An ongoing Christmas drama

Amid the festive atmosphere, with the merry holiday fever very much on and evident all throughout, it is difficult to remember that there are those who may be experiencing a different type of Christmas this time around.

Let us remember those with loved ones who will not be physically around because they have moved on with the Lord. This is also the time of the year that our Overseas Filipino Workers feel most painfully the reality of separation from their spouse and children.

There is this family experiencing the pain and difficulty of being apart especially this Christmas season.

Our kababayan who is working as a domestic helper in a Middle Eastern country found her work proceeding well until her employers asked her to extend her work with them beyond her contract period that ends early next year. She declined and explained that she wanted to return home to be with her children and her husband. Then her life started to turn around

Her employers began to verbally and even physically abuse her. They even brought her to the police on false charges. She informed her local and foreign agency about these abuses and requested to be rescued and sent back to the Philippines. She was incorrectly told instead that she had to shoulder all return expenses, including the very expensive plane fare if she did not complete her contract period.

Forced to wait, she continues to cry for help and rescue.

She sent voice messages and photos to her husband. Because she feared more physical abuse, at night, she started to lock and barricade her room with her bed cushion. Her employers got more enraged, forcibly took her room key and even removed her bed cushion! Sleeping on a hard surface aggravates her daily struggle to sleep due to fear, tension, and stress.

Her daily food, she reported, was a handful of viand and a handful of old rice. In her latest message, she cried as she narrated that she had to eat food that was purposely thrown into the garbage bin by her employers!

Her husband decided to go to Manila to try to get help, from a radio station, from POEA and OWWA. Yesterday, early Friday morning, he left from Laguna where he is staying with relatives to again follow up the rescue request of his wife. His resources are dwindling - he spends for transport and for phone load to maintain communication with his wife and family.

While now assisted by several groups for almost a month now, still, they continue to await her safe rescue and repatriation.

Each day is painful not only for the husband and his wife but for their children as well. The anguished father wrote:

“Looy pod ko wala sila ka attend ug party tungod walang wala jud pero ok lang. Ang best nako nga regalo nila nga akong e kuyog ilang mama inig uli namo sa amo. Grabe sobra jud. Magpasko akong mga anak nga wala mi duha. Wala mi tanan. Mao wala nako nga tagad sa pasko. Ambot ani oi, sa subra nako ka guol ako nalang e hilak. Wala pa akong mga anak. Wala pa akong asawa.”

“Kung mawawala ka sa piling ko sinta, paano ang paskong alay ko sa’yo?”

You may find it in your hearts to reach out to this family and let them know that they are cared for and remembered this season of love and hope?

Join us in praying for them and others experiencing similar pain. May their drama end happily and soon, may their families be all together this Christmas. [email protected]