Dream come true: Dubai kasambahay's kids now professionals

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Fourteen years of cleaning a house that’s not hers have paid off for a 57-year-old household service worker (HSW), whose children are now enjoying careers as a lawyer, teacher, civil engineer and a finance management professional.

Two more are currently in college pursuing degrees in agriculture and education.

“My kids are my greatest achievement. Lahat ng diploma ng mga anak ko ay katas (ng) kuskus kubeta,” Helen Mata Adducul, who hails from Barangay Bagu, Pamplona, Cagayan Valley, told GMA News Online.

(All of my children’s diplomas were due to my work scrubbing toilets.)

“Kuskus kubeta” is an expression among HSWs here to mean all-around household chores.

Dream

Adducul’s storyline is one fit for a teleserye, if you will.

An elementary education undergrad, she arrived in Dubai on April 27, 2010 bringing along a dream of providing a bright future for her seven children.

“Lumipad ako dito sa UAE na dala ang pag-asa na mapag-aral ko ang pito kong mga anak. Kinaya ko na mapagtapos sila ng college,” Adducul, whose husband works in the farm, slaughtering swine on the side, said.

(I flew here in the UAE with the hope of sending all my seven children through college. I worked hard for it.)

AED750 monthly salary

Employed by an expat couple with two kids, Adducul was paid a small monthly rate of AED750 with no day off. She didn’t mind.

“Ang sabi ko, ‘Sige po. Ako po naman ay nagpunta dito sa Dubai para magtrabaho, hindi para mag-day off,’” Adducul recalled.

(I told them, ‘It’s okay. After all, I went here to Dubai to work, not to have day offs.)

She stayed on despite the low salary. 

“Hindi man napunta sa akin ang blessing, kung mapunta naman sa mga anak ko, 'yun ang malaking blessing. Ang pagiging OFW ay hindi pang-lifetime," Adducul said.

(I may not have received the blessing, but my children got it, and it’s the bigger blessing. Being an OFW is not a lifetime thing.)

"'Yung mga anak na napag-aral ko, 'yun ang blessing ko dahil lifetime nila 'yun. May pakpak na po sila. Pwede nang lumipad…Makakatayo na sa sarili nila. Magagamit ang pinag-aralan. ‘Yung blessing ay para sa lifetime, hindi 'yung blessing na panandalian lang,” Adducul said.

(I was able to send my kids to college. That’s my blessing because that’s a lifetime achievement. My children now have wings, they can fly, stand on their own. They can use their education. A blessing is one that lasts a lifetime, not something that’s just for the moment.)

Tough days

The first three months were tough, said Adducul. Her employers were apparently going through hard times then.

“Late ang sahod. Pati food, kung ano lang nandu'n, kung ano ang tira, 'yun ang akin. Pinagtiyagaan ko na rin. Hindi naman ako nagpunta ng Dubai para humusga ng tao,” she said.

(The salary was always late. Food was whatever leftovers they had. I just held on. After all, I didn’t come to Dubai to judge people.)

Following contract renewals through the years, her salary was subsequently increased until it reached its present rate of AED2,600. She also receives rice, toiletry and a few other groceries. Adducul was also allowed two days off regularly.

Her employers, working in the finance sector, have likewise been supportive, providing laptops for all of Adducul’s seven children, helping her and her husband procure a car and renovate their house, even sponsoring her youngest daughter’s recent visit to Dubai.

Adducul and her husband have, moreover, grown a piggery business, where they supply pork to retailers. The couple has also embarked on a community project, where they provide a female piglet to a less fortunate family to start their own piggery. They have so far helped 50 families, according to Adducul.

“Ang advocacy namin bilang family ay makatulong sa mga less fortunte na kagaya namin. Mawala man kaming mag-asawa ay meron naman kaming mga anak na magpapatuloy sa pagtulong,” she said.

(Our advocacy as a family is to help the less fortunate like what we once were. Our children will continue on it when we’re gone.)

The children

The Adducul couple’s children are Mathleen Adducul-Descalzo, teacher; Frank Neil Adducul, lawyer; Heilmoir Adducul, civil engineer; and Aubrey Adducul, a finance management professional. All went to Cagayan State University.

The others are Jack Ace Adducul, who’s taking up Agriculture and is a Palarong Pambansa bronze medalist; Sherwin Adducul, who’s in second year college taking up Education, and is an artist; the youngest, 16-year-old, Galerie Adducul is in senior high school and is a pianist.

Award

Adducul was recipient of the Gawad Kasambahay Award 2023, an annual event honoring HSWs in UAE organized by leaders and entrepreneurs in the Filipino community like Balikbayan Store and Filvision.

The event, which opened this year’s nominations on July 13, 2024, is supported by the Philippine Consulate General, as well as the Philippine Business Council – Dubai and Abu Dhabi, a non-government and UAE-registered body.

There were close to 2,000 nominations last year, indicating just how well-received the awarding event is in the expat community. Other nationalities have been known to nominate Filipino HSWs whom they employ.

Michelle Guinto, Gawad Kasambahay founder, said the initiative is “our way of recognizing and appreciating the invaluable contributions of our kasambahays.”

“Their dedication and hard work often go unnoticed, and through this platform, we aim to give them the recognition they truly deserve. We also want to highlight the importance of supportive employers who treat their household workers as family,” she said. —KG, GMA Integrated News