Young workers, drawn by the financial district’s expatriate-style amenities, satirise the high costs while navigating its hustle culture
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenSam BeltranPublished: 12:30pm, 3 Sep 2026Young professionals in Makati City are humorously redefining OFW as “overworked” or “on-site” Filipino workers, parodying the high costs and urban convenience of Metro Manila’s premier financial district.
But recently, the acronym has been given a new meaning by some Makati residents who post social media reels chronicling their expatriate-style lifestyle, complete with the city’s skyscrapers, manicured parks and coffee shops.
The videos also satirise aspects of OFW life, with tongue-in-cheek lines about homesickness and working hard to provide for the family.
“The idea came from my own experience,” said Nick Tumbagahan, who documents a day in his life as an “OFW” – leaving his Makati condominium, walking to his morning coffee spot, heading to the office, then unwinding after work at the gym.
The Bacolod City native from the central Philippines was a seafarer overseas before moving to Makati for work.
“Like many people in Makati, I left home in search of better opportunities. One day, I jokingly referred to myself as an ‘OFW in Makati’ and it resonated,” Tumbagahan said.
