Christmas miracle brings hope to struggling family in Mindoro

A struggling family in a remote village in Occidental Mindoro received an unexpected Christmas miracle after a Korean benefactor extended help just days before the holiday, easing their daily fight for survival.

- By HANNAH NICOL

The assistance reached the family of the late Lim Jin-ho, a Korean national who died of a cerebral hemorrhage in the Philippines last October, drawing renewed attention to the plight of overseas Korean children who fall outside formal nationality and support systems.

He left behind his Filipino common-law partner and their four children, aged 14, 12, 9, and 7.

The couple lived together for 15 years without registering their marriage, and their children hold only Filipino citizenship.

Since Lim’s death, the family has been living in extreme poverty. With no stable income, there were days when they had no rice at home and worried about how to feed the children, especially as Christmas drew near.

It added that the children’s return to Korea and access to education there have been virtually blocked, leaving them without institutional protection.

The family’s story recently became known in Korean society, prompting a helping hand.