A 33-year-old single mother, jobless in Dubai for the past 6 months due to the pandemic, finally decided to go home to her kids in the Philippines for Christmas.
Maria Ritchelle Uringan Ferras of Abra left her children in June 2014 to find work in Dubai. Her return will be her first time to celebrate the holidays with her sons: Emman Anthony Turas, 12; and Dave Mitchel, 9.
“I am happy dahil after 6 years makakapag-Pasko na ako sa Pilipinas kasama ang pamilya, (I am happy because I get to spend Christmas with my family after 6 years),” said Ferras, who worked at the Tineg Mayor’s Office in Abra before she went to Dubai on a tourist visa, the expenses for which were first shouldered by her sister, and which she has managed to pay back.
Her plane ticket home was paid for by an auntie in Canada, she said.
“Said na said na po ako; wala nang pambayad ng upa. May mahanap man na trabaho, sobrang baba ng offer na sahod. Di na kayang panustos ng dalawang anak na nag-aaral. Modular class na mga anak ko, kailangan na ng presence at guidance ko po,” Ferras said.
(My funds were sucked dry, and I’d run out of rent money. Whatever jobs I found in Dubai paid too little. I could no longer support my kids who are both studying. They’re on modular classes now, and they need my presence and guidance.)
Before her decision to leave, Ferras worked odd jobs in Dubai in the hope of brighter days ahead.
“Nagpo-post po ako ng mga flats, rooms, partitions na available. May commission ‘pag may naipasok na tao na mag-rent. Nagbe-bake po ako ng cassava cakes, nagluluto ng bilo-bilo at mga biko na ibinebenta sa mga kakilala or sa mga umo-order sa Facebook,” said Ferras, who holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Legal Management from the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City.
(I would post about available flats, rooms, or partitions for rent, and I’d get a commission for every person who moved in. I would also sell rice cakes to people I knew, and through orders on Facebook.)
Balikbayan box
Like most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Dubai, Ferras religiously sends a balikbayan box at least once a year. She buys one as early as March and fills it up with goodies every pay day in time for shipping around October or November.
Despite the odds, Ferras managed to fill this year’s box and take it with her on her flight back to the Philippines on October 8.
“Yung inipon ko na pang cargo dapat, yun nalang po ipampapa-salubong ko. May mga namigay din po – yung mga kaibigan at kakilala na maswerteng may trabaho. May namigay ng chocolates at mga de-lata. Nakakatuwa. May mga masks pang naka-box.
“Nag-iipon po ako yearly kahit nung wala na akong regular job. Kapag may extra part-time work, naghahanap ako ng sale events,” narrated Ferras.
(The money I saved for cargo shipping, that’s what I used to buy goodies instead. Friends and acquaintances lucky enough to still have jobs also pitched in, from chocolates, to canned goods, to face masks. It’s wonderful…. I really save up each year, even when I didn’t have a regular job. Whenever I got extra part-time work, I’d look for sale events to shop at.)
Her flatmates also held a send-off for her the night she left.
“Yung kasama ko sa bahay na nagwo-work sa salon, nilinisan niya ako ng kuko. Yun na lang daw po maibibigay niya kasi 50% lang daw po sahod nila. Nakakatuwa po, sa kabila ng lahat gumagawa pa rin ang mga kabayan ng paraan para makatulong in their own little ways,” Ferras said.
(My housemate who works at a salon gave me a manicure. She said it was all she could give me since their salaries were cut in half. It’s great that despite everything, my fellow Filipinos still manage to help in their own little ways.)
Visit visa
Ferras is one of many OFWs who have fallen victim to employers abusing visit visas.
She got her first job in September 2014, several months after arriving in Dubai, as personal assistant to the general manager of a real estate company. After finishing her contract in October 2016, she transferred to a business consultancy firm as a receptionist and secretary. Unfortunately, the company folded after 6 months.
This was where her travails began.
Ferras found another company just as her visa’s one-month, post-contract cancellation grace period was about to end.
“They promised me a visa. Pero natapos ang grace period ko wala pa ring visa (But the grace period ended and I still hadn’t gotten one),” shared Ferras.
The company had told her that there were still complications in processing her residency visa. So, she exited the United Arab Emirates and obtained a three-month tourist visa on her expense.
“Pumayag na lang po ako since mahirap maghanap ng malilipatan at expired na rin naman yung [tourist] visa. Nang matapos na naman yung tourist visa ko, since kinukulit ko po sila sa [residency] visa ko, sabi po ay wag na raw akong mag-exit at yung company na ang bahala.
(I relented since it was difficult to find a place to stay, and my previous tourist visa was expired anyway. But soon, even my new tourist visa expired. After asking the company about the other visa over and over, they then told me not to leave the country and re-apply anymore, that they’d take care of it.)
“Ipapa-change status daw ako (to residency visa) at babayaran ang (overstay) fine ko (dahil hindi na nga nag-exit). Pero wala pa rin po. Ang dami kong struggles. Nagbayad ako ng fine at syempre po ako na naman bumili ng [tourist] visa ko. Sa sobrang sayang ng loob ko po, umalis na ako sa company,” Ferras narrated.
(They said they’d change my visa status to residency and pay for my overstay fine, but nothing happened. I struggled so much. I ended up shouldering the fine and spending for another tourist visa. I felt so cheated that I just ended up leaving the company.)
The cost of a tourist visa, which can be legally obtained from travel agencies, is around Dh2,000 or P26,500.
Plans
Once back in the Philippines, Ferras plans to go back to baking sweets or rice cakes and selling online – like she did when she was jobless.
“Susubukan ko ang online food business. Maghahanap ng work. Magtuturo sa mga anak ko. Kung babalik pa sa Dubai ay depende po. Kapag po hindi makaraos sa Pilipinas, babalik po baka next year kapag okay na ang economy at wala nang pandemic. Kailangan ko pong maghanapbuhay para sa mga anak ko,” Ferras said.
(I’ll try to start an online food business. I’ll look for work. I’ll help my kids with their lessons. Returning to Dubai depends on whether the Philippines overcomes this pandemic. I might return next year, when the economy is okay again and the pandemic’s over. I need to make a living for my kids.) – Rappler.com
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