Foreign domestic worker awardees hail from Western Visayas
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) Elizabeth Yanos Quiatchon and Marina Baybay Garcia who garnered the top and third places respectively in the "Foreign Domestic Worker of the Year" award in Singapore are both from Western Visayas.
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration 6 (OWWA 6) Director II Saul de Vries confirmed that Quiatchon is from Valladolid, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental while Garcia is from Brgy. Guno, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that Quiatchon was especially cited for looking after and caring for two sick members of the family she has worked with for 19 years while also attending the household work.
On the other hand Garcia worked for the family of Ms. Mae Heng for the past six years during which she took care of Heng's child who is stricken with a motor-planning speech disorder. She even took a sign language course to better understand her ward and helped out with his therapy.
The DFA said with the award came a cash prize of S$2,500 for Quaitchon as the top prize winner while Garcia as third placer received S$1,200 during the awarding ceremonies held last February 23, 2006 in Singapore.
Quiatchon and Garcia were chosen from over 300 nominees received by the organizers as part of t he celebration of the anniversary of foreign domestic workers in Singapore.
De Vries said this recognition given to Quiatchon and Garcia is something that we should be proud of. This also proves the competence of our Overseas Filipino Workers compared to the other foreign domestic workers. He estimates that around 60,000 OFWs came from Western Visaya s.
Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Belen F. Anota also congratulated the two winners. She said that "their winning only showed the Filipinos' commitment in their respective jobs".
(PIA)