How becoming an OFW changed a 'pasaway' son for the better

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Realization has dawned on the son of a domestic helper whose remittances he had squandered for years after he himself became an overseas worker and experienced how hard it is to be one.

“Ang na-realize ko bilang isang overseas Filipino worker (OFW) ay hindi biro maging isang OFW, mahirap. Lahat ng sakripisyo at hirap ng nanay ko noon ay nararanasan ko na ngayon. Nakita ko na ang lahat ng winaldas kong pera galing sa padala niya noon ay galing sa pagod, puyat, gutom at hirap niya sa pagta-trabaho para lang may maipadala sya sa’min. Ngayon ko nararamdaman ang lahat ng hirap ng mama ko. Sobra kong pinagsisihan ang mga nagawa ko,” said 30-year-old Abraham Lincoln Oliveros of Gerona, Tarlac.

(I realized that it’s no joke being an OFW. I am now experiencing the difficulties and sacrifices that my mother had endured. I see that all the money she has sent and I have squandered, were from the difficulties she had gone through just so she could send it to us. I can now feel her hardships. I regret so much the things I have done.)

Oliveros’ mother, Linda, has been a domestic helper for 28 years, starting off when he was just three years old. She had work in Jordan, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and currently, here in the UAE. Oliveros’ father, Joel, now retired, used to be a security guard back in the Philippines.

'Bad boy'

A college undergrad, Oliveros said he was a consummate “bad boy.” 

“Honestly, dati po talaga akong loko-loko sa amin. Halos lahat na yata ng kalokohan nagawa ko na sa lugar namin, like laging nakikipag-away…basagulero, nasasangkot sa halos lahat ng gulo, kung sinu-sinong babae ang kasama. Naranasan ko rin tumikim ng pinag-babawal na gamot,” he said.

(Honestly, I used to be a troublemaker, always embroiled in almost all kinds of trouble. I have been with different women, too. I have also tried illegal drugs.)

Things turned around when Oliveros finally got to have kids and his mother took him to Dubai for work in 2019, where he took odd jobs like a cleaner, kitchen assistant, even Santa’s elf, until he finally landed one as bakery salesperson. 

The youngest of two siblings, Oliveros’ mother also brought his big sister to Dubai and is now working as domestic helper as well.  

“Nagsimula ang bagong parangarap ko para sa mga anak ko. Ngayon dahil sa kanila, nabago ko kung anuman ang naging kalokohan ko dati,” Oliveros said.

(I started making plans for my kids. Because of them, I have changed my ways.)

Oliveros, who has cleaned up, keeping his nose clean and head down, also plans to go back to college for better opportunities.

Comedian

He has also found solace in a collective of creatives engaged in filmmaking that he says has become his second family. He has taken up acting with the group, with roles ranging from being a porter, lover, and beggar, among others.

No bad boy roles so far. On the contrary, Oliveros said he has become known as a comedian.

“Pinaka-paborito ko po talaga is ang mag-comedy dahil doon ako nagiging natural – sa pagpapatawa. ‘Pag comedy ang story, binibigay ko ang buong makakaya ko, hindi lang dahil sa mga nanunood kundi dahil dun din kasi ako masaya,” he said.

(I love comedy roles. I’m a natural when it comes to making people laugh. I give it my 100% whenever it’s a comic story, not only for the viewers, but more so because it makes me happy.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News