OFW: No choice but to be far away from home during Christmas

Nursing a feeling of homesickness, an OFW stood out against the backdrop of the crowd rushing to take a ride home to the provinces in the early hours of December 16, the first day of the nine-day Simbang Gabi leading up to Christmas Day, at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Bam Alegre reported Friday on Unang Balita that Jocelle Soriano was also rushing to take a ride, not for home, but to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to catch her early-morning flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

She is an overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

Asked by Bam Alegre how she was feeling at that very moment when most people in the PITX complex seem to be singing in their minds "I'll be home for Christmas", Soriano said, "Malungkot po, pero wala akong choice" (I'm sad, but I don't have a choice).

According to Bam Alegre, the PITX complex burst up to life at past 5 a.m. as hordes of people rushed to get a ride home to the provinces for the holiday season.

As early as 5 a.m. travelers began to fall in line for their rides, excited to get home.

Some passengers said that they chose to come over to PITX very early in the morning to take their chance of an easy and hassle-free ride.

Passenger buses to the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas were already waiting in line to serve the travelers who turned up early on Friday morning.  —LBG, GMA Integrated News