NYT on the OFW

"A Good Provider is One Who Leaves"

This is an admirable article on many levels:

– opens with not just a catchy but also fitting focus/illustrative example
- covers an impressively broad ground;
- is wonderfully well-researched;
- is authored by someone with a remarkable involvement with his subject/s;
- is poetic but can still be easily followed;
- quotes poets as among the authoritative sources (a gesture that would be pretentious if applied on more mundane subjects);
- is mindful of the profound, heart-wrenching ironies punctuating the story/material;
- is painfully aware of the nuances of the local culture, including the socioeconomic hierarchy;
- has the right historical perspective;
- has a global perspective;
- has an incredibly empathetic heart; and
- has the objectivity of an outsider.

The only apparent errors I noticed are minor misspellings: “boom-bay” (Bumbay), “Gina gawa” (Ginagawa), and “familya” (pamilya or the Spanish familia). This feature story is a notable achievement for foreigners who cover the Philippines, who often exhibit laughable ignorance of their assigned subject. Great job, Jason DeParle!!! You did us a big favor. Maybe you're actually a Filipino hiding behind a pseudonym. :)