The Pilapil and Diaz families, winners of the 2023 Regional Model OFW Family of the Year Award, pose for a group picture after the awarding ceremony in Cebu City. (Photo from OWWA-7)
CEBU CITY, Cebu, Dec. 4 (PIA) — Captain Jimmy Pilapil from Liloan, Cebu worked as a Master Mariner for 20 years before he and his wife, Anecita, decided that it was time to chart a new course for their family.
After 20 years of working as a seafarer, Jimmy has already raised four accomplished children. So he decided to stop working and started investing his money in different businesses, stocks, and estates in Cebu.
Jimmy and Anecita ventured into building Jimsville Subdivision in Liloan, with the goal of providing suitable houses for both OFWs and locals.
Jimsville Subdivision is under Jim and Ann Land Developer, also owned by the family.
Due to Jimmy’s and Anecita’s commitment to build a good life for their family out of their earnings from two decades of Jimmy working as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), they were one of the families honored by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 7 this year.
Regional MOFYA 2023 Winner for the Sea-Based Category, Jimmy Pilapil and his family pose for a photo with representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Organization 7 and Department of Migrant Workers 7. (MYP/PIA7)
Honoring modern day heroes
OWWA-7 honored six families in Central Visayas during the recent 2023 Regional Model OFW Family of the Year Award (MOFYA) for their resilience despite the challenges and trials of being separated from loved ones who work overseas.
Now on its 15th year, the regional MOFYA acknowledges the “unwavering support, strength, and unity displayed by OFW families.”
“This is also our way of honoring our modern day heroes and for people to be inspired by their stories,” said OWWA-7 Officer in Charge Regional Director Reynaldo B. Jacalan.
Jacalan said the chosen families has shown “remarkable strength in maintaining strong family bonds while facing the trials of living apart.”
Jimmy and Anecita’s family was awarded the regional MOFYA under the Land-based Category.
The family of former OFW Arnulfo T. Diaz from Ubay, Bohol clinched the award under the Sea-based Category.
Arnulfo’s wife, Teodora, was also an OFW nurse who worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 30 years before they both decided to return back to the Philippines for good in 2019.
Like the Pilapil family, Arnulfo and Teodora invested in various businesses in their hometown.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen as the winner of the MOFYA, Model OFW Family Year Award 2023 Region 7. This recognition serves as a reminder of the importance of the OFW Community and their contributions to our nation,” said Arnulfo in a Facebook post.
The Pilapil and Diaz families are the regional bets for the MOFYA national level in January 2023.
Their stories and journeys will be shared nationally, showcasing their dedication, resilience and devotion to their families and communities, and inspiring others both within and outside the OFW community.
MOFYA 2023
Nominees of the MOFYA were carefully nominated by religious organizations, non-government organizations, People’s Organizations, OFW Family Circles, and community-based socio-civic organizations from Region 7.
The nominated family must have an OFW parent who is either land-based or sea-based, a mother or father, including widow or widower.
The OFW must also have at least four years of work experience abroad, has no derogatory record, and can be currently or formerly working overseas.
Former OFWs must have returned to the country for not more than 10 years from the date of nomination.
OFWs who hold an elective or appointive position in a national or local office will not be considered. (MYP/PIA7)
