The Coca-Cola Christmas spirit: Creating job opportunities for OFWs
Dec 22, 2020 1:10 PM PHT
Rappler.com
2020 was a year of missed opportunities and disappointments for most of us.
The pandemic disrupted all of our lives. Take Augustina Navarro, who worked as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Hong Kong. Coming from a family of OFWs, she decided to follow in her father and siblings’ footsteps and apply as a domestic helper.
But, like many OFWs, she did not have it easy. She returned home when her employer lost their job and had to end her contract. She then decided to continue running the
Coca-Cola will continue to serve Filipinos and give hope even in the most unprecedented times
Fear. Disruption. Uncertainty. These perhaps best sum-up the feelings felt by all Filipinos this 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some sectors were somehow able to weather the resulting storm slightly better than the rest, it is the most vulnerable who truly bore the biggest brunt and suffered the most.
In the midst of the uncertainties of the present and the future, one thing was certain for Coca-Cola, that the only way to bounce back from this hurdle is to look after, and be there for each other. That exactly is what the Company focused on throughout 2020– going beyond the challenges and ensuring the Company’s presence in people’s lives, especially those largely impacted by this crisis. And this purpose somehow defined a refreshing picture of success for a challenging year.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Every year, several Filipinos decide to leave their families behind for better opportunities abroad, which comes with having to miss important family events like Christmas.
Among them is Maria Herbon, an overseas Filipino worker in Abu Dhabi. For four years as the sole provider in the family, she had to leave her seven children behind.
“My children are the ones who motivate me to go on,” she disclosed. “I see them doing their best even without me there, and that motivates me to stay strong.”
To fill in the gap, she sends balikbayan boxes filled with gifts to make sure that her presence is felt by her family, especially during the holiday season.
Published December 15, 2020, 8:00 AM
They are called modern-day heroes, contributing over 10 percent to the domestic economy through the remittances that they send to their families in the country. Last year, total remittances by overseas Filipinos reached a record-high $33.5 billion. Their personal sacrifice does not only provide their own families a better future but also helped keep the Philippine economy robust through the years.
However, the global pandemic has already affected many of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), with some already forced to go home because they have lost job opportunities overseas. Hundreds of thousands of land and sea-based Filipino workers have already started coming home with no means of supporting their families.
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