Jomar Delos Reyes never imagined he would call the desert his second home. He was born and raise in General Santos City, the youngest of five siblings. His parents were humble fish vendors who spent long days under the sun to send their children to school. Jomar had always dreamed of becoming a mechanical engineer. But after Typhoon Pablo hit their province and destroyed their home, those dreams were buried under financial hardship.
At 24, with only two years of college completed, Jomar made a decision that would alter the course of his life, he applied for work in the Middle East.
His first job was as maintenance technician in a construction company in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It was a brutal introduction to life abroad. The heat was suffocating, the hours were long, and the language barrier made every task feel ten times harder. He shared a small room with six other Filipinos, barely had privacy, and missed home every single day.
But Jomar was not one to complain. He sent most of his salary back to his family. His older brother was able to start a small motorcycle parts store, his youngest sister enrolled in nursing school, and their roof was finally repaired after years of leaking.
There were nights when Jomar would look up at the vast Saudi sky and feel so far away from everything that mattered. he missed the taste of his mother’s sinigang, the sound of his father’s radio playing OPM songs, and the noise of his neighborhood at dusk.
Despite the loneliness, Jomar found solace in small joys. He joined a weekend basketball league for OFWs, made friends with fellow workers from Iloilo and Bicol, and eventually learned basic Arabic to better communicate with locals.
One day, an opportunity opened up within the company a promotion to Junior Site Supervisor. It required someone who could speak English well, understood basic engineering concepts, and had leadership potential. Jomar hesitated. He wasn’t college graduate. But his coworkers encouraged him to apply. He got the job.
It was a turning point. The salary increase allowed him to pay for online college classes in the Philippines and finish his degree. He worked by day and studied by night. It took him five years, but he finally earned his diploma.
With new qualifications and experience, Jomar was offered a higher paying job in Dubai. There, he continued to grow professionally and personally. He began mentoring new OFWs, helping them adjust and avoid exploitation. He volunteered with a Filipino organization that provided legal and emotional support to distressed workers.
On his tenth year abroad, Jomar returned to the Philippines for good. With his savings, he opened a small construction and repair company. His old neighborhood looked different, but the warmth was the same. His parents were older, but their smiles were the same ones gave him the courage to leave.
Jomar often tells young Filipinos, “It’s not the money that defines success. It’s what you do with your sacrifice.
His story is one of pain, growth, and resilience not just for himself, but for the countless OFWs who leave everything behind a build a better life.
