An OFW dad finally builds their dream house after 20 years of working abroad. It took them a long time because their kids’ education was their top priority in those years. Inspiring, right?
OFW Dad Builds Dream House
Everyone has a dream – and usually, that dream involves having a wonderful family, a great career, and a nice house to live in.
Some put a deadline on those dreams, but everyone also knows that sometimes fate has other plans and those plans can go askew.
For Alex Fernandez, an OFW (overseas Filipino worker) and his family in Bulacan, it took them 20 years before their dream house finally came true. But that’s fine for this OFW because he and his wife Cecil wanted to put their kids’ education first.
According to Ces, the couple’s daughter who finished Bachelor of Fine Arts – Industrial Design at UP Diliman, their parents got married in 1987. The family lived with their grandparents for several years, especially because Alex worked as a merchandiser in Saipan, an island in the Pacific Ocean.
In 2008, the couple decided to take a Pag-IBIG housing loan to start paying for a house. It’s payable until 2022.
“Pero ito ‘yung hindi pa renovated. Binili lang nila, pero wala pa silang budget para ipagawa kasi inuuna muna nila ‘yung studies naming magkapatid,” Ces explained.
“Matagal nang pangarap ng Mom and Dad ko na tumira sa dream house nila. They’re apart for almost 20 years kasi nga nag-OFW pa ‘yung Dad ko para mapagtapos kami. Na-miss man nila yung 20 years na ‘yun, they’re looking forward to spend their retirement years together sa dream house nila.”
Ces’ younger brother Jed graduated with Bachelor of Electronics Engineering at Mapua.
After Ces and her younger brother Jed graduated, they found jobs and decided to help their parents build their dream house.
Work began in January 2021 with a budget of Php2.5 million that they all contributed to. The house also features a garage for the car they bought in 2020.
“Effort ng buong family ito. Lahat nag-chip in. Nagkusa kaming magkapatid na mag-chip in para sa dream house ng magulang namin kasi we know all too well kung ano ‘yung sakripisyo na ginawa nila for us,” Ces explained.
“Kaya kahit di nila kami ni-require na tumulong, ginawa na namin. Mas mabilis at mas malayo kasi mararating kapag sama-sama eh kesa kung nagsarili kami kagad ng kapatid ko.”
This family is truly an inspiration.
Savings and Finance Tips for OFWs
- Change your mindset. Always remember that you can’t be an OFW forever.
- Save some of your money.
- Create a budget.
- Make short-term and long-term plans.
- If there’s someone you can trust with handling money, start a business.
- You can reward yourself with gadgets and some luxury stuff if you want, but remember to also save for the future.
