PHL labor attaché: 80% OFWs in Qatar not saving

Four out of five overseas Filpino workers in Qatar do not save their money, according to the Philippine labor attaché there. Labor Attaché Ricardo Sodusta made the observation as he advised Filipinos to think about the future of their families when they decide to return home for good. “Eighty percent of overseas Filipino workers are not ready when they want to go home for good because many of them think it is [a] never-ending employment," he told a group of Filipino accountants at Holiday Villa, according to a report on The Peninsula. Sodusta, a resource speaker for the Philippine government’s re-integration program at an event hosted by Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants-Qatar Chapter (PICPA-Qatar), reminded OFWs to save a substantial part of their earnings while working abroad as their employment there is temporary. He cited the cases of Filipino workers in Libya and other troubled areas in the Middle East, saying thousands were sent home empty-handed and faced a bleak future. Other OFWs suffer a harder life when they go back home than before they went to look for greener pastures, Sodusta noted. Sodusta cited several ways of saving money, including saving it in banks both in Qatar and the Philippines, to make sure they have something when they go home. "[While saving], don’t remit all the money to the Philippines and save something while you are here. Do away from leading a luxurious lifestyle and do not indulge in unnecessary expenses," he advised. Meanwhile, a new set of officers of PICPA-Qatar was sworn in by Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente Relacion. — JE, GMA News