them have to leave their families in
the Philippines behind and work abroad.
In a study of older children 13-16 years old, children of OFWs were found to
be more likely to join academic organizations and participate in extra-curricular
activities; also, they were more likely to receive school awards compared with the
children of non-OFWs (Edillon, 2008). Limiting the sample to children belonging to
two-parent families (and thereby controlling for variations in family structures),
overall, the study found that two-parent families tended to cope with the strains and
stresses of migration. In turn, this contributes to the children’s adjustment to the
absence of one or both parents. The fact that the care of children remains in the
hands of family members suggests that the rearing, nurture and socialization of the
children of migrants are likely to adhere to how the migrant parents would raise the
children if they were around. In the Philippines, access to the support provided by
the extended family has assuaged migrant parents’ anxieties about leaving their
children (see Asis et al., 2005; ECMI/AOS-Manila et al., 2004; Aguilar et al., 2009).
Public perceptions about the impact of parental migration on children’s well-being
see migration as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, remittances are seen as
enhancing the children’s material well-being, but on the other hand, parental
absence is perceived to deprive children of emotional support and care that are
detrimental to the children’s welfare. With respect to children’s education, it is not
uncommon to hear opinions that parents went abroad to further their children’s
education, but their efforts were for naught because their children either stopped
schooling or encountered problems in school.

However, there were also prove that there are negative effects in working
abroad. For many OFW's, the experience of sending money to their families is both a
source of pride and a painful burden, as the overseas workers are often separated
from their families. Many of our fellow citizens have left the country to work abroad.
However, the economy of the country has been affected negatively by this. Many
jobs have been lost, and the economy is not the same as it was before the OFW's
left the country. This has caused many families to struggle, and many have been
forced to go into debt to pay for the education and other needs of their children.
A classic example of how children, especially those at a very young age, react
when their OFW mom or dad arrives in the Philippines. This is very common among
those who have never seen their parents for a long period. When they meet them for
the first time in a long while, their initial reaction would be to maintain their distance
and be aloof. Here are some of the possible to happen. 1. "Indifference", a classic
example of how children, especially those at a very young age, react when their
OFW mom or dad arrives in the Philippines. This is very common among those who
have never seen their parents for a long period. When they meet them for the first
time in a long while, their initial reaction would be to maintain their distance and be
aloof. 2. "Turns to rebellion", many of us have seen this familiar scenario: an OFW
parent returns home to find that his kids have adopted a way of life different from
what they have envisioned. Some OFWs even recount finding out that their kids
have become addicted to various vices, some of them even becoming pregnant at a
young age. A classic example is the movie Anak starring Vilma Santos, playing the
role of OFW mom Josie, and Claudine Barretto, playing Josie’s daughter Carla. The
movie highlights the struggles of reconnecting with children after many years of
being apart from them. 3. "Self-pity and jealousy", Choosing to become an OFW
means choosing to be absent in important milestones of their children particularly
graduation. Thus, their children inevitably feel jealous and fall into self-pity,
comparing themselves to their classmates who have their parents to snap their
photos while they receive their diploma and medals. OFW parents must remember
that all of these can be fixed through time. Parents need to reconnect with their
children and give them time to adjust. Moreover, this is not the case of all OFW
children. Some are able to understand their parents’ choice of working overseas.

Lived Experiences of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW's), or the experiences

of parents of overseas Filipino workers, provide a unique insight into the sacrifices
and challenges they have faced while their loved ones were away. As the sole
providers for their families, they were forced to relocate, adjust to a new country, and
adjust to a new way of life. They also had to deal with language barriers, which made
it difficult for them to communicate with their children, and also lacked the support
system that other parents had. In some cases, the isolation that their children felt
caused them to behave in a manner that was unacceptable to their parents, which
led to strained relationships.

References:
NerdySeal. (2021) 'Review of Related Literature Essay Sample'. 9 October.
(Accessed: 19 May 2022). https://nerdyseal.com/review-of-related-literature-essay-
sample/
Asis Maruja. Living with Migration: Experiences of Left Behind Children in the
Philippines. Asian Population Studies. 2006b;2(1):45–67. [Google Scholar]
https://filipinotimes.net/feature/2018/04/24/4-sad-realities-ofw-parents-kids-
experience/