OFW or Filipino Abroad — Write Your Story and Earn 2,000 Plus
In 500 to 1,000 words, write a story or an essay about something interesting in your life or work abroad, and then email it to The Philippine Star.
Philstar chooses and publishes three essays every week, and if your essay is chosen, you’ll receive 2,000 pesos, and a chance to win the first, second or third prize of 15K, 10K and 5K, respectively, in December this year.
You should be:
- 18 years old and above
- an OFW or ex-OFW
- a Filipino living abroad or has lived abroad
- a foreigner living in the Philippines
- a Filipino with a friend or relative abroad
Your essay must:
- be in American English
- about a real Filipino experience
This runs from December 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010.
Read more details and chosen essays at The Philippine Star website.
OFW Jobs and Children: A Suicide Stirs a Neighborhood
OFW jobs feed families, send children to school, build houses, help relatives, improve lives; but sometimes, they kill children emotionally and literally.
This morning, our neighborhood was stirred up by the sudden piercing cries and screams of a 10-year-old girl inside a long vacant unit beside her family’s house. “Kuya! kuya! kuya!…”
Neighbors ran to see what happened, and they were shocked to see her 13-year-old brother hanging from a rope tied to one of the exposed beams.
OFWs, Parents, Take Advantage of Free Internet Banking to Manage Your Children’s Weekly Allowance
Updated June 22, 2011
If you’re a parent whose high-school or college-age kid is living in a dorm or studying in another city or an OFW who likes to control your child’s weekly allowance, take advantage of free Internet banking services offered by local banks.
Most large banks now in the Philippines offer free Internet banking, and they offer lots of services that prompts you to say Wow.
However, in this article, I would describe only two, BPI Express Online and My BDO Internet Banking, because they’re the ones I use.
BDO Kabayan Savings, BDO Remit Cash Card for OFWs
Updated June 22, 2011
BDO Kabayan Savings for OFWs
This is a special savings account for OFWs and their families in the Philippines.
You can open an account here in the Philippines, or abroad if you work near BDO partner remittance firms chosen to issue this account.
- Can be in pesos or in U.S. dollars
- Initial deposit of 100 pesos for a peso account or $100 for a dollar account. (Update as of November 2010: was changed to 50 pesos. On brochure seen on June 2011: 50 pesos)
- No maintaining balance as long as you make at least 6 remittances a year. (Update as of November 2010: was reduced to ONE remittance a year )
- You will receive a Passbook and a Mastercard ATM Debit Card.
- Additional update for seafarers: You can open a BDO Kabayan Shipping dollar savings account with passbook for only US$10. Show one valid ID and your valid seaman’s book.
- With your Kabayan savings account, you can arrange with BDO for the payment of your home loans and insurance premiums through BDO’s Auto-Debit Arrangement (ADA).
Check here BDO correspondent banks.
Check also this blogpost: What happens if your BDO Kabayan account DOES NOT receive at least one remittance in a year?
BDO Remit Cash Card for OFWs
This card is similar to the regular BDO Cash Card,
but you can get this card abroad — in selected BDO accredited remittance
services. There are thousands of BDO Remit offices, partners and agents worldwide, particularly in countries where there are a lot of OFWs.
This also has a higher load balance and deposit limit, compared to the regular BDO cash card. While the regular cash card is limited to 10,000 pesos, BDO Remit Cash Card can be loaded with up to 100,000 pesos.
You can send money directly to this BDO Remit Cash Card account.
Your and your beneficiary can also check the status of your remittance through the BDO Remit Status Inquiry on the BDO website.
Related Articles:
OFW Parents: Take Advantage of Free Internet Banking to Manage Your Childrens Weekly Allowance
BPI and BDO Internet Banking — Free and Quick Ways to Send Your Children’s Allowance
Savings Accounts for OFW Remittances
Savings Accounts in the Philippines with the Lowest Maintaining Balances
Cash Cards for OFW Remittances to the Philippines
List of Banks in the Philippines — Universal Banks, Commercial Banks
Top 27 Savings Banks in the Philippines — or Top 27 Thrift Banks
OFWs Can Send Money to the Philippines Thru BDO Remit
Credit Cards for OFWs
For OFWs looking for credit cards, I’ve found only two banks in the Philippines which are offering credit cards for OFWs — HSBC and BDO.
Based on our personal experience, BPI also offers credit cards to OFWs, but you wait for the bank to offer you one. BPI offers a credit card to an OFW who has maintained a BPI time deposit account for a couple of years. BPI also has investment accounts that offer a credit card account as incentive.
BDO
BDO issues secured credit cards for OFWs, meaning one must have a savings or checking account with BDO.
The required documents are:
- Valid IDs
- Employment contract or certificate of employment
-
Remittance receipts for the last 6 months or payslips for the last 3 months
The other requirements are:
- Minimum monthly income of 10,000 pesos
- At least 21 years old, not older than 65
- Must have a BDO checking or savings account or time deposit of at least 15,000 pesos or equivalent amount in dollars
- Must have 2 years continuous job contract
- Beneficiary or card administrator must be residing or working within 30 kms of a BDO branch
- Must have a home landline phone
You can call the following numbers for further inquiries:
Call 631-8000
(within Metro Manila)
1-800-10-6318000
(Libreng Tawag Outside Metro Manila)
(IAC)+800+6318000
(Libreng Tawag Outside of the Philippines)
Email: callcenter@bdo.com.ph
HSBC
For OFWs, the requirements are:
- Employment contract or certificate of employment
- Working visa or work permit or OFW card or certificate issued by POEA
- Proof of home address, such as the latest billing statement under the name of the applicant, with the address of the applicant.
- A valid ID, such as passport, driver’s license, PRC ID or SSS photocard
- TIN number
- SSS or GSIS number
- Proof of Income
- could be latest ITR or
- employer’s certificate of compensation or
- payslips for the last 3 months
The other requirements are:
- At least 21 years old, not older than 65
- Philippine resident
- Have a residential landline phone
- Must be living or working in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Baguio City, Batangas, Bulacan, Butuan, Cabanatuan City, Cagayan de Oro, Calasiao Pangasinan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan City, Davao City, Digos Davao del Sur, Dipolog, Dumaguete City, General Santos, Kalibo, Iloilo, Laguna, Laoag City, Legaspi, Lucena City, Naga, Olongapo City, Ormoc City, Pampanga, Panabo & Tagum Davao del Norte, Puerto Princesa, Subic, Rizal, Roxas, Tacloban, Tagbilaran City, Tarlac City, Tuguegarao, Urdaneta Pangasinan, Zamboanga City.
- Have at least a gross annual income of 150,000 pesos for the classic cards and at least 480,000 pesos for the gold cards
Related Articles, posted April 20, 2011:
Secured BPI Credit Cards for OFWs
BPI Credit Card Payment for College Tuition Fees
OFW Parents, Know Your Daughter More Through MyLot
One of many things missed by OFW parents is everyday interaction with their children, including what their children are thinking about various things.
Well, yes, even non-OFW parents have difficulties in getting into the inner thoughts and feelings of their children.
One way for OFW and non-OFW parents to know more their children, especially teenagers is to encourage them to join the online site MyLot.
MyLot is free to join. Your daughter or son must be at least 16 years old. If your child has been using Friendster, then this is a very easy site for your child to explore.
Simply, MyLot is an easy-to-use question and answer site. Your child can post a question, or she or he can answer questions. Don’t worry about pornography or online violence; it is prohibited by MyLot.
I just recently discovered this “knowing more our children” as one of the benefits of MyLot when my teenager daughter joined the site. At first, she just joined because she heard she can earn money from it. Later, she found out she can also improve her English writing skills on the site.
Your children can develop confidence writing on MyLot because many of the young people and adults writing are non-native English speakers. I’ve observed that many of our children can write better than many of those writing on the site.
This early, my daughter has attracted a lot of online friends because of her writing.
But the benefit to us, parents, is knowing their inner thoughts. You don’t have to know you daughter’s password to be able to read her thoughts, as MyLot is open to everyone. In my case, I discovered feelings and assumptions that I never thought my daughter has, such as her dream of having her own room and her fears about our family losing our house to foreclosure, just like what happened to her close friend.
Your child can also earn income as she posts and answers questions. It is not much, but if she has lots of interest in it, she can reach the $10 minimum payout faster. She can be paid through Paypal, but if she’s younger than 18, she can use your Paypal. There’s an article here about Paypal, if you like to know more about Paypal.
Lastly, as you introduce MyLot to your children, advise them not to reveal personal information, such as home address and telephone number, and not to join anything that asks for payment. Since the Internet is becoming a big part of our lives, you might as well capitalize on it or make them ready for it.
You can visit MyLot now and explore.
Related Articles:
OFW Jobs and Children: A Suicide Stirs a Neighborhood
OFW Parents Take Advantage of Free Internet Banking to Manage Your Childrens Weekly
To Danvil, From a Hurting OFW in Japan
By Lemmor Adsiv, an OFW in Japan
March 7, 2009
It is of great help for me it you could answer me on this inquiry. I finished paying my Danvil plan and it will mature in 2019. Actually I paid it in advance so as not to miss payments. But I’m having many sleepless nights because of many doubts about how pre-need companies are doing in the market today. I am having second thoughts about waiting for my plan to mature. Any idea on this? How much money would I get in return if I apply for early reimbursement of my payments? Much as I would like to inquire personally at the Danvil office regarding the matter, I’m here in Japan working hard to make both ends meet for my family. It was hard earned money that I used to pay for my plan. That’s why I am really bothered and annoyed by different news I heard about the pre-need business.
Dalawa ang aking plans sa Danvil. Sad to say na noong kinuha ko yon sa SM Southmall, di ko naintindihan masyado ang paliwanag. Kadarating ko lang noon, galing ako sa work ko abroad and I’m only on my vacation. Actually, I can say na forced and pressured lang din ako ng Danvil employee. Para bang para makauwi na lang ako kumuha na lang ako, then bahala na. Parang ganoon ang nangyari sa akin.
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