Gina Octubre, the wife of an overseas Filipino worker in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, returned to Bantay OCW on Inquirer Radio to seek further assistance regarding the whereabouts and condition of her husband.
She first visited us in April, crying for help because she did not know where her husband was. She expected him to come home in 2009.
But five years had passed and he had not yet returned.
After gathering all the needed information from Gina, Bantay OCW directly coordinated with concerned authorities and the OFW himself. Communication between the couple was restored.
For several months, the OFW husband kept in touch with his family and made monthly remittances. But now Gina needs help again.
She said they last heard from her husband on Oct. 25. Remittances from him were also irregular and not enough for the needs of their children, aged 13, 15 and 17 years.
The eldest daughter had to stop her college studies and work to help her mother, who does everything to make a living to support the family. Gina grabs any opportunity to earn money to meet the daily needs of her family.
Sometimes she could not give her children breakfast before they go to school. She also would not have enough for their baon.
Gina said it pained her that her children attended school on empty stomachs.
The situation raises these questions:
Why is the salary of her husband in Dubai not enough to support the family? And why does the wife still have to struggle to provide for their family when her husband is working overseas?
Credit card debts
Based on Gina’s statement, her husband had a large credit card debt. She even asked her brother-in-law to loan him some money to help him settle his liabilities so legal charges filed against him would be dropped.
She added that, although her husband did not directly admit having an affair in Dubai, she suspected he had another family overseas.
This could have been the reason why he had not communicated with nor visited them in the past few years.
Bantay OCW advised Gina to make a list of their monthly expenses to serve as a legal basis for demanding financial support from the OFW husband.
We tried several times to contact her husband but to no avail. Bantay OCW explained to Gina that, if her husband was in debt, he would face serious legal problems in Dubai, since the country was known for filing cases against those who failed to repay loans or debts.
Court cases could prevent the OFW from returning to the Philippines.
Bantay OCW is currently coordinating with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in following up the status of the scholarships that Gina requested for their children.
We advised her children to enroll in Technical-Vocational courses, which were offered for free by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), so they could acquire technical skills for employment.
We also advised Gina to look for practical means to earn a living so she could support her family even if her husband was remiss in his obligations.
Since her husband was neglecting his family responsibilities, Gina had to play the role of breadwinner to provide for the basic needs of the family.
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Susan Andes, aka Susan K., is on board at Radyo Inquirer 990 dzIQ AM, Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-12 noon, with audio/video live streaming: www.dziq.am Studio: 2/F Studio: 2/F MRP Bldg., Mola St. cor. Pasong Tirad St., Makati City. PTV 4 (www.ptv.ph) Tuesdays, 8-9 p.m., Helpline: 0927-6499870 / 0920-9684700/ E-mail: susankbantayocw@yahoo.com /bantayocwfoundation@yahoo.com