Vox pop by Adrian Vallesteros and Rui Pastorin
Filipinos make up the second largest non-local group in Macau’s labour force, just behind the Chinese mainlanders.
Data on the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) website shows that as of the end of last year, Macau had a total of 30,912 non-resident workers from the Philippines, while there is also a considerable number of Filipinos who are Macau residents. With many working far from home, the Post wanted to hear their stories, interviewing several in the city centre to know more about their lives as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Macau.
Loralie has been in Macau for just three months. The 46-year-old domestic helper said she was happy with her new job, saying, “All good, all good” when asked about her experience.
When asked about missing home and the Philippines, she expressed her difficulties, saying she calls her son and daughter whenever she misses them. She remarked: “It’s hard, but of course it’s a necessity [to work here]”. And when discussing the challenge of being so far away from home, she noted: “We need to endure.”
She advised anyone considering going overseas to think twice before moving to somewhere far away. However, if they really don’t have a choice, “they need to be strong.”
Faye, a 53-year-old domestic helper who has been in Macau for nine years, shared the same sentiment regarding the difficulties of being away from family. She chose Macau because she felt the work here would be “lighter” than in Hong Kong.
She added that when she misses home, she contacts her family through video calls, and when asked by the Post about the advice she would give to anyone considering working abroad, she emphasised the importance of sacrifice, saying that people come here to earn a decent income and provide for their families.
Both Loralie and Faye share their experiences of the struggles of missing home and family. However, interviewees Michael, Martin and James said that when they miss the Philippines, they say they can just go back. One of them added: “You won’t really miss it because you can always call.”
The trio have been working in Macau as cleaners, with James starting to work here in 2012 until 2014, returning again in 2016. Michael, meanwhile, began working here in 2016, while Martin started in 2018. They all enjoy working in Macau, with one of them noting that, as foreign workers, they don’t experience discrimination here: “It feels like you have rights here.” They also mentioned having a sense of community in Macau due to the presence of so many Filipinos.
The other realities of working abroad
Jenny has been in Macau since 2019. But this isn’t her first stint of working abroad, having already worked in places like Qatar and Jordan across a nearly 26-year period. Despite this, being away from home does not get any easier for the 45-year-old, who said that homesickness was at times unavoidable because of her kids.
Starting off in Macau as a cleaner at an integrated resort to now working at a restaurant, life in Macau has been “okay” for Jenny, who noted that although her salary isn’t that high, it’s better than what she could make back home, although she has not been back since 2019. And with one of her kids finishing college, she said she hopes to keep working before she decides to go back.
For a younger generation in the Philippines, she said that, if possible, they should prioritise studying. “It’s hard to work abroad, you have to make a lot of sacrifices. That’s why I keep telling my kids that I don’t want them to have the same experience as I have... I want them to be able to study, finish and find a good job rather than facing the same situation”.
Sharing a similar experience was Franco, who said he has been employed in Macau for 13 to 14 years, working in logistics before moving on to being a carpet technician. Macau was a viable choice for him when he decided to work abroad, citing factors like local government policies and its close proximity to home, where he has four kids.
Distance is among the things he says he feels regarding his kids back home, which is at times pronounced when he calls them and have a “one question, one answer” situation.
“Sometimes they ask why I am so far away and I try to make them understand that it’s so that they would have a better tomorrow”, said the 46-year-old, adding that it was all for them. He often advises his first-born child to do his best back home so that he can find a job there rather than experiencing life away from family.
If they have a good job back home, then don’t need to leave, he said. Otherwise, moving abroad is an option, but be ready to take on the outcome it’ll have in terms of family, Franco said, adding that though going abroad will not break a family apart, it may happen.
A customer buys products from a shop in the city centre that mainly sells Filipino products. – Photo taken last night by Rui Pastorin
