For many OFW (overseas Filipino workers), building their dream house is the ultimate fulfillment of their sacrifices abroad so they can provide for their families. However, there are also so many of them who prioritize their children’s education first, then build their dream house when the kids finished their degrees.
That’s the case of the Fernandez family from Bulacan whose father, Alex, worked as a merchandiser in Saipan. Instead of building a new home and buying a car immediately after finding a job as OFW, Alex and his wife Cecil decided to first focus on the education of their children, Ces and Jed.
It was only after 20 years of working abroad that the family was able to build their dream house – and that happened when the kids were finally done with their studies.
Buying Their Dream House
The couple’s daughter graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts – Industrial Design at UP Diliman, while her younger brother graduated with a Bachelor of Electronics Engineering degree at Mapua.
Back in 2008, the Fernandez family took a loan from Pag-IBIG to buy their house. It was payable until 2022. But it would take many years before they could finally live in their dream house.
“Matagal nang pangarap ng Mom and Dad ko na tumira sa dream house nila. They’re apart for almost 20 years kasi nga nag-OFW pa ‘yung Dad ko para mapagtapos kami,” Ces explained.
“Na-miss man nila yung 20 years na ‘yun, they’re looking forward to spend their retirement years together sa dream house nila.”
Building Their Dream Home
Now that the kids have completed their education, they made sure to help chip in to build their family’s dream house.
Construction work for the house began in January 2021 with a budget of Php2.5 million. The 2-story dream house features three bedrooms with a modern design and a garage.
