4/10: NANAY's CALL: BAGYONG MAGKALAYO (Malayo na pero Malayo pa Photo Competition)

By: Prince Noelle Padilla

The image shows a person—likely a Filipino worker abroad—sitting by a laptop displaying a weather satellite image of a typhoon approaching the Philippines. A UK flag stands in the background, symbolizing their current home away from home.

On their phone screen, a weather app shows 13°C in the UK and an incoming flood warning, while a call from “Nanay Globe” (Mother) appears, bridging two worlds—one cold and distant, the other warm but vulnerable.The warm coffee mug adds a touch of homesickness and care, suggesting worry, distance, and love.

Narrative:

It’s a quiet night in a small room somewhere in the United Kingdom. Sa harap ng laptop, makikita ang imahe ng isang malakas na bagyong papalapit sa Pilipinas. The glow of the screen reflects on her tired face — a Filipina OFW, silently watching, holding a cup of coffee for warmth against the cold Birmingham air. Then, her phone lights up — “Nanay Globe” calling.

“Anak, kumain ka na ba? Hindi ka ba giniginaw diyan?”Her mother’s voice trembles, not because of the typhoon outside her window, but because of love — love that crosses oceans. Sa kabila ng papalapit na unos, mas iniisip pa rin ni Nanay kung kamusta ang anak niyang nasa malayo.

The daughter takes a deep breath. She looks at the swirling image of the storm on her screen, wishing she could go home — to help, to protect, to be with them. Pero hindi puwede. Duty holds her there. Distance keeps her from doing what her heart longs for. The only thing she can do is pray, and hope that her family back home will be safe.

Meanwhile, sa kabilang dulo ng tawag, si Nanay naman, kahit may ulan at hangin na sa labas, is still asking the same questions: “Nakakain ka ba? Huwag ka magpuyat masyado. Ingatan mo sarili mo diyan.Maglagay ka ng epikasen sa paa. Takpan mo tainga mo pagnasa labas ka para di ka gaano ginawin”And the daughter answers, “Okay lang ako, Nay.”

Both are lying a little — not to hide the truth, but to protect each other’s hearts. 

Ganyan magmahal ang Pilipino: kahit magkalayo, parehong nag-aalala, parehong nagtatago ng lungkot para lang mapawi ang bigat ng loob ng isa’t isa.

After the call ends, she stares again at the typhoon map. The swirling winds look like the ache in her chest — restless, unending. She whispers softly, “Ingat kayo diyan, Nay. Sana humina na ‘yung bagyo.” The coldness of the UK surrounds her, but somehow, her mother’s voice lingers — warm, familiar, full of care.

That moment captures what thousands of OFWs feel every single day — the pain of being far away, the guilt of not being there when their families need them most, and the quiet strength of love that refuses to fade.One faces the storm back home, the other endures the cold abroad — yet both share the same prayer, the same heart, the same hope.

This is the beauty and burden of being a Filipino far from home. It’s a love that endures distance, time, and even storms.

Because in the end, this is who we are as Filipinos — caring, selfless, and deeply bound by family.No matter the distance, no matter the storm…Family is Family.

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