Barely six months ago, a Filipino male farm worker was raped, beaten and left for dead in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Just recently, another Filipino male worker was kidnapped and beheaded in Libya; while a Filipino female nurse was gang-raped and killed. On the other hand, Rachel Ann Go has successfully started a theater career in London through the role of Gigi in the famous play Miss Saigon.

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I wonder if we are to catalogue all these stories, which do we have more: tragedies or triumphs? The answer notwithstanding, studies have shown that the money brought in by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) is not without great social costs.

The Broken Family. Countless episodes have been shown in movies and on television about families who fell apart because either the husband or the wife became involved with another partner in the country where they went. Extreme loneliness is the foremost reason cited why despite being married, OFWs tend to succumb to the temptation of having someone who can provide their physical and emotional needs.

The Wayward Son/Daughter. There are too many cases of children of OFWs who were not able to finish their studies and went astray despite the fact that his or her tuition fees are paid for. Sociologists cite that the primary factor for this trend is when children lack guidance. Traditional Filipino families regard the father as the disciplinarian. He is the one who imposes the rules of the home and makes sure that these rules are being followed. When the father leaves, a vacuum is left that traditional Filipino mothers find hard to fill since mothers are expected to do the task of loving and nurturing the children. Children, therefore. are left to their own devises; and, coupled with having the money to spend, become prone to cutting classes and going out with friends.

Money Gone to Waste. A housewife whose husband spent almost all his life aboard a ship as an engine mechanic bought a house and lot from a close friend thinking that it would be a surprise for her husband. However, her friend did not show up for some time; so she decided to visit the place where the subdivision was supposed to be located. To her aghast, she found a ricefield where the subdivision should be. Just last year, a housewife committed suicide when she learned that Aman Futures is a huge investment scam.  It turned out that she invested the money which she and her husband have been saving for so many years. She was not able to bear the thought of telling her husband that all their money were wasted.

Unfortunately, there is no foreseeable solution to this problem. As long as there are no available jobs in the Philippines; and, as long as the buying power of the peso continues to diminish, Filipinos are left with no option but to go abroad; hoping to find greener pastures; notwithstanding the effects on family and family life.