Philippines naval task force honors Filipino community in Russia

VLADIVOSTOK – A Philippine Navy (PN) contingent on a five-day goodwill visit in this city, paid tribute to a small group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) based here, in a reception dinner held at the helicopter hangar of the Navy’s Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) BRP Tarlac (LD601) docked at the Russian Pacific Fleet’s naval facility.

Capt. Florante Gagua, commander of the Naval Task Force-87 (NTF-87) welcomed the seven Filipinas out of around 50 to 100 Filipinos currently working here – from nannies to landscaping experts – aboard LD601.

“Aside from our goodwill visit with our Russian counterparts, we are also here to honor you being the country’s modern-day heroes,” Gagua told the Filipinas, one whom has found love and is now married to a Russian national, who joined her in the reception dinner.

Johnny Tomas, 45, who hails from Solana, Nueve Viscaya, said that he used to be an OFW in South Korea for 12 years until his transfer to Vladisvostok and for the last  five years, he is  working as utility man, a security guard and a gardener when there’s no snow. 

While he declined to disclose his monthly earnings, Tomas said it’s more than enough to support him and his family back home.

For her part, Silvina Punungbayan, 47, of Magallanes, Cavite, said she has to endure the loneliness here for the sake of her six children back home. 

She works as a nanny to a wealthy family here with a monthly pay of $1,100 (more or less P55,000).

But landing a job here, she said, is at first very difficult as an applicant must go through various recruitment channels who all charging exhorbitant fees.

However, once employed these expenses are easily recoup because of the high-paying jobs, just like the salary of  Pinky Quidan, an Ilongga who is also employed here as a nanny with a monthly pay of $1,500.

“Our salary here are in  dollars and not in local currency (Russia ruble). My boss is a senior political leader here. The family is very kind to me. In fact when we I went here my boss dropped me off and will return to pick me up by 9 p.m.,” Quidan said.

Quidan’s story of landing a job here is almost the same as that with the rest of OFWs who attended the reception dinner – Marlita Monchenging, Catherine Reteza and Jennelyn Lancian – all of them formerly OFWs based in Hong Kong or South Korea.

They also bared some of their co-workers have already left for Europe as it is very easy to secure a working visa in European countries from here.

In his speech, Gagua also conveyed to the gathered Filipinos the message of President Duterte, thanking them for enduring the difficulties of being away from home for the sake of their families and at the same time helping the country’s economy.