Filipinos outraged over Singapore OFW beating

AMBASSADOR B. ROMUALDEZ

- FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

The viral video showing a Filipina being violently assaulted inside a mall in Singapore is appalling not only because of the brutality captured on camera, but because of what it represents.

It is a glaring reminder of the vulnerability that millions of our overseas Filipino workers carry with them every day - quietly, bravely and often invisibly to provide a better future for their families back home. What we witnessed was not merely an isolated act of violence. It was a flashpoint that exposed the fragile reality that many migrant workers face, far from the protection and familiarity of home.

No decent society should tolerate such violence. No human being deserves to be kicked, humiliated or harmed in public view. The outrage many Filipinos feel is justified because we instinctively see our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends in that woman. We see the human cost behind the remittances that help sustain our economy. We are reminded - painfully - that dignity is not automatically guaranteed simply because one is working abroad. Respect must be insisted upon, reinforced by law and defended without hesitation.

Our overseas workers are not statistics. They are individuals who wake before sunrise in unfamiliar cities, endure homesickness and cultural isolation, take on difficult jobs so their children can stay in school and their parents can get medical care. They sacrifice birthdays, anniversaries and small family rituals many take for granted - enduring for years, sometimes decades. Their courage is not loud or theatrical but steady, disciplined and deeply rooted in love for family and desire for a better future.