One Misery After Another: The Ordeals of Philippine Overseas Filipino Workers due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Keywords:
COVID-19, overseas Filipino workers, migrants, quarantine, PhilippinesAbstract
Migrant or overseas workers face a very difficult situation when the COVID-19 pandemic strikes which also caught the government by surprise. The case of the Filipino Overseas Workers is even more challenging. Going back to the Philippines is a long and arduous ordeal, such as getting clearance to leave from the host country, from the Philippine National Government upon arriving, and from the Local Government Unit before they could reach home. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to explore the life stories of Returning Overseas Filipino Workers (ROFs) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It employs a descriptive phenomenological design. Ten (10) ROFs willingly participate in the key informant interviews. Results identify inconvenience and forced double-quarantine as their main struggles. As regards their coping mechanisms, the three themes that emerged are optimism, awareness, and resourcefulness. The situation of the ROFs is a glimpse of the misery this pandemic brings to the vulnerable migrant or overseas workers and it calls for governments around the world to craft policies and act with a well-coordinated, effective and efficient response.
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