"I felt so sad when I came home last year because my husband died; but I feel happy now," said Carsola, who has worked in the former Crown Colony for the past 12 years. Her husband died of a stroke in December 1999.
At the new Centennial International Terminal II, Carsola, a former high school teacher in Quezon City, was accorded "VIP" treatment by high government officials and celebrities upon her arrival to spend the Christmas holidays with her three children.
And with the P10,000 cash from the Philippine National Bank and the Confederation of Employees Association, plus another P10,000 worth of gift certificates from the Philippine Tourism Authority and other packages, Christmas in the Carsola home in Novaliches, Quezon City this year promises to be a little brighter.
The 49-year-old widow was randomly chosen among returning overseas Filipino workers to become the first beneficiary of this year’s government program for OFWs.
The program, initiated by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), accords red-carpet treatment to OFWs in recognition of their contribution to the economy through their dollar remittances. Now on its seventh year, the program runs until Dec. 31.
"We are doing this to give importance to the returning OFWs because we know that they contribute immensely in shoring up our economy," OWWA administrator Eli Gardiner said.
Gardiner said that each day in December, a lucky OFW would be randomly selected upon arrival at the airport and be given the same VIP treatment as Carsola.Gardiner also said that President Estrada will personally welcome the OFWs in the latter part of December.
Carsola was met at the airport by her son Mark, 15, the youngest of her brood, and her former student Arnel Ignacio, a television personality.
Among the government officials who welcomed Carsola were Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Airport General Manager Antonio Gana, Philippine Tourism Authority General Manager Nixon Kua and Customs Deputy Collector Tess Roque.
Kua said it is but appropriate to honor these workers whose remittances of close to P8 billion yearly have greatly helped in shoring up the economy.