Dubai OFW almost out of cash to send home when she hit 25-year jackpot

DUBAI—Freilyn Angob had been out of a job for months and was worried about where she would get the money to send to her parents in the Philippines in September.

The 32-year-old registered nurse and laser therapy professional was hired in July but the clinic that got her would only open its doors on Sept. 11.

Her savings were just about to run out when she placed a bet in the FAST5 lottery in early September, using a combination that included her licensure exam date.

After the draw, Freilyn could already afford to stop working if she chose to as she had been assured of 25,000 dirhams (roughly P387,000) a month for the next 25 years, or until she turned 57.

“Six years po ako sa previous work ko. After ko po dun, naghanap ako talaga ng bagong work. Medyo matagal po ako nakahanap ng work. While waiting po, nag-review po ako for NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination)  — so matagal po talaga ang waiting time," Freilyn told GMA News Online in an interview.

“Naubos ko na po yung nilaan kong savings. Kaya naisipan kong tumaya, kasi by September po, wala na po talaga ako pang-support,” she added.

FAST5 is an exceptional weekly game held every Saturday at 9 p.m. in the UAE.

“Masaya ako kasi hindi ko na po iisipin gaano ang pang-support sa parents ko at ipa-prioritize ko po talaga ang family ko. Iipunin ko po talaga yang napanalunan ko and baka baka mag-i-invest para naman talagang pati mga magiging apo ay makikinabang po," Freilyn said.

Winning combination

Angob’s winning combination—9 20 23 32 35—included numbers corresponding with her NCLEX exam date, she said. Angob said she never tried placing bets when she was in the Philippines.

It was her fifth time to join the UAE raffle game dubbed, FAST5, which was just recently organized by Emirates Draw and which gives a monthly AED25,000 for 25 years to the grand prize winner. Angob was the second to win the coveted amount. Her win was announced by Emirates Draw late last month.

Angob, shortly upon arrival in Dubai in 2013, had to temporarily work as a play attendant at a mall, while looking to obtain her license. As a play attendant, she looked after kids dropped by their parents before going to their jobs.

Working-class OFW parents

She was brought to the city by her parents, both working-class overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Her father, who has been afflicted with a medical condition, worked at a drydock facility, making approximately AED2,000 a month; her mother worked as a hairdresser earning around AED3,000 a month, Angob said.

“Umalis din po ako agad papuntang UAE (after graduation and volunteer work), kasi worried din po ako sa parents ko, lalo po kay papa kasi nga po may cancer sya dati. So ayun, need po nila ng support,” she said.

The third of four children, Angob said she sent her parents home when she finally got a stable job.

“Nung maayos-ayos na po work ko, pinauwi ko sila para makapag-pahinga,” she said.

Now, she will bring them back to Dubai to enjoy life, Angob said.

Angob passed the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLEX) in 2011. She also passed NCLEX as well as the exam for those aspiring to practice the nursing profession administered by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

Aside from this, Angob likewise took a course in laser therapy, which has been her field of work during her previous employment and at her new job, which she has just recently acquired. —NB, GMA Integrated News