Miles away: An OFW family gives back

MANILA, Philippines – Several years ago, they moved to London to build a new future. But they also found themselves helping fellow Filipinos build theirs.

Michael Duque, 40, is a nurse by profession. In 1999, he moved to London to work, leaving his wife and 2 children behind. His wife Glenda, 39, also a nurse, followed Michael to London during the late 2000s with their two children, Helina and Christopher, now 13 and 10 years old respectively. Their youngest son, Mark Gabriel, 3, was born in London.

In 2003, Michael founded the Philippine Nurses Association of the United Kingdom (PNA-UK), which aimed to provide Filipino nurses a support system in the UK. The organization offers workshops and training on immigration and fair labor practices, employment opportunities and financial issues. It also helps nurses who are exploited by their agencies.

Michael, president of the organization, speaks in seminars while Glenda conducts baking workshops. Their 2 older children help by organizing day care for the children of the organization’s members.

At home, they keep the Filipino culture alive by speaking in Filipino and punctuating their sentences with “po” or “opo.” Michael and Glenda make sure that their kids embrace their own culture and are proud to be Filipinos.

For all these efforts, the Duque family is the first recipient of the Jollibee-Coca-Cola Global Pinoy Family of the year Award.

In its 3^rd year, the Jollibee Family Value Awards or JFVA introduced this new category to recognize OFW families who, despite their distance from the Philippines, still make an effort to help fellow Filipinos and their community.

The awarding ceremony took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last October 15.

Michael says that upon knowing they were recognized by JFVA, he was skeptical and remained that way until he finally received a ticket back to the Philippines for the awarding ceremony. “We are not used to the limelight. Sanay kaming lagi nasa background lang. Kami ang nag-oorganize, kami lang ang laging nag co-coordinate.” (We are used to being just in the background. We are the organizers and coordinators.)

This award is timely for them, especially since they were beginning to consider focusing more on their family after a decade of community service. “This award meant something more because it actually now inspires us to stop that concept or to now overcome that [retirement mode] and move forward to continue what we’re doing. It is now an inspiration to move forward.”

The Duque family is an example of how Filipinos can still make a difference even if they are miles away from home. They’re living proof of how one family’s passion for helping others can change lives for the better. – Rappler.com