BEHIND THE FRONT ROW: TAPPING THE LIVED EXPERIENCESOF OVERSEAS FILIPINO STUDENTS WITH FRONTLINER PARENTSIN THE STATE OF QATAR, A PHENOMENOLOGY

A new profound virus, COVID-19, spread all over the world including Qatar, resulting in the deployment of different frontliners to battle this pandemic. While there have been many studies highlighting the struggles of the main workers behind the crisis, the difficulties of their children are left unsung. Hence, this study scrutinizes their unspoken experiences, especially on the different life aspects the children undergo. Through a qualitative approach adapting the IMRAD format and phenomenologically designed, the study examined the unraveled lived experiences of overseas Filipino students with frontliner parents. Data gathering was done through structured interviews stemming from the central question: What aspects of life do Filipino students with frontliner parents are the most affected?, in which the data was later analyzed using inductive reasoning for thematizing. Based on the participants verbal musings, three themes were constructed the lived experiences of overseas Filipino students with frontliner parents revolve around: (1) Academic Relation, including their scholastic adjustments (2) Societal Association, highlighting their social struggles (3) and Psychological Comprehension that relates them into the reality of their situation. The phenomenological study shows that overseas Filipino students make critical decisions suited to the situation of their frontliner parents. It shows that because of the demanding job of their parents, many aspects of these childrens lives are greatly affected. The study, then, taps into the students lived experiences of what they made to adapt to the circumstances and accommodate their frontline-working parents. The gathered thematized responses validate and demonstrate these commonalities among overseas Filipino children with frontliner parents in Qatar, which is the heart of the study. Acknowledgment of these childrens experiences means understanding how having frontliner parents with shifted priorities can also integrate them better into society, more independently, especially in their academic, social, and psychological aspects.