Left behind: A Filipina migrant mothers struggle in Taiwan

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IROSIN, Philippines/NEW TAIPEI, Taiwan - Marian Duhapa kisses her quietly sleeping baby daughter Quinn goodbye as she prepares for the 16-hour bus trip from her remote village in the Philippines to Manila airport before flying back to Taiwan and work.

I pray for myself, the baby and my family. I pray I can find a job so I can help my daughter and my family. This is my only choice now, said Duhapa.

For hundreds of thousands of migrant workers like 32-year-old Duhapa, moving overseas to work is a painful decision. While a job abroad will give them enough money to support their families, they will also have to leave their children, often for years at a time. If they stay at home, however, they may struggle to get by.

Life in the Philippines is so difficult. Every move you make requires money. Its poverty. Even if you earn, its still not enough, said Duhapa, who is the main breadwinner for her extended family of 11.

Tech powerhouse Taiwan, whose capital Taipei is only a two-hour flight from Manila, is home to more than 150,000 Filipino migrant workers.

They mostly work in factories and as domestic helpers, caring for the young and the elderly, taking on jobs many Taiwanese do not want to do on an island with a declining birth rate.

Around two million Filipinos, more than half of them women, work overseas, according to the Philippines government.

For some, Taiwan is a better choice than the Middle East where rights groups say many are mistreated.

But campaigners say Taiwan must also improve protections for migrant workers, and grant them rights such as being able to bring family members