Overseas Filipino Month 2023: Everyone Can Be A Hero

BY: Cyrus Brian Gabriel Cuenca

PHOTO BY: Alona Myka Balbastro

Have you listened to John Denver's song, "Leaving on a Jet Plane"? The song reminds me of people who need to cross seas for the sake of their families or their loved ones. When I listened to it more closely, I discovered that it was more than just your average love song, which was my initial assumption.

"So kiss me and smile for me; tell me that you'll wait for me; hold me like you'll never let me go." This song line reminds me that it is not a forever goodbye but a goodbye for now. Another line from the song that stuck in my head was, "Everywhere I go, I'll think of you. Every song I sing, I'll sing for you." It told me to always cherish the time we spend together and keep my loved ones at the forefront of my thoughts.

Every year in December, we observe the Month of Overseas Filipinos. It's to honor our beloved overseas Filipino workers for their sacrifices. Their laborious efforts, taxes, and remittances are ways in which they support the nation. They contributed as well to the restoration of democracy in the Philippines. Their courage and strength served as an inspiration to a lot of people.

According to the survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Overseas Filipino Workers are estimated at 1.96 million, with the majority being women. This number merely serves as evidence of the bravery of the Filipino people, who choose to go for the sake of their families, even in the face of uncertainty about what lies ahead. In the words of Myrna Padilla, the founder of OFWWatch, "Working abroad is fearful... that's why every OFW must come in prepared." There's no such thing as easy in this world, but there's no such thing as well as unreachable. We honor our overseas Filipino workers, who we consider to be heroes!