Gawad Kasambahay recipient to fellow OFWs: Love your job

A Filipino caregiver from Iloilo was recently honored with a Gawad Kasambahay Award for her unrelenting service to her employers and fellow overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

In an interview with GMA Pinoy TV, Lyne Catedrilla, 58, from Lambunao, Iloilo, said her OFW journey began when her husband was arrested for shooting his bodyguard.

“‘Yung asawa ko ay isang barangay captain. Alam naman natin sa pulitika. Nanalo siya pero ‘yung bodyguard niya parang gusto siyang patayin. Pinagtatanggol niya ang sarili niya pero ‘yung nabaril niya talaga ‘yung bodyguard niya kaya nakulong siya,” said Catedrilla.

(My husband was a barangay captain. We all know politics. He won, but his bodyguard wanted him dead. He defended himself, but he accidentally shot his bodyguard so he was jailed)

To support her children in her husband’s absence, Catedrilla sold fruits until she eventually received an offer for a job in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

“Sabi ko oo. Wala akong tinanong sa mga anak ko, sabi ko oo. Pero wala ako di ako nagisip na iwanan ko yung mga bata, maliit pa,” she said.

(I said yes. I didn’t ask my children, I said yes. But no, I didn’t really think about how I’d be leaving my children, even if they were still small.)

Life as a caregiver in Abu Dhabi was hard, and Catedrilla said she had to make do with a monthly salary of AED750 and almost no communication with her family.

“Sa time ko, ‘di pa uso cellphone na ‘yan. May cellphone pero ‘di ko naman alam [kung paano gamitin]. Ang pinakamasayang parte ng trabaho ko yung paglilinis,” she added.

(Cellphones weren’t common during that time. I had a cellphone, but I didn’t know how to use it. The best part of my job was cleaning.)

Catedrilla was nominated as a Gawad Kasambahay candidate by a colleague, who recognized her efforts to help her fellow kasambahays in Abu Dhabi.

“Sobrang overwhelming, touching. Kasi sila ‘yung hindi naman natin karaniwang naririnig na kuwento. Etong mga kasambahay na to kailangan natin protektahan. Kailangan natin sila bigyan ng part ng open appreciation in terms of recognizing them kasi ang mga stories nila, malaking factor para ma-recognize ng government din kung ano ‘yung mga tulong na kailangan nating ibigay,” said Gawad Kasambahay founder Michelle Guinto.

(It’s so overwhelming, touching, because their stories are the ones we don’t hear often. We should be protecting these caregivers. We need to give them open appreciation in terms of recognizing them, because their stories are big factors for the government to recognize what kind of help they could give out)

Catedrilla advised her fellow caregivers to love their work, their employers and their charges.

“Pag nakita ng employer niyo na mahal niyo at alaga ang anak nila, mamahalin din kayo ng employer. At saka ang pagpunta natin dito is trabaho. Kailangan may goal tayo sa sarili, may ambisyon tayo kung anong gagawin natin sa pera,” she said.

(If your employer sees that you love and care for their children, they will love you too. Our purpose here is to work. You need to have a goal for yourself, to have an ambition.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News