No future at home? Inside the endless Filipino exodus

No future at home? Inside the endless Filipino exodus The Philippines exported 2.74 million workers last year. For many, leaving is still the most reliable path to a better life Victor Lee is not the kind of man to leave behind his family without a reason, but the 34-year-old Filipino has done the sums and decided where life must take him next: Lithuania. His wife does not want him to go. She will be left to care for their child, with a video call standing in for a husband, while Lee hauls cargo through the seaports of the Baltic. His paperwork is nearly done. He has finished his training as a heavy transport operator. He is going. “It’s getting harder and harder to earn as a driver in Manila,” said Lee, who currently works as a driver for Grab. He has promised his wife a deal: he will return as soon as there is enough money to build a house and start a business. She is, reluctantly, coming round.