Five-year-old Vaniah Ayn Perdido was in tears as she tried to stop her father, Joe Mar David Perdido, from returning to the Maldives where he works as an assistant restaurant manager for a resort.
The emotional parting of Ayn and her father was captured on camera by her grandmother. The video was later posted by her mother, Icar Yves, on Facebook.
The image shows Ayn passionately crying and hugging her father at the Davao International Airport. "Dili man ko love nimo daddy," she tells her dad in Bisaya. (You don't love me, daddy.)
The post touched the hearts of netizens, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and quickly went viral – getting 240,000 shares and 7.5 million views in just 2 days.
Ayn's story
For the first few years of her life, Ayn was cared for by her grandparents in Dangcagan, Bukidnon, along with her little brother, David.
Her parents were both OFWs who first met in the United Arab Emirates and eventually moved to the Maldives where they worked at the same resort.
Back then, Ayn and David could only be with their parents for 30 days a year.
According to their mom, Icar, she and her husband each had 30 days of leave annually, which they would divide into two trips.
It was easier at first because the 2 children were still too young to understand their situation, but as they grew older, Icar said Ayn would cry every time they had to return to the Maldives.
In one instance, Ayn was so upset that she ignored her parents' long-distance calls for a week.
Seeing her daughter incredibly sad was what pushed Icar to leave her high-paying job abroad and return to the Philippines this year.
Her husband, Joe Mar, remains in the Maldives.
– Rappler.com
