Filipinos in UAE on making long-distance relationships work ahead of Valentine's Day

Dubai: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Supermarkets are now filled hawking roses with great gusto. But for millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), February 14 is not about fancy dates, rather about time differences, patchy internet signals, and love expressed through a screen.

For many, the occasion is celebrated through video calls squeezed between shifts, heartfelt messages at dawn, and countdown to the next homecoming. 

So, does long-distance relationships (LDRs) really work? Gulf News spoke to a cross-section of Filipinos living in this region who are making the most of their long-distance partnerships.

Jeane Baybin Adriano, a health and safety manager, has been working in the UAE for 20 years while her husband takes care of their children back in the Philippines.

"Valentine’s day can be a mix of both. It’s a celebration of love, appreciation, and connection—not only romantic love, but also gratitude for friends, family, and the people who make life meaningful," Adriano told Gulf News.

For married OFWs, distance is often the heaviest sacrifice in exchange for financial stability. But the price she pays isn't cheap. The emotional toll can be heavy, she adds.

"It is difficult, but since we decided and we committed that this is the best possible way to provide for our children's future, then we focus on what is important and we make it work."

Mylyn Anciro, a laundry supervisor, shared that valentines is the day to bring back beautiful memories and celebrate the love that makes the relationship strong.

"It is a special time to have a meaningful conversation with my partner," said Anciro.

"Even if we are busy at work, we try to reminisce the past and laugh together about our misunderstandings. We realize that moments like these are an important part of why our love becomes stronger that even distance cannot do anything to break it."

For Anciro and her husband, the special bond that they have built is what keeps their marriage steady. "It works because we share the same vision, commitment, and emotional connection. It is not about the distance, it’s about the bond."

Not everyone romanticises Valentine’s Day. For some OFWs, it is simply another shift and an opportunity for ‘me time’.

“It is just an ordinary working day and a time for self-care,” shared Ressie Pineda, a children’s coordinator.

“A chance to celebrate self-love and personal appreciation.”

Pineda, who described her relationship status as “it’s complicated,” believes long-distance does not work. 

She noted that working abroad changes people. "There are things that are not that easy to fight for when you are in a LDR such as temptations around you that sometimes become the reason why relationships break down."

According to online holistic psychologist and therapist Hala El Chemor, while physical closeness is an integral part of maintaining relationships, LDRs can survive if balance is present.

"It depends how well the couple navigates the distance, how they prioritize each other while being apart, and the meaning they give to valentines," stated Chemor.

"Some would be affected as others might not because they still find ways to celebrate and be connected regardless of the distance."

She added that cultures also affect LDRs. "For some cultures, it is normal for the husband to be in one country and the wife in another. It would have less impact to them compared to those who don’t apply the same beliefs. There are different variables."

The answer, OFWs and an expert say, depends on the couple.

For some, LDRs strengthen commitment and deepen appreciation. For others, it leaves a crack that distance made them realize.

Love stories across the UAE will continue to be written not only in restaurants and bouquets, but also in staff accommodations, shared rooms, and quiet corners where phones light up with familiar faces from home. In the end, LDRs may not be easy, but for many OFWs, it is a sacrifice made in the name of a better future.