Myla Katzav

According to the website of the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, there are 31,000 OFW's in Israel mostly working as caregivers and a few in hotels and restaurants.  Majority are females and living in Tel Aviv.

I look forward to going to the park near the mall on Saturdays because I see a group of Filipinos there with their old wards.  I love chatting with them and getting more tips about where to get Philippine-made products.

Below is a story of one OFW who has touched our lives and changed the way I see our fellow-kababayans. This is from our stay in HongKong and Singapore…

J was our only househelp throughout our stay overseas.  The first time I saw her, I thought she looked unhealthy and a little tomboyish.  Short, thin, dark-skinned with crew-cut hair, her smile was her only give-away that she possessed a most beautiful heart..enclosed in steel.

Her frailty came from eating less and working almost non-stop for long hours.  Her previous employer was a HongKong Chinese who strictly monitored her by installing video cameras in and out of the house.  She wasn't even allowed to talk to her fellow Filipino neighbor while she was gardening! She worked until late at night, sometimes beyond midnight when her boss came home asking to be served with dinner.  Her sleeping area was not fit for well….sleeping.

She left the Philippines when her daughter was only 2 years old and that was about 17 years ago. J has a college degree and speaks fluent English.  She is very logical and has a great initiative.  She could have easily been a successful office manager.

We never asked her to do tasks on a scheduled basis…there was no need because she did everything automatic.  She was more than what we needed and she loved our Rachel like she was her own and Rachel became very fond of her.  Haim and I made it a point to make her feel a part of our little family.  She had her own room and cabinet for her few possessions.  She slept on a double-sized bed with a night lamp and the Purpose-Driven Life.  Her window overlooked the beautiful gardens of Discovery Bay and the bay that stretched to Central HongKong.

It was a challenge to make her sit and watch a movie, enjoy her meal or make her take afternoon naps. Rachel succeeded though in making her relax and smile a lot. Through her, J became a part of our family.

It was J's eyes that spoke of her innermost feelings..which she very well succeeded to hide for some time.  You can see how it lightens up when she talks about her daughter who is taking up Nursing Degree back home and how she will join her in America when she finds a job there.  The same eyes would turn sad, regretful, guilty, frustrated, broken hearted..when her daughter calls her only to ask for more money.  J never saved a peso for herself.  She sent most of her salary to the Philippines and the little that was left, she used to spend during her days-off (she had Saturdays and Sundays off while the law only states Sundays). At times, her husband would cheat on her by doubling the amount needed for her daughter's education.  Her husband, by the way, was not working.

She came with us to Singapore and went with us exploring the country.  When we decided to move to Israel, she opted to go back to HongKong as she is more familiar with the place and was able to find an employer there.

Before J left, we had a long discussion about how she should plan for her future through saving some of her salary.  I gave her advices and I could see tears falling down her cheeks.  Tears that clearly stated that she was very, very tired and very, very lonely too.  We gave her 2 months' salary when she left with an airplane ticket and some cash for her airport transfer.  We had a tearful goodbye.

I tried getting in touch with J but last time I was able to contact her daughter, I learned that she was back in HongKong working.  She has my email address but I never got any message from her…I guess this is where her heart of steel works by.

To J and the rest of the Filipino OFWs, you have my deepest respect for giving it all...your heart and soul...for someone you love...no matter if that someone would not love you back just the same.