For Remily Oca, her two-year assignment on Saipan gave her the opportunity to be up close and personal with many Filipino workers in the Commonwealth, giving her first-hand knowledge and a deeper appreciation of some of the country\u2019s bagong bayani or new heroes.<\/p>\n
A native of South Cotabato, Oca arrived on island on Jan. 21, 2010, tasked with the responsibility of performing administrative functions, including the issuance of overseas employment certificate or OEC and providing assistance in labor cases. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis was my first overseas assignment and it has made me a well-rounded individual and a better public servant. The knowledge I gained here will also help me come up with programs for Filipino workers,\u201d said Oca in an interview a few days before her Jan. 19 flight back to the Philippines. <\/p>\n
Fondly known as Remy in the Filipino community, Oca said she helped Filipino workers\u2014\u201cto the best of my ability and under the supervision of labor attach\u00e9 Carmelina Velasquez\u201d\u2014by easing the confusions caused by the federalization of the CNMI\u2019s immigration system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tried to help them understand every latest development about federalization and, at the same time, conduct the reintegration program to prepare those who are willing to go back home and start their own businesses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Oca\u2019s temporary assignment on island was part of the job enhancement efforts of their office, the Department of Labor Region 12 office in Koronadal City, where she provided support services at their technical division and field office.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel fortunate to have been assigned here because I had the chance to do front line service, unlike in South Cotabato where I stayed behind the scenes. I was able to interact and have conversations with Filipino workers here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Besides work, Oca also became occupied with activities that helped her cope during her first few months on island. \u201cTaking long walks by the beach or having a simple chat with friends helped in those times I was lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Living on Saipan, Oca said, had been easy for her due to the large Filipino population that made her feel like she was still in the Philippines. <\/p>\n
\u201cI find it very impressive the simplicity of life on Saipan,\u201d she told Saipan Tribune. \u201cThe disparity between the rich and the poor is not evident and people are generally pleasant and hospitable. There\u2019s no heavy traffic, no pollution, and it\u2019s rich in natural resources. You can go to a nice, clean beach anytime and for free.\u201d<\/p>\n
This mother of four has \u201cmixed feelings\u201d about leaving Saipan. \u201cI\u2019m happy that I\u2019m going to be with my family once again but I also feel sad knowing that I will be saying goodbye to the friends I\u2019ve made at work, in the Filipino community, at church, my neighbors. In my two years here, I was able to develop strong bonds of friendship with them. It\u2019s very difficult to bid farewell to these people because they already hold a place in my heart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Oca expressed appreciation for the help and support that she received from everyone in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank God for the opportunity to be here, of all places. I feel lucky to have stayed here and I\u2019ll surely get in touch with all the friends I\u2019ve made on Saipan,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For Remily Oca, her two-year assignment on Saipan gave her the opportunity to be up close and personal with many Filipino workers in the Commonwealth, giving her first-hand knowledge and a deeper appreciation of some of the country\u2019s bagong bayani or new heroes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}