OVERSEAS Filipino workers need a reliable partner when it comes to sending urgent money remittances to their families. The beginning of the school year incurs tuition and other school expenses, making such remittances crucial to children of OFWs. To avoid any disruption in their children's education, OFWs must be assured that their remittances arrive safely and on time.
Just how vital these remittances could be for families and children is underscored by the experience of Asma, 25, who now works in the US after her mother Gina, a nurse, brought her there.
"By the time I was in Grade Five, I became aware that I was receiving tuition money from my mom that she would send through LBC Peso Padala. My lola would always say, 'O, dumating na yung LBC mo.' It had become a generic term for the tuition money that my Mom would send," she recalled.
Asma spent her childhood growing up in near a relocation area for former squatters. She saw firsthand the depressed conditions of other families, whose children were unable to go to school. Even at that age, she realized how much of a difference her mother's remittances made in their way of life.
"Mama only went home once or twice a year: Christmas and, sometimes on my birthday. Occasionally, a classmate of mine would ask if I ever felt tampo (resentful) of my Mama because she was away most of the time. I always replied 'No' because if my Mama didn't work abroad, I would not be able to go to school at all. I loved going to my school because I had a lot of friends there and they helped ease my longing for Mama," Asma said.
Asma pointed out that her mother would always tell her to study well, to value the cash and other items being sent to her.
"Mama always told me how hard it was to work as a nurse while she was so far away from me and my brother. She said that her remittances were her way of taking care of us and showing us her love. My tuition would always arrive on time whenever Mama sent it to us through LBC Peso Padala. It ensured that I never missed my classes and I continued my schooling until I finished my course," she said.
Asma added that seeing her mom's sacrifice inspired her to study hard so she could get good grades and finish her education. It was a big help that she never had any problems whenever her school tuition was concerned.
"Without those remittances sent by my Mama, I would not have the life I'm living now," she said.
Fast and reliable
The experience of JR, a copywriter for an ad agency, has similarities with that of Asma, but his father was a migrant worker in a far province, instead of a foreign country.
"From elementary school till high school, my father was posted in Zamboanga. He worked at the port area for the customs bureau. Usually, he would come home two or three times a year. Not surprisingly, he would send my tuition money through LBC Peso Padala," JR said.
JR said he was an average to above average student but excelled in his English subjects. He did not bother to try out for a scholarship (I was too afraid of not making the grade requirement, he admitted) so he needed his tuition money to arrive in time for the enrolment period.
"When I was in high school, I moved from a public school to a private school. Siyempre, mas mahal na ang tuition doon. The school administrators are also more strict about payment deadlines. Kasi dati, in our public school, napapaki-usapan kahit medyo late payment for one or two days. So when I transferred to the private school, my father would send my high school tuition through LBC Peso Padala because in his experience, fast and reliable daw, JR said.
JR's father was a diabetic and sometimes stayed aboard cargo ships to inspect them as part of his job as customs officer. JR remembers that sometimes, his dad would be stricken with gout or would be unable to leave the ship he was inspecting. Such circumstances became a problem if they happened close to the enrolment period.
"And sometimes, my dad would even forget that my enrolment was due the next day, or he would be sick, or busy. That was when we all appreciated how fast and reliable LBC Peso Padala could be. It's a good thing that LBC Peso Padala is extremely fast: it arrives to the recipient on the same day it was sent. So I still was able to pay for my tuition, even if the money arrives on enrolment day," JR recalled.
Families of millions of OFWs and Filipino migrant workers rely on LBC Peso Padala as their lifeline, receiving the money needed to supply their needs as their providers work in far-off places. LBC Peso Padala is fast and reliable, facilitating same-day encashment deliveries of money remittances.
LBC Peso Padala remittances can be received through instant branch pick-up at any of the 850 LBC branches nationwide. LBC is committed to serving Filipinos no matter where they are, serving as a vital link between OFWs, migrant workers, and family members around the world.