OFW Success Story (Agnes Marrero)

In the last two months, it’s all about the tragedies that have came about to our fellow OFWs, a suicide, a baby on a plane’s toilet, a nurse accidentally unplugged life support for a paralyze patient and the last I have come across with is a nurse killed by a prisoner in a jail house. Seldom you’ll hear or read good news about OFWs, even Mr. Google is having a hard time searching. It took me a while to find the story of a former domestic helper in Hong Kong and became a successful business woman. It may not be as fresh as the unfortunate news but a real and inspiring story worth knowing.

Agnes Marrero one of the awardees OFWs Successful Entrepreneurs back in December 2006. From a domestic helper in Hong Kong now a business magnate in her own rights in Mt. Province in the Cordillera Region. What’s worth noting is her age when she decided to go abroad, she was near retirement age when she got in Hong Kong and for 15 years she worked hard and harder to be able to save and send her children to school then when she felt that she’s ready to go home for good her other side of the story began.

Here is how the article describes her journey.

AGNES LETICIA MARRERO – She work as a maid in HK at the age of 45, but From the drudgery of house-cleaning and scrubbing bathroom floors, Manang Letty, as Marrero is fondly called, now manages a throng of family businesses based in Mt. Province: a three-pool garden resort, a dry-goods store and a banana plantation. (Phil Star/Newsflash.org)

If a woman at her age was able to succeed later in her life why can’t we do it? It’s just a matter of priorities and the determination to reach for your dreams and realize your goals, and as the famous Filipino line goes “Kung may tiyaga may nilaga.” (If there’s a will there is a way) The story of Manang Letty should ignite the spark in us to set our long term goals and retire in a remarkable way. I don’t want to end up like the story of kuya (click) (Previous article) who spent half of his life abroad and at the age of 65 years old yet he cannot afford to retire.

I hope there will be more stories like of the success story of a true heroine in the person of AGNES LETICIA MARRERO. She is an average woman with an extra-ordinary determination, surviving the difficult life as an OFW and was able to make a name for herself.

The questions now for us OFWs would be: What will you be 10 to 15 years from now? Do you think you can retire and enjoy the fruits of your labor in the coming years? Or you’ll remain an OFW until such time that you can no longer work or even board a plane. Challenge ourselves and let us think ahead for our future because we may like it or not there is nothing certain about being an OFW. I for one am hoping that someday I can go home and and will be able to bring change and be like Agnes Marrero and Eden Zaniega de Castro-Villa).