By ACC Delen
This piece is written while I am still in quarantine. Bar anything unfortunate happening, then I should be out soon…to begin again. Yet, as I often tell friends, one cannot start to feel stable and rooted in this time of uncertainty because not only is change constant, it is also like a thief in the night, catching you when you least expect it. All you can hope for is that when change does come, it is for the better rather than the opposite.
Case in point, just this week, a new policy allowing expatriates (OFWs included I believe) with unexpired visas to enter China has been making the rounds of various social media apps and naturally passed on from one group chat to another. I myself has been sent a copy of it through WeChat, the predominant social media app used by locals and expatriates alike in the Middle Kingdom. I am of course cautious about it though based on the comments I’ve been reading, fellow OFWs still stuck in the Philippines are very optimistic about it. I admire such optimism…especially since just a few days before, discussions centered on requirement for visa application regardless of whether it is expired or not. However, I really hope it is indeed true for it will be a big help for those who still have existing visas.
One other thing that is pre-occupying OFWs at the moment is the cost of plane tickets flying back to China. I mentioned it previously and when I wrote that a one way ticket back literally costs an arm and a leg, I wasn’t exaggerating. People are hoping that as we head towards October, these rates will decrease which it could as more flights are added. But what does it mean for the Philippines and the hundreds, one group chat alone already has 467 members, of Overseas Filipino Workers hoping, needing to get back to work outside of the country? Would the last three months of the year 2020 bring any relief?
Here are a few things we could ponder on even as we hope for the best. First off, the number of CoVid 19 cases in the Philippines continues to rise. Every day brings not one or two but hundreds and even thousands of confirmed cases. Yes, yes, mortality rate is low as the country’s Department of Health keeps on pointing out but really, that’s like saying, “But it’s only a tiny drop of red wine on someone’s otherwise pristine white shirt.” The tiny drop is what people notice not the whiteness of the rest of the shirt! Secondly, China’s CoVid 19 cases at the moment are all imported cases, two of which were on my flight last September 11. Right now the country is working hard to remain virus free even as its experts warn of a second wave. Last but not the least, transit cities/countries that used to be open either remain close or were open but have decided to close again for safety reasons.
These are just a few considerations that could possibly affect the cost of plane tickets. There are others, including a move by a group of OFWs seeking help from Migrante, which, according to my research is an alliance of Filipino workers with the goal of helping the cause of various workers’ groups in and outside the Philippines. If successful, there is a possibility of chartering a plane for returning OFWs at a much lower cost than the plane tickets sold at this time. I really really hope this would work out because it there is one group of people who needs help at this time, it’s the Overseas Filipino Workers.
Am I biased because I am one? No. I just had the benefit of having witnessed how many of them work so hard on not one but two or even three jobs in order to support their families back home. Sure, some people go home on holidays and spend money like it grows on trees overseas, often giving fellow Filipinos the wrong idea. Let me dispel that notion right now. Money DOES NOT grow on trees out here. But that’s for another day.
Note: The ramblings you’ve just read are the product of an under caffeinated brain. Please address comments, constructive or otherwise to anne_delen@yahoo.com.**
