Abu Dhabi, UAE (Image: INQUIRER.net Stock Photo)
As overseas Filipino workers sacrifice to work abroad and provide for their families, they may fall prey to loan sharks who take advantage of their financial need.
Madeline Palustre, an OFW from Apayao who moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was a victim of creditors using the 5-6 lending scheme eight years ago, reports The Filipino Times.
Despite working multiple jobs such as becoming a teaching assistant, a cook and a salesperson, she couldn’t pay off the loans that had piled up to a whopping Dh121,000 (P1.7 million).
In her second year in the country, she applied as a domestic worker for expatriates. She was immediately accepted by the McHugh couple and, feeling a sense of comfort with them, opened up about her problems in an email after the interview.
When she reported for work the next day, the couple took her aside to discuss her concerns. They promised to help her by paying the loans off in cash and even called the lenders to tell them not to victimize people in need.
She said she appreciated their “moral support during that difficult time of my life” even more than the financial aid.
Palustre was able to repay them through salary deductions through the years and found a sense of home in their family as she took care of their children. She said that Kilawin na Tanigue (fish ceviche) is their favorite Filipino dish.
While the family was repatriated two years ago, Palustre considers them “lifelong friends” and “the best employers I have ever had.” She says they will return to Dubai soon and have promised to stay in contact with her. Niña V. Guno /ra
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