For millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Christmastime is a happy opportunity to come home and spend quality time together. After excitedly putting together the contents of their balikbayan box for their families back home, the holidays is also a great time for OFWs to surprise their families with an extra-special gift–their own home.
Gifting a house-and-lot or a condominium unit for Christmas is a lovely fulfillment of the Filipino Dream, which benefits the family in the long run.
Home as the ultimate milestone
For most Filipinos, owning a home is the grand manifestation of success and financial stability. This dream is rooted in cultural ideals such as:
1. Family First
Filipino culture is intensely family-oriented. The family unit is the core of society, and every decision, especially financial ones, is made with the collective well-being of the family members in mind.
● Security and Legacy: The home is a physical anchor for the family. When an OFW buys a property, they are ensuring that their children and their parents have a safe, stable place to live in, shielding them from the risks of renting or displacement.
● Extended Home: In the Philippines, the home often shelters the immediate family, extended relatives, and serves as the primary venue for important celebrations. Gifting a spacious home allows the family to practice hospitality and facilitate the large family reunions that are highly popular during the holiday season.
2. Symbol of Success and Sacrifice
OFWs are often referred to as “Bagong Bayani” due to their economic contributions to the country. For their families, gifting them with a home is one of the most tangible expressions of their selflessness, generosity, love, and sacrifice.
● Fulfilling Utang na Loob: As OFWs feel a deep obligation to repay their parents and family members who supported their education and journey abroad, gifting them with a home is the highest form of gratitude and recognition that they can give for their loved ones’ years of sacrifice.
● A Solid Investment: Unlike gadgets or fast-depreciating luxuries, real estate is seen as a long-term asset. It appreciates in value, giving the family not just a place to live in, but a source of future financial security or an inheritance to pass down to their children.
Why Christmas is the perfect time
Gifting a property during the holiday season aligns well with the spirit of the season.
1. Emotional Impact of Homecoming
December is when many OFWs finally come home for their annual vacation. Presenting the deed, key, or moving into a new home during this period makes the reunion a life-changing event. The Noche Buena or Christmas Day celebration will become the official housewarming, multiplying the joy for a truly memorable holiday.
2. Real Estate Opportunities
Real estate developers often target OFWs during the holiday season, offering special promotions, discounts, and flexible payment terms in anticipation of the surge in remittances. This allows OFWs to secure better deals, making their gift more financially viable.
3. A Long-Term Solution to a Short-Term Problem
Many OFWs send money home every month for daily expenses, housing, and education. By securing a permanent home, they are providing a long-term solution that frees up a significant portion of their monthly remittance for savings, investment, or education funds, paving the way for lasting change for the family’s financial health.
The gift of a future
An emotional culmination of years of hard work, separation, and determination, when an OFW hands over the keys to a new home, they are giving their family:
● Stability: A permanent address, ending years of worrying about rent or moving.
● Identity: A place that is truly theirs, where memories are built and traditions are passed on.
● Retirement: A secure sanctuary for the OFW themselves when they finally return home for good.
As families gather around a new dining table this Christmas, they are not just celebrating their new house; they are also celebrating the unwavering faith, patience, and love that built it.
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