{"id":789,"date":"2021-03-01T16:14:44","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T16:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rethink-quarterly.local\/?p=789"},"modified":"2024-09-03T22:27:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T21:27:35","slug":"remittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/remittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<header class=\"entry-header bg-adp-tan block--article-header alignfull block--article-header\" >\n\n  \n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large entry--image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-746\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Manson Yim\/<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/Pol02tswjms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entry--title-wrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"entry--social-share\">\n  <ul>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/remittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines\/&#038;t=The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/facebook.svg\" alt=\"Facebook logo - click to share this article on Facebook\"><\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families&#038;url=https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/remittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/twitter.svg\" alt=\"Twitter logo - click to share this article on Twitter\"><\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frethinkq.adp.com%2Fremittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines%2F\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/linkedin.svg\" alt=\"LinkedIn logo - click to share this article on Facebook\"><\/a><\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n            <a class=\"entry--tag tag-style\" href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/time-for-universal-basic-income\/\">Features<\/a>\n\n        \n  <h1 class=\"entry-title\">The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families<\/h1>\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-summary-style\">More than 120,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, primarily as household help. The money they earn abroad is essential for their families\u2019 futures. Their biggest investment? Education.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n  <div class=\"entry--meta content-width\">\n           <p class=\"authors\">By\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/purple-romero\/\">Purple Romero<\/a>\n\n             \n         \n     <\/p>\n    \n  \n  <p>1 March 2021  <span class=\"desktop-only\">\u2014<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/issue-1-lifelines\/\">Issue 1: Lifelines<\/a> \n  <\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\n<\/header><!-- .entry-header -->\n\t<div class=\"entry-content content-width\">\n\n\n\n<p>When Jinkie Alhambra first set foot in Hong Kong, she was just 18 years old and very much against the idea of working in a foreign land.&nbsp;Her mother, a domestic worker who has by that time been working as one for nine years already, asked her to work for her employer too.&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was just 18, that was in 1989,\u201d she says. \u201cI just got out of high school, I was in my first semester of college. I didn\u2019t want to go; I wanted to study.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But during that time, the family needed extra funds because her parents bought a bigger house and had to pay for her two younger siblings\u2019 education.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"545\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jinkie-with-son-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-792\" style=\"width:409px;height:750px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jinkie-with-son-1.jpeg 545w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jinkie-with-son-1-164x300.jpeg 164w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 545px) 100vw, 545px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>This left a mark on her and largely influenced her mindset when she became a mother herself and continued being an overseas Filipino worker, commonly called an OFW.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy children\u2019s education will always be my priority. I didn\u2019t buy a house until my sons have graduated from college already. If you channeled your resources to two things at the same time, one will always be sacrificed or neglected,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what happened to me. That was a wrong move from my mom. If they didn\u2019t buy another house, I wouldn\u2019t have to go. At that time, I don\u2019t want to come here and work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Alhambra and her husband \u2014 who started out in Dubai as a waiter and worked his way up to a chef \u2014 focused on saving and spent money mostly on the studies of their children, paying for private schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/psa.gov.ph\/statistics\/survey\/labor-and-employment\/survey-overseas-filipinos#:~:text=Total%20Number%20of%20OFWs%20Estimated%20at%202.2%20Million&amp;text=Based%20on%20the%20results%20of,was%20estimated%20at%202.2%20million.\" target=\"_blank\">2.2 million<\/a>&nbsp;Filipinos work abroad, sending money home to&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/psa.gov.ph\/content\/12-percent-filipino-households-have-ofw-member-results-2018-national-migration-survey\" target=\"_blank\">12%<\/a>&nbsp;of all households in the Philippines. The remittances from these&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.lse.ac.uk\/seac\/2020\/10\/08\/a-heros-welcome-repatriated-overseas-filipino-workers-and-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cmodern-day heroes\u201d<\/a>&nbsp;have been the backbone of the Philippine economy since the 1980s, accounting for as much as&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.compareremit.com\/money-transfer-guide\/contribution-of-the-ofw-to-the-philippines-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\">11%<\/a>&nbsp;of the gross domestic product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pandemic, however, has seen the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.lse.ac.uk\/seac\/2020\/10\/08\/a-heros-welcome-repatriated-overseas-filipino-workers-and-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repatriation<\/a>&nbsp;of at least 153,000 OFWs in 2020 as the global economy shrunk and mass layoffs happened in many parts of the world, forcing them to come home. While remittances were up by 2.5% in October 2020 from the year before, they\u2019re projected to be&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/businessmirror.com.ph\/2020\/12\/07\/experts-see-cash-flow-from-ofws-to-trickle-until-2021-on-job-losses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">flat&nbsp;<\/a>this year as more job cuts are expected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--sidebar bg-adp-purple alignwide\"><div class=\"block--sidebar__inner\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Philippines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The $35 billion sent home by 2.2 million Overseas Filipino Workers equaled 8.8% of the country\u2019s GDP in 2019. Remittances have increased by 50% over the past decade and contracted only slightly during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hong Kong<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Filipinos account for 2.5% of Hong Kong\u2019s population of 7.5 million. Total remittances sent from Hong Kong have doubled in the past decade, now topping $1 billion annually.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The dream of education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Overseas work has a long history in the Philippines, which is made up of more than 7,600 islands. But during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, OFWs became vitally important to relieve high unemployment and bringing in foreign currency. In 1982, Executive Order 857 required OFWs to send as much as 70% of their salary home via banks managed by the government. If workers didn\u2019t comply, they would be considered ineligible to work abroad. Amid outcry from migrant workers, the policy was eventually repealed in 1985. But the trend of overseas work remains part of Filipino life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Education is one of the major priorities for OFWs. According to a 2019 report on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uniteller.com\/the-receivers-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remittances in Asia<\/a>&nbsp;from UniTeller, aside from being spent for basic needs, 13% of the remittances sent by Filipino migrant workers go to expenses related to education.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt helps us to pay our bills, shop for groceries and provide allowances for school,\u201d says Jeremy, Alhambra\u2019s eldest son. Now 26 years old, he lives in their house in the southern province of Cavite and helps pay for the monthly mortgage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alhambra\u2019s employer \u2014 relatives of the same family whom she and her mother worked for when she was 18 \u2014 gives her salary in cash or deposits it to her bank account. When she was a child, she remembers her mother sending remittances via banks or agents, who would deliver the money to their home in person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>As a child, I cried myself to sleep the first time my mom left us. That was 2004, and the weight of the loneliness is almost all the same every time she leaves.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Though one time the agent duped them and made off with the money. Digital options for sending remittances are safer, and Alhambra now uses a money transfer app. She is charged 15 Hong Kong dollars (about $2) per transfer with one month free where she can send remittances without having to pay the cable charge.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the remittances secured Jeremy and his brother superlative educations, he said that he misses their mother every time she has to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a child, I cried myself to sleep the first time my mom left us,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was 2004, and the weight of the loneliness is almost all the same every time she leaves.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dolores_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dolores_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dolores_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dolores_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dolores_picturebyPurpleRomero-1.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dolores Balladares Palaez uses her wages as a domestic worker in Hong Kong to save for her son\u2019s education. Purple Romero<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Remittances are also often used to support aging parents, as in the case of Dolores Balladares Palaez, another Filipina who has worked as a domestic worker for 20 years in Hong Kong.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She flew to the city in 1995 at age 25 after failing to find a decent-paying job even with a business administration degree. She looked for opportunities in South Korea and Hong Kong, and it was the latter that opened doors for her, as there were many opportunities in Hong Kong recruiting overseas workers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I went here, the monthly wage then was only HKD 3,860,\u201d Palaez says, about $500. \u201cI would send 30% to 40% of it to my mother.\u201d That money was enough for her mom\u2019s food, medical check-ups and medicines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The game-changing pandemic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When Covid-19 came into the picture, remittances also became a critical source of funds for some families to afford the most basic of needs. This was the case for Marjorie Cantre, a 29-year-old government employee whose older sister, Jovie, is also a domestic worker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy older sister is not really obligated to send money to us regularly because we have jobs now; she\u2019ll send us money only when we asked her to,\u201d Marjorie Cantre says. \u201cBut during the pandemic, she had to consistently send us remittances because our father lost his job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cantre\u2019s father worked as a foreman in a construction project. During the pandemic while the Philippines was on lockdown for three months, the project was halted. She said when their father lost his job, Jovie sent them 6,000 to 10,000 Philippine pesos monthly ($125 to $208), about a third of what she earns monthly in Hong Kong.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Philippines had tallied more than 500,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 10,000 deaths by the start of February 2021, the second-hardest-hit country in Asia after Indonesia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow important are the remittances? They\u2019re quite important. We use it for our basic needs and to pay the bills. Somehow, it eases our financial worries,\u201d the single parent of two said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jovie_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jovie_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jovie_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jovie_picturebyPurpleRomero-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jovie_picturebyPurpleRomero-1.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jovie Cantre was underpaid by her first employer in Hong Kong, but she still sent money home. Purple Romero<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Improving financial management&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Marjorie\u2019s older sister,<em>&nbsp;<\/em>37-year-old Jovie Cantre, is affable and has the brightest of personalities. But she knows how to put her foot down when needed, a trait which manifests itself when it comes to helping out her family.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAside from Marjorie, I also gave my youngest sister \u2014 she\u2019s 27 \u2014 capital to start a small business in the Philippines,\u201d she says. \u201cSince she\u2019s having a hard time finding work, she said she\u2019ll try to manage her own business. I gave her PHP 10,000.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe said it\u2019s a debt she\u2019ll pay, but we know it wouldn\u2019t really work that way. I wanted to help her out, but I told her to manage the business well,\u201d she says. \u201cIf they misuse or squander this capital, they wouldn\u2019t be able to ask for funds from me again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jovie Cantre learned how critical it was to manage finances wisely after her salary in her first year in Hong Kong went to helping out her aunt, who also worked as a domestic worker there, to pay off the latter\u2019s huge debt. Loan repayments, along with bills, unfortunately take a bigger chunk of allocation of the remittances sent by OFWs at 25%, the report from Uniteller said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI remember that when my phone will ring, I will already be trembling in fear, as it may be the credit collector,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was tough for Jovie Cantre, as she was also being underpaid then \u2014 her salary was HKD 2,000, way below the minimum wage of HKD 3,580 during that time in 2009. She was able to sue her employer and get the full salary they owed her with the help of a group composed of foreign domestic workers fighting for migrant labor rights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>We\u2019re fortunate enough that our employers have stable jobs. But one can never be sure, so we have to make sure whatever we earn is spent wisely.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Palaez, the youngest in a family of nine, she said that whenever she sends money to her mother, the rest of their brood will know about it and her mother will give them money, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy mom is a one-day millionaire. She doesn\u2019t really set aside money for future use,\u201d she said while spending another day off at Central, the de facto place of recreation and relaxation for many of the Filipino domestic workers on Sundays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now 51 and with a 7-year-old child on her own, Pelaez said she still sends money to her 87-year-old mother, but she sets aside the majority of what she and her husband earn for her son\u2019s education. \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate enough that our employers have stable jobs, so we weren\u2019t as affected by the pandemic,\u201d she says. \u201cBut one can never be sure, so we have to make sure whatever we earn is spent wisely.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">To stay or to go<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"745\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jinkie_kids-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-809\" style=\"width:373px;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jinkie_kids-1.jpeg 745w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Jinkie_kids-1-224x300.jpeg 224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>When Alhambra learned that she contracted Covid-19 in March 2020, she was more surprised than anything. The Filipina domestic worker in Hong Kong takes up Muay Thai classes and had not been sick in ages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo one is really immune from it,\u201d she said. Her employer, who just got back home from a trip to India and then went to Canada, tested positive for the virus before she did.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Alhambra told her family about it, they wanted her to go home to the Philippines. Her two sons, after all, have jobs already, and so does her husband. They were making more than enough there, so much so that she need not send back most of her HKD 4,630 monthly salary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI only send back 50% of my salary now, to pay for what they need in the house, but the utilities, they\u2019re the ones already paying for it,\u201d she says. \u201cMy sons were even telling me, \u2018Ma, you need not send money back home anymore.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After 17 years of working overseas in Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S. and Dubai, Alhambra considered enjoying the fruit of all that hard work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>She ended up staying in Hong Kong after she got well. \u201cI will just finish my contract here,\u201d she says. \u201cThen I will go home by the end of 2021. I have entrepreneurial spirit, so I will try other ways to earn money in the Philippines.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--author\">      <div class=\"block-author__inner\">\n        <div class=\"author--image\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/purple-romero\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/profile_Purple-Romero-298x305.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n                  <\/div>\n        <div class=\"author--info\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/purple-romero\/\" class=\"author--name\">Purple Romero<\/a>\n\n          \n          <p>Originally from the Philippines, Purple Romero is a multimedia journalist who has written about labor issues in Hong Kong and has also reported on other developmental issues for Vice Asia, South China Morning Post and Asia Sentinel.<\/p>\n          <div class=\"block--author-social\"><ul class=\"author--socials\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/purple-chrystyl-romero-06056972\/\" title=\"LinkedIn\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n       <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--recommended-content alignwide is-style-bg-adp-tan\"><div class=\"block-recommended-content__inner\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/editors-note-power-of-the-paycheck\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/header-01-1084x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">The power of the paycheck<\/span>\n          <p>Exploring stories of remittances led to some surprising discoveries about my own family history.<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/back-way-the-gambia-to-germany\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/gambia-banj-1084x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">The back way from the Gambia to Germany<\/span>\n          <p>With agriculture on the decline and tourism hit hard by the pandemic, remittances sent from the Gambian diaspora are more important than ever. One man risked his life to make it to Germany via the Mediterranean.<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/story-of-global-remittances-in-6-charts\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/header_contributer-4-1-1084x576.png\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">The story of global remittances in 6 charts<\/span>\n          <p>The money that people working far from home send back to their families \u2014 remittances \u2014 makes a big difference, especially in times of crisis.\u00a0<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-group alignfull section--sign-up has-background\" style=\"background-color:#7967ae\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><a href=\"\/sign-up\/\">Sign up<\/a> to keep up to date with ReThink Q.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 120,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, primarily as household help. The money they earn abroad is essential for their families\u2019 futures. Their biggest investment? Education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,117],"tags":[105,106,89,107,90],"coauthors":[28],"class_list":["post-789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-remittances","tag-domestic-work","tag-hong-kong","tag-migration","tag-philippines","tag-remittances","issue-issue-1-lifelines"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families - ADP ReThink Q<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than 120,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, primarily as household help. The money they earn abroad is essential for their families\u2019 futures. Their biggest investment? Education.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/remittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families - ADP ReThink Q\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than 120,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, primarily as household help. The money they earn abroad is essential for their families\u2019 futures. Their biggest investment? 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