Giving peace a chance

Rico Tindoy, 62, is an Antipoleño who spent more than two decades working as a caregiver in Israel.

- DR. JUN YNARES

For more than 20 years, he did not come home, opting instead to save his salary to provide food, shelter, and a decent lifestyle for his family. Like many overseas Filipino workers, Rico watched his three children grow up, get married, and build their own families through the magic of the internet and online platforms. He knew he had to make the sacrifice and embrace the difficult choice of being away from his loved ones for the sake of their well-being and future.

Like many Filipino caregivers, Rico won the affection of his Israeli employers. They rewarded his decision to stay in Israel and look after the elderly members of their families.

Since he was among the first Filipinos to land caregiving roles in Israel, Rico was looked up to as a highly respected godfather of sorts by his countrymen who were employed in similar jobs in that Middle Eastern country. He looked after them and they returned the care. For Rico, that somehow eased the pain of being separated from his own family. That pain, it was clear to him, was the price he had to pay for the sake of the relatively comfortable life his children had come to know.

Rico survived the tensions in Israel which came in the wake of the incursion of Hamas forces into Israel a few years ago. He survived the conflict in the years that followed after Israeli Defense Forces launched an invasion into Gaza to recover the hostages and to exact vengeance on their foes.