By Klyde Ian L. Calamohoy, a political science student at the University of Cebu-Main Campus
When a Filipino leaves the country to work abroad, it is rarely because they want a life far from home. It is because they have to. They leave behind birthdays, family meals, and the comfort of being near the people they love, all for the hope of giving their families a better future. That is why global conflict hits OFWs and their families so hard. One day, they are simply working, and the next day, they are trying to survive in a place that has suddenly become unsafe. For families here in the Philippines, every news report feels personal, because the person in danger is not just some worker overseas. That person is our mother, father, sibling, or child.
What makes this situation even more painful is that many OFWs who want to come home cannot do so easily because the flight is too expensive. That part should never be normal. These are the same people who have been sacrificing for years, sending money home, paying for everything they can, and carrying the weight of their families on their shoulders. Yet when danger arises, they are still expected to spend their own money just to reach safety. We often say people are free to choose their path, but what kind of choice is this — to stay in danger or go home with nothing left? It does not feel like freedom. It feels like being cornered. If we really mean it when we call them heroes, then we should not leave them struggling alone when they need help the most.
The pain does not end with the OFW. It reaches the families waiting here at home. Parents cannot sleep well. Children keep checking their phones. Wives, husbands, brothers, and sisters all live with the same fear: what if something happens before they come home? Even a few hours of silence can feel like a lifetime. That is the cruelest part of global conflict for Filipino families. It does not stay far away. It follows us into our homes, into our prayers, into every message we wait for. And that is why this issue feels so heavy. OFWs are praised all the time, but praise is not enough when they are scared, stranded, and trying to survive.
OFWs should not be remembered only as people who send money home. They should be remembered as people who gave up so much just to keep their families alive and stable. In times of global conflict, they deserve more than admiration. They deserve protection, urgency, and real help. They deserve to come home without being punished for it. Because when a Filipino abroad is in danger, the entire family feels it. And when the world becomes unsafe, the least we can do is make sure our own people are not left behind.
