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How to be a good parent while away
PARENTING while one is working overseas may be difficult, but is not an impossible task.
UGAT Foundation, an Ateneo de Manila University-based team, held the “Forum of Parenting for OFWs’ on December 6, 2015 at the Philippine Consulate General to share insights about long-distance parenting.
Father Nilo Tanalega, S.J., led the team that went to Hong Kong for the activity.
Irene Padasas, a researcher at the Psychology Department of AdMU, said quality communication is crucial in maintaining a healthy and loving relationship between a child and a parent who is abroad.
“Ang komunikasyon ay mahalagang-mahalaga. Una, ang komunikasyon na iyon kasi doon po nakadepende ang mga bata. Wala po tayong dahilan na hindi tayo makakatawag,” she said.
During the forum, a participant tearfully recalled how her husband was seemingly clueless about taking care of their children and managing the household.
Padasas said Filipinos should learn that parenting is a shared responsibility between the father and the mother and that a father should be able to take care of the children while the mother is working abroad.
In cases that the spouses have separated, it is important that those taking care of the children in the Philippines should also be supportive of the standard of discipline that the parent wants.
“Ang disiplina nanggagaling sa nanay. Minsan ang disiplina ng nanay at iyong naiiwan sa anak ay magkaiba. May conflict doon, mayroon talaga at ang bata malilito siya,” she said.
Importante na ang support system ninyo o ang pinag-iwanan ninyo sa mga anak ninyo ay malinaw kung ano ang disiplina na gusto ninyo,” she added.
Source: http://hongkongnews.com.hk/news/how-to-be-a-good-parent-while-away/
Repatriated OFWs resist pandemic’s stress through family bonds
August 31, 2020 by Kristine Anne T. Macasiray
Many Filipino construction workers in Saudi Arabia have lost their jobs in even before the pandemic. Photo credit: Pixabay
Thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been made redundant because of Covid-19. However, the all-enduring Filipino safety net during crises – the family – soldiered migrant breadwinners to confront uncertain economic futures, with love.
Some repatriated OFWs recently shared their experiences during a webinar organized by the Catholic-run nonprofit Scalabrini Migration Center in Manila. Wilfredo Pamposa who came back from Saudi Arabia was one of those who attended the event. Unpaid salaries and benefits from two bankrupt Saudi Arabian construction firms had left him without any money even before the pandemic.
To make things worse, Wilfredo’s iqama (the Kingdom’s permit for employment visa holders) had expired. Since 2019, he and fellow Filipino workers had been economically immobile: “I was on standby for a year, remitting nothing to my family.”
Raising funds through whatever means necessary, Wilfredo miraculously paid the penalty for his expired iqama and his exit visa fees. With the help of Philippine diplomatic and labour personnel in Riyadh, he was repatriated in May.
Wilfredo’s tone grew hushed as he narrated this story during the webinar. After at least a year of being away from his family, he finally slept on Philippine soil, albeit during a nine-day quarantine at a small motel in Quezon City.
When the negative swab test result came out, wife Grace cried out in glee. “What’s important is that he’s back home safe – even without money,” she says. The trip from the motel to their rented apartment in Antipolo City had finally ended Wilfredo’s years of financial despair.
“A grieving process that will take time”
Wilfredo’s story reveal a “grieving process” that returned OFWs have to go through, explains veteran OFW counsellor Fr. Nilo Tanalega, S.J. of the UGAT Foundation .
“A job and a dream were both lost,” Fr. Nilo tells OFW couples during the webinar.
Fr. Nilo recommends constant communication between couples at these time of reintegration, when quarantines and other restrictions are also in place. This approach, he adds, is a “process that will take time for them to adjust and adapt to family life again.”
“Remember, the OFW is accustomed to living alone. Then he or she went back abruptly,” Fr. Nilo reminds couples.
The pandemic and the resulting quarantines OFWs faced saw them at risk of mental health problems. Recent reports of suicides by Filipino seafarers for example “are serious matters,” Fr. Nilo says. He advises couples with repatriated OFW breadwinners to ask themselves how they and their families should soldier on.
Economically, for example, he urges OFW couples to ask themselves during this pandemic: “How will we know if what we have is enough for us [Paano natin malalaman na sapat na iyan para sa inyo]?”
Time for family despite economic loss
For the Pamposa family, Wilfredo’s repatriation was something they looked forward to. “We’re happy even without money. At least he’s back home [Masaya po kami kahit walang pera. At least nakauwi na],” a teary-eyed Grace uttered. “We can earn money once again. What’s important is he’s safe [Iyung pera naman, mapagkikitaan uli iyan. Ang importante, ligtas siya].”
“I tended to an ‘ihaw-ihaw’ (street food) stall,” before the pandemic, Grace Pamposa shares. Schooling had been stopped for two of their three children since 2019 who earn from tutoring neighbourhood children.
The support of family is much needed at this time when over 200,000 repatriated land- and sea-based OFWs have been laid off from work. According to the Department of Labor and Employment, more than 600,000 OFWs have requested for cash assistance from them. The agency provides a one-time £152 ($200) cash aid to eligible workers.
Struggles at sea
In March, seafarer Archie Arce saw his cruise ship grounded just a month from his return to active duty, with Covid-19 hitting passengers and crew of many luxury cruises.
Docked for five weeks by required quarantine measures, Archie – now back home – is unsure how to make ends meet. He is keenly aware that in Caloocan City where he lives, everyone appears to be running an online business. “I still can’t think of a business until now because many, many people here are now doing business online [Wala kaming maisip na puwedeng business. Dami na kasing nago-online].”
Wife Regine (a church volunteer) and their 16-year-old daughter comforted their “sad” father with smiles upon his stepping foot in their humble abode. “Finally [Sa wakas],” Regine said gleefully, “you’re here! We’ll take care of you.” They have decided not to send their daughter back to school “until the financial support comes back.”
Family bonding and prayer
And with Filipinos still perplexed at the uncertainties their immediate futures hold, 28-year-old seafarer Teodoro Rosello worries about his work. “Will we get rehired if our companies recover from this pandemic?” he asks.
But the return home, Teodoro says, “is freedom from work” for seafarers like him. Going home to Bacoor City, Cavite is “the happiest part,” and wife Charity made Teodoro’s return happier with a tight hug.
“The family’s whole again. I’m seeing my three boys again,” Teodoro said.
Yet Covid-19 forced the Teodoros to stay at home as Cavite was placed on general community quarantine. All plans for out-of-town leisure were cancelled.
Despite this, the family have been enjoying cooking and grilling together, and singing to their hearts’ delight. For now, singing seems to pacify the Teodoros’ stresses caused by pandemic. But for how long, one can only guess.
One thing which has kept their spirits up at this time is prayer, Charity says. “During this time that we do not know what happens next, we need to cling to prayers. If before we had trust in the Lord, now all the more we need to stick to Him.”
Source: https://tinig-uk.com/repatriated-ofws-resist-pandemics-stress-through-family-bonds/
Philippines Province On-Going Formation Workshop
We, the “Eagles”, the distinguishing name given to the last level of On-Going Formation Group (58 years old and above), with the exception of Sr. Ma. Rita Siochi and Sr. Innocenza Turra, participated and experienced the 3-day Modular Course on “Psychodynamics: Implications to Religious and Family Life”. Sr. Brenda Balingasa, Provincial Councilor and one of the Coordinators of the On-going Formation Groups, also joined us. The Seminar-Workshop was held at the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute (SAIDI), Antipolo City, Philippines, on May 8-10, 2007 and was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Nilo Tanalega, SJ, together with his Staff from UGAT Foundation Inc.
It is a Session where we, the participants, have undergone both individual and group processing. Following Bateson’s theory that the basic unit of life is interaction, whenever we speak of human being, he/she can not be and will never be alone. As relational beings, whatever we think, say and do will always have an impact on others, even, and including prayers.
Thus, we were led to look into the issues about ourselves which could have great implications not just in our relationships, but also in our ministries as formators, community animators, pastoral leaders, etc. Some of the things we looked into were the different relationships in our families and in the past which have greatly affected our relationships in the present and also in our way of reacting, judging, operating, etc.
We concluded the 3-day Encounter with praise and thanksgiving for the opportunity given us to be able to journey deeply within and understand better the salvific action of God in our personal histories, thus, enabling us to understand and accept the others’ as well. We continue to pray for the openness of heart for each of us, and docility to the work of the Spirit within us, so that this Encounter may truly make a big difference both in our fraternal life and life of commitment.
Source: https://win.pastorelle.org/vita-circoscrizioni/pi_formative.htm
M’sia, S’pore, Brunei delegates meet to discuss migrant issues
A recent regional meeting for Catholics serving migrants has been a useful learning experience, say participants.The sixth annual conference of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral care of Migrants & Itinerant People (EMI) allowed “us to meet our counterparts in Malaysia (including Sabah and Sarawak) and Brunei”, said Mr Timothy Karl. The executive director of […]
A recent regional meeting for Catholics serving migrants has been a useful learning experience, say participants.
The sixth annual conference of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral care of Migrants & Itinerant People (EMI) allowed “us to meet our counterparts in Malaysia (including Sabah and Sarawak) and Brunei”, said Mr Timothy Karl.
The executive director of Singapore’s Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants & Itinerant People (ACMI) said “it is interesting to see how the various dioceses with different situations and profiles reach out to their migrant populations. In church work, we learn from one another.”
Twenty-one participants, including clergy and laypeople, attended the May 8-11 conference held at the Montfort Centre off Upper Bukit Timah Road.
EMI comes under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Bishop Paul Tan, from the Diocese of Melaka-Johor and current EMI president noted that “all dioceses have improved in some way or another” in serving migrants. He added that he found the talks during the conference “very good”.
These were:Advertisement
- Migrant Families Left Behind delivered by Jesuit Fr Nilo E Tanalega, director of the Philippines-based UGAT Foundation which concerns itself with the pastoral care of families left behind by overseas foreign workers.
- He spoke about the impact of migration and stressed the need for communication hubs for migrants to keep in touch with their families back home.
- Trafficking in Persons: a Catholic Perspective by ACMI chairman Mark Goh.
- FMM Experiences on Anti-Trafficking in Singapore by Sr Sylvia Ng. The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary nun shared her experiences of her work in a red-light area in Singapore and explained the need to defend life, justice and human dignity.
- Church Migrant Advocacy by Mr Joachim Xavier, a Malaysian advocate and solicitor, who spoke on advocacy methods and the Church’s view of advocacy.
EMI chairman Sudhagaran Stanley from Penang said the organisation’s main focus will now be to make more people aware of migrant issues and the challenges these people face.
During the conference, participants also visited ACMI’s training centre for foreign domestic workers in Hougang.
EMI holds meetings in various dioceses in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei during which delegates share their experiences and participate in formation talks.
The next EMI conference is scheduled for May 2015 in Kuala Lumpur.
By Don Gurugay
Source: https://catholicnews.sg/2014/05/28/m-sia-s-pore-brunei-delegates-meet-to-discuss-migrant-issues/
NILO E. TANALEGA, SJ – MISSIONARY FOR OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS
Labor migration from the Philippines continues to rise, as employment prospects, both for skilled and non-skilled workers, in the country remain limited. At present, there are roughly 10 million Filipino international migrant workers all over the world. They are referred as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).
The unofficial count of Filipinos who left the country in 2013 was pegged at 1.3 million.
Moreover, the feminization of labor migration continues as Filipino women remain courageous in leaving their families to work as household service workers, mostly in the Middle East, Hong Kong or Singapore.
Considered a temporary labor supply to the construction boom in the Middle East in the 1970s has become a permanent, and a growing phenomenon. The Philippine government must have found this very convenient to alleviate the ailing economy. If you ask young Filipinos what they want to become when they grow up, they would tell you that they want to work abroad.
The Philippine government has hailed the OFW as “modern heroes” for their dollar remittances that are crucial in keeping the domestic economy afloat. Moreover, the government has been trying its best to protect the welfare of OFWs. However, what has been lacking all these years is adequate mental health care for the OFWs and the families they left behind. This is where the work of Jesuit priest, Fr. Nilo E. Tanalega, becomes crucial.
Fr. Tanalega founded UGAT Foundation Inc., with another Jesuit and some lay collaborators sometime in 1986 when he came back from New York after his doctoral studies in pastoral counseling.
It took extensive three years of consultation and planning to come up with the following values for UGAT Foundation: (a) we need to respond to the call of the Catholic Church to the “preferential option to the poor”; (b) we cannot be saddled by funding agencies (lingering dependency and time consuming reports); (c) we adjust and accommodate ourselves to whatever the communities can provide, i.e. the basic needs for food and transportation; (d) we apply the spirit of the gospels as possible, i.e. “carry no two cloaks or sandals” and “whatever they feed you, eat”; (e) in solidarity with the poor, we have to live by the sweat of our brow.
UGAT programs
The psycho-social cost of labor migration is difficult to quantify. For four decades now, the Philippine society has to contain generations of young Filipinos who grew up without parent or parents. Fr. Tanalega and his co-founder saw the damage to the individuals and families due to labor migration.
In general, Filipinos are family-oriented, but with the phenomenon of parents leaving for overseas work, eroded the values of family support system. Children are left to their grandparents or other adult members of the extended family. Abuse and neglect are not uncommon. To compensate their absence, overseas parents often over indulge their children with money and gadgets. A diocesan seminarian whose parents are OFWs opined, “It seems my parents never realized that it’s not money, nor gadgets, that I really wanted from them.”
To help the OFWs and their families deal with the consequence of separation, Fr. Tanalega has designed formation programs for the migrants at their jobsites and for the families left behind in the country. He and his team of counselors have been going to jobsites like Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, and Dubai to conduct seminar-workshops on peer counseling, on basic and advance counseling skills, and on raising functional families from abroad.
In the homefront, he designed many psycho-social formation programs namely: a program for the remaining spouses of OFWs; program for the wives and families of seafarers; program for children of OFWs; value clarification for those who are preparing to leave for overseas work; value formation on family reintegration for returning migrants; psycho-social processing for victims of sea piracy; and basic and advance counseling skill training for teachers in dealing with children of OFWs.
Moreover, UGAT has been providing psychological services to two major agencies of the Philippine government: Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). For OWWA, UGAT counselors conduct stress debriefing and individual counseling to the repatriated OFWs – mostly abused household service workers from the Middle East; and for DFA staff, who are either preparing for foreign assignment or returned from their duty abroad, the team provides wellness formation program.
As UGAT celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015, the challenge is to constantly re-invent UGAT’s formation programs, interventions, and approaches to effectively deal with the varieties of needs across family situations, political, economic pressures, especially in the international scene.
UGAT team (one Jesuit priest; two Jesuit scholastics; two full-time staff; and a host of volunteer counselors) is excited to carry on UGAT’s mission. They believe that UGAT Foundation has come to existence because Fr. Tanalega and his co-founders were inspired by God. If God has willed UGAT, He will sustain it.
ABS-CBN and TFC, together with Ugat Foundation make the final call for nominations for unsung heroes of our time in South Korea and Qatar
Quezon City, Philippines (January 24, 2017) – Gawad Geny Lopez Jr., Bayaning Pilipino Awards, the search for modern day heroes, makes a final call for nominations after its launch in South Korea and Qatar in the last quarter of 2016. Deadline for nominations is set on February 15, 2017.
Inspired by a story of an overseas Filipino (OF) who died saving her ward in Hong Kong, the search for unsung heroes was launched by ABS-CBN Chairman Emeritus Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr. or Kapitan as he is widely known, in 1995. It has since then been brought to other parts of the world to honor Filipinos who make a difference in their communities.
Bayaning Pilipino, in the words of Fr. Nilo Tanalega, SJ, UGAT Foundation executive director, was launched to give recognition to people behind heroic acts often unheard of. “Bayaning Pilipino is our own way of recognizing ordinary people whose body of work usually remain unpublicized but should definitely be made known,” Fr. Tanalega emphasizes.
Bayaning Pilipino Awards now embodies Kapitan’s vision and hopes to foster Filipino values amidst changing and challenging times.
Recognizing the growing number of Filipinos in East Asia and the Middle East, ABS-CBN and TFC together with Ugat Foundation took the search to South Korea and Qatar in November of last year. This is to pay tribute to Filipinos who help their fellowmen in hard times even when faced with adversity themselves.
Qatar is home to over 200,000 Filipinos (204,550 based on the latest Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and Commission on Filipinos Overseas Latest Stock Estimates of Filipinos Overseas and 379,432 according to the Department of Foreign Affairs Overseas Voting Secretariat [DFA OVS]) where some of our kababayans are faced with issues such as contract violations according to the Overseas Workers’ Welfare and Administration (OWWA). Despite these challenges, the Filipinos in the region continue to inspire their kababayans.
According to ABS-CBN Special Projects Consultant and Project Head for Bayaning Pilipino Chit Guerrero: “Because of the growing population of Filipinos in Middle East and East Asia and the richness of the stories we heard from Filipino communities, we have extended the search to these parts of the world. What is impressive is how they are able to help others, even if they have their own matters to attend to.”
The mounting of Bayaning Pilipino Awards in Qatar is also a milestone for TFC because it coincides with the network’s celebration of two decades in the region and this award validates the team’s continued mission of service.
In South Korea, as the population of Filipinos in continues to grow with over 50,000 Pinoys in the country, (59,839 according the latest Stock Estimate of Filipinos Overseas and 54,977 in 2015 according to DFA OVS), they are confronted with more pressing issues, such as discrimination and other concerns. However, our kababayans remain unfazed as their passion to help triumphs over these challenges. This is what Bayaning Pilipino wishes to honor.
Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards aims to recognize these individuals who in their simple ways exemplify Filipino values:
· promote Filipino culture and heritage through a showcase of the Philippines’ best and a moving forward through education;
· encourage positivism and participation in the community
· focus their efforts to serve others, at times breaking norms or innovating; and
· transcend social barriers
Nominees should be 1. in active community service; 2. have successfully mounted and fulfilled a project; and 3. have made an impact in a community may it be in the Philippines or in the country they are currently in.
Regional winners will be awarded in their respective areas, while country winners will be flown to the Philippines to attend the awarding ceremony on June 12, 2017, Independence Day.
Aside from the honor bestowed through the Bayaning Pilipino medallion, winners will also receive the honor of being in the company of fellow heroes in their homeland.
As the 2014 Regional Winner Aksyon ng Ating Kabataan Inc. Director Daisydee Bautista aptly expressed at the time of her organization’s win: “It’s not about being different or standing out to separate yourselves from the others, but it’s a way to relate and to involve yourself with everyone so that you can have the opportunities to share these and your learnings.”
The search will culminate on February 15, 2017. If you know of any individual who has touched lives in the communities of Qatar and South Korea, let their story inspire others to do the same by nominating them in Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino awards.
Inspire the world with news about the good works of a youth or organization in your community by emailing (bayaningpilipinoawards@yahoo.com), sending a private message/entry to Facebook page GAWAD GENY LOPEZ BAYANING PILIPINO AWARDS, or filling up the form at bayaningpilipinoawards.com
Source: https://www.lionheartv.net/2017/01/bayaning-pilipino-awards/
PH Embassy in Washington Hosts 3-Part Webinar Series for OFWs in Commemoration of Filipino Migrant Workers’ Day 2020
Philippine Agriculture Secretary William Dar, representatives from the Philippine Embassies, Consulates General, Overseas Labor Office (POLO), and Agriculture Attache’s Office in the Americas, and featured speakers exhort webinar participants and online viewers to “Let’s Plant, Plant Plant! Grow, Grow, Grow!”, during “Kabayan, may Kabuhayan sa Kabukiran” on 17 June 2020. (Washington D.C. PE photo)
WASHINGTON, D.C. 03 July 2020 – In commemoration of the Philippine Migrant Workers Day, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO-WDC), held a three-part webinar series for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United States and the Americas on 17, 20, and 27 June 2020.
The first webinar, entitled “Kabayan, may Kabuhayan sa Kabukiran”, was conducted in collaboration with the Office of the Agriculture Attaché in Washington, D.C. It featured Philippine Agriculture Secretary William Dar who encouraged OFWs to venture in agriculture, fishery, and agribusiness enterprises should they decide to return home or invest on behalf of their families. He also presented current programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA) that provide financial assistance, technical training, scholarships, livelihood development, and agri-fishery enterprises.
The Secretary was joined in at the DA office by actor-singer James Reid, who was recently designated as DA food security ambassador, and his team from “The Freshest”, a firm engaged in hydroponics, led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Fiona Faulkner.
Dream Agritech, a start-up of millennial professional agriculturalists also gave a presentation on how they can help OFWs develop their “dream farms”.
The second webinar, “Kamusta Ka Kabayan?” underscored the importance of mental health during this time of uncertainty. Father Nilo Tanalega of the UGAT Foundation shared tips on how to harness the power of an idea, passion, determination, and meaning to overcome the negative thoughts and emotions stemming from the pandemic. The session was capped off with a reaction from Atty. Dennis Gorecho who is an expert on issues concerning seafarers.
In the final webinar of the series, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Bernard P. Olalia discussed the guidelines and procedures that are being implemented with the guidance of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), for OFWs who are to be deployed for employment, as well as those who have been scheduled for repatriation. The adjusted process in the revalidation of Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs), implementing an appointment system to avail of POEA services, and designating “green lanes” are among the measures taken by the agency to better serve returning OFWs. At the same time, Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) shared OWWA’s operations and experiences while serving OFWs who had to be transported from the airport to their homes. OWWA is providing repatriation assistance to its member-OFWs, guiding them through arrival formalities at the airport, providing them with transport to their designated hotels for quarantine, and arranging transportation from the quarantine facilities to their homes in other parts of the Philippines.
Agriculture Attaché Dr. Josyline Javelosa, Welfare Officer Josephine Tobia, and Assistant Labor Attaché Marie Josephine Borromeo moderated the webinars.
“COVID-19 might have prevented us from holding our annual commemoration in the usual way but it should not stop us from reliving the spirit behind the Migrant Workers Day celebration. As our Filipino migrant workers face the most challenging times of their lives, the duty to protect and empower them becomes more imperative,” said Labor Attaché Atty. Angela Librado-Trinidad.
“All of us at the Philippine Embassy are here to support our OFWs who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar series is only the first of many initiatives that will aim to prepare, educate, and inspire OFWs as they navigate the new normal,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said in a separate statement.
Filipino Migrant Workers’ Day is celebrated every year on 07 June to celebrate the signing of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act of 1995.
All webinars are available for streaming on the Facebook page of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.:www.facebook.com/PHinUSA. END
Webinar with Fr. Nilo Tanalega (resource person) and Atty. Dennis Gorecho (reactor) on 20 June 2020. (Washington D.C. PE photo)
Tagum Co-op starts to build the social and emotional safety nets for OFs and families
If there is one common reason why Filipinos go abroad, giving the best life and future for their families would be that. Family is at the heart of every migration story. Family is the force behind every sacrifice, hard work, and fortitude of the Filipino Overseas (OF) workers. It is therefore of utmost concern that while the OFs work hard for their families, their families remain strong, united, and intact. This same philosophy drove NATCCO to introduce the Psycho Social component to its existing Diaspora Program. Thousands of stories of OF families reflect the harsh realities that while the financial goals of migration are achieved, the families ended up in conflict and disintegration. Realizing the urgent need of psycho social interventions for the OF families, Diaspora Partner Co-ops, integrated psycho social activities in their services. These services are in the form of family counseling, formation of family circles, and counseling for the children of OFs (COWs) and spouses of OFs (SOWs).
Building the capacities of the co-op managers
Tagum Cooperative (TC), NATCCO’s Diaspora Partner in Mindanao, organized the Trainers’ Training on PsychoSocial Services for OF Families, on February 29, 2020, at their Main Office in Magugpo West, Tagum City. The TOT was participated by forty-seven (47) Board of Directors, Officers, Key Management, and Branch Managers of TC. The TOT was facilitated by the counseling team of UGAT Foundation, NATCCO’s partner in its pyscho-social program. The team was led by Father Nilo Tanalega, SJ, founder and senior counselor of Ugat. The TOT aims to inform, inspire, and to impart a deeper understanding of the emotional and systemic bonds that change with overseas employment. It also aims to equip the co-op officers and staff of the basic helping skills to assist the OF family members in building their emotional resilience. The training also presented the various systems that can help build stronger individuals and families. Co-ops, the government, churches, and other civil society organizations can work together to build a stronger and more resilient OF family unit.
Co-op service across borders
In recent years, a vital component of membership in TC has been the increase of Overseas Filipinos (OFs). With overseas employment, factors involving separation from one’s spouse and one’s children, the changes that occur within the family unit, and other unavoidable circumstances happen. This reality has been observed also by the officers and staff of TC in its everyday interaction with the members in the community. Specifically, TC has seen it to be a relevant and important issue to tackle since total member development is what the co-op aspires for.
Recent data shows that TC has 2,496 OFs and 17,982 OF Family members (OFFM). A total of P1.9 Billion deposits have been generated by both OFs and OFFMs. These figures represent strong financial safety nets for the OFs’ retirement and eventual reintegration. This will be made more holistic if strong social and emotional safety nets are simultaneously built. TC starts to build both.