jt, OCWs are a sad but inevitable product of a country which has educated, bilingual, and skilled labor (both white- and blue-collar) but lacks the opportunities wherein those people can be used.
Instead, they have to go abroad. As for those comments, I can tell you from personal experience that quite a few of those so-called low labor jobs are filled by HIGHLY underutilized, HIGHLY educated people who couldn't or can't obtain the necessary certifications or visas to work in their chosen profession. I've known attorneys, physicians, accountants (CPAs), and engineers who were forced to take positions beneath their education such as paralegals/clerks, medical technicians/LPNs, bookkeepers, and construction workers and that's vaguely within their field. I've also known others who were forced to take other jobs such as cab drivers, hotel porters/maids/security guards, waiters/waitresses, and salesclerks.
Be VERY thankful for a conscientious mother who worked hard, sacrificed valuable time, and endured who-knows-what in order to make a better life for you. Some of the 2nd and 3rd generation "Fil-Ams" I've known have taken that for granted and look down on the FOBs; shame on them-- they perpetuate what the Spanish for generations did to Filipinos.
BTW, the OCW experience is not unique to Filipinos; look at the Irish, Italians, and Jews during the 19th and early 20th century. What MAY be unique is that the average OCW does not want to emigrate, but merely attain and maintain a better economic situation for themselves and their families.