SINGAPORE: Earlier this month, CNA published a video of a woman who flew nearly 2,400 kilometres in search of her helper who looked after her from when she was a baby until her teenage years.
To Charlyn Ng, her helper Emelita Abraham is more than just a helper; she is like a second mother to her. After all, Ms Abraham, whom she calls “Auntie Amy,” was the first person to hold her when she was born.
Ms Ng’s endeavour to find Auntie Amy was featured in a video as part of CNA Insider’s On the Red Dot Series titled “I Packed Myself In A Box To Surprise My Former Domestic Helper Of 16 Years,” which has been viewed almost 660,000 times since it was posted on Nov 12.
Around 40 per cent of the total population of overseas Filipino workers in Singapore are domestic helpers, many of whom help raise their employer’s children in Singapore while the helpers themselves leave their own children back home to be raised by others.
This was not the case with Auntie Amy, however. Since Ms Ng’s mother had to be in China a lot as she was growing up, Ms Ng was often in Auntie Amy’s care, and the love and affection the two have for each other is palpable in the video.
As the title says, Ms Ng surprised Auntie Amy by coming to her in a big box many overseas Filipino workers use to send or bring home gifts for their families and friends.
When Auntie Amy saw the child she had cared for surprise her with a shout of “pasalubong,” which means “a gift from afar,” she immediately wept, bringing Ms Ng to tears as well.
After Ms Ng went to Australia to study, Auntie Amy was no longer needed by their household, so she left Singapore a while later and went home to the Philippines as she wanted to get married and have a family of her own.
However, since she was already 40 when she returned to her home country, having children was no longer an easy matter.
Ms Ng said in the video that she regretted Auntie Amy had worked so long for her family, adding that if she had gone home earlier, she could have had her own children.
Nevertheless, Auntie Amy spoke reassuringly to her that, “It is worth it, darling. I did not regret it at all.”
Since the video was posted, there have been nearly 1,300 comments, many of which shared about their own helpers who helped raise them and who they hold dear.
“Emelita Abraham returned to the Philippines at 40 years old and sacrificed her youthful years in raising Charlyn Ng. For all these lost years, she still said it was worth it. She is the heroine of this story,” one wrote.
“This helper did more than just help around the home; she made it her job to raise a good human being. Taught her values and took ownership of her future. That’s remarkable,” another chimed in. /TISG
Featured photo by CNA Insider