Singapore family treats helper to Filipino food to thank her for caring for elderly dad
SINGAPORE: A domestic helper from the Philippines was treated to a birthday surprise from the family she works for as they all went to a Filipino restaurant for a meal.
Local content creator Denson Chow posted a video on TikTok and Instagram of his family taking Abegail Aseniero to a restaurant on East Coast Road called Lola J Kusinang Pinoy.
Ms Aseniero was so moved by Mr Chow’s family’s gesture that she had tears by the time her birthday cake piece was brought out, and she was sung to by the family and the eatery staff.
To Mr Chow’s surprise, his father, whom Ms Aseniero mostly takes care of, was moved to tears as well.
“Today was a small way to make her feel closer to home,” Mr Chow wrote in the text overlay to his video.
The relationship between the family and Ms Aseniero is obviously a special one. At the beginning of the clip, she quips that she feels like she’s 14 years old as Mr Chow says they are taking her out for her birthday.
He said, “I feel like we have to appreciate helpers because they leave their family, everything behind in their home country, everything that’s comfortable, to come to Singapore to work for a family that they are strangers to.”
Mr Chow went on to point out that helpers leave their home countries not because they are uneducated or unintelligent. Ms Aseniero has a college degree, he added, and could have been a bank manager back home, but because what she earns as a bank manager in the Philippines is significantly less than her salary as a helper in Singapore, she made that choice.
According to Ms Aseniero, a bank manager in the Philippines earns only S$400, although this may be based on her experience from some years ago. The average wage for a helper in Singapore, meanwhile, is between S$600 and S$700, though experienced helpers with specialised skills may earn as much as S$1,000 a month.
Filipino food as a taste of home
Mr Chow also said, “I think food can also help with homesickness,” and the video showed Ms Aseniero taking charge of ordering what the family would eat for the meal.
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“I am in the Philippines,” she said when surrounded by dishes from home. And after one sip of sinigang (a sour soup with a tamarind base), she said, “I am at home.”
Upon seeing both his father and Ms Aseniero in tears, Mr Chow wrote in the caption, “Didn’t expect both of them to cry, but I guess small gestures like these go a long way. Remember to show appreciation to everyone around you.” /TISG