Filipina grateful to employers who treat her like a daughter

A 48-year-old Filipina domestic worker has expressed her deep gratitude to Singaporean employers who have treated her like a daughter ever since she started working for them nearly 30 years ago.

The Filipina initially flew to Singapore from the Philippines because she was heartbroken by her fiancé, who had developed a romantic relationship with a colleague, The Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The then 20-year-old met her new employers, for whom she has since worked for 27 straight years. When she started working for them, her main duties included looking after the couple’s two young sons, who at the time were a three-year-old toddler and a three-month-old infant.

Two years later the Filipina met a compatriot in Singapore, and soon they were planning to marry a year later.

The Filipina plucked up the courage to inform her employers, who surprised her by being very supportive. The employers held and paid for a wedding banquet for the Filipino couple, and paid for a wedding photo shoot. This cost her employers around S$2,800 (US$2,064 at current rates).

Almost as if she was their own daughter, her employers gave her their blessing by presenting her with a traditional wedding gift of gold jewelry consisting of a necklace, a ring, a bangle and a pair of earrings.

Sadly, the marriage lasted for only one year until, while she was pregnant, her husband had an affair with another domestic worker.

Now her daughter is 23 years old and completed a culinary course in the Philippines in 2018. Prior to graduation, she was even able to do a three-month exchange trip to the United States, thanks to financial aid provided by her mother’s employers in Singapore.