Buhay POFW… POFW for Parang OFW. Hehe..
Technically I am not an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) – at least that’s what our company HR said. But since I’m a Filipino who’s temporarily working outside of the Philippines, then I am somewhat an OFW. I also checked the web for a definition of OFW:
Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs are Filipinos working abroad that are expected to return permanently either upon the expiration of a work contract or upon retirement. – Wikipedia
As an OFW, I am expected to send money to the Philippines. I send money to my family (parents, brothers and sister) and also to my personal account to pay my bills/investments in the Philippines (Avida, Sunlife, Prulife, Citiseconline).
At first I was literally clueless. When I was in the Philippines, I usually sent money to my family in the province through BDO (thank God for their Cash Card program!), MLhuillier and Cebuana Lhuillier. It was always a hassle. You know, withdrawing money, going to the other bank to deposit. Or worse, find a near *Lhuillier and line up to send money. The BDO option is more convenient. Although I have to withdraw money from BPI and deposit it to BDO. So in short, the process of sending money to my family was very time-consuming and inconvenient.
But now, here in the US, they’ve made (almost) everything very convenient for everyone. Almost everything is interconnected! With just a few clicks, I could send money from my bank here in the US to my bank in the Philippines! Cool!!!
How? Through Remitly.com. They are the middle men who work with both banks. I have done my own research about all the existing remittance services and so far most (if not all) of my Filipino friends are using Remitly. My friends said that they offer the highest conversion rate. Check them out for yourself now… 🙂
Tech, Tot, & Trowel 
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