OFW from Japan comes home to see the Pope

Alisha Buaya

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

OFW from Japan comes home to see the Pope
Migrants like Jing Fukuda face many challenges living in a country that is not theirs and hope Pope Francis understands their struggles

MANILA, Philippines – Gusto kong umuwi that time, I wanted to go back to the Philippines. Pero hindi nga ako puwede ako makauwi, buntis ako noon,” Jing Fukuda said. (I wanted to come home at the time…but I couldn’t because I was pregnant.) 

Fukuda, a Filipina living in Japan, has been an OFW since 1992. She was unable to make the journey back home and missed the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul ll (Now Saint Pope John Paul II) on his second visit to the Philippines.

This time she made the journey back home to be part of the historic event of Pope Francis’ first visit to the Philippines. (READ: Thousands welcome Pope Francis to the Philippines

“Super excited ako. Gusto ko siyang makita na malapit, magiging masayang-masaya ako,” Fukuda said, while watching the Popes arrival at Villamor Airbase. (I’m very excited. I want to see him up close, it would make me very, very happy.) 

Originally from Alabang, Jing Fukuda lived simply and worked at Sharp Electronics factory in Japan.

She met her Japanese husband through her friend, who married his friend in the Philippines. They married and relocated to Japan where they now have two children, Masaki, 21, and Maiko, 17.

One of the biggest challenges she faced living in a country that was not her own was the language barrier making communication between herself and her husband difficult.

Fukuda is a housewife in Japan and regularly sends money back home. Aside from taking care of her husband and children, she is also a care-giver to her in-laws.

She arranged her schedule and booked her flight to align with the Pope’s visit. She was determined not to miss it this time. 

Fukuda got in touch with Father Resty Ogsimer, priest and adviser of her Couples For Christ group in Japan, to help arrange her visit.

“Kaya nakipag-cooperate ako kay Father Resty kung meron siyang ticket para makipag-join sa Mass sa Cathedral, sa UST, tapos sa Mall of Asia, pero talagang super higpit daw talaga,” she said.

She noted that she would probably join the many people in Quirino Grandstand on Sunday for the open-air papal Mass.

Migrants like herself face many challenges living in a country that is not theirs and hope Pope Francis – being the child of a migrant himself – understands their struggles like homesickness, being away from loved ones, and cultural differences.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, said the plight of migrant workers “brings Pope Francis close to Filipinos.”

Fukuda said Pope Francis inspires her to continue to work hard and make tough sacrifices as an OFW: “We have to fight di ba dahil unang-una hindi natin bansa yun, we have to makibagay, makisama di ba? (But we have to fight because first of all it’s not our country. We just have to adjust and get along with them.) 

She added, “For me, its a blessing (to be here). And siyempre once in a lifetime yan mangyari, yung ang katulad ko na galing ako ng ibang bansa tapos pumunta ako sa Pilipinas.” (Of course, it happens once in a lifetime, that someone like me comes home to the Philippines.)

“Hindi ko man siya malapitan, hindi ko man siya mahawakan, to attend lang ang Mass nya, is blessing na sa akin,” she said. (Even if I’m not able to come close to him, even if I’m unable to touch him, just to be able to attend his Mass is already a blessing for me.) – Rappler.com 

Alisha Buaya is a Rappler intern

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!