Barangay OFW

"Pauwi Na!"

2010-12-13T14:02:00.007+08:00

“Pauwi Na!”
(Music and Lyrics by Noel Cabangon
From the Album Medjas, 2004)

Pauwi na ako. For good.

I have been an overseas Filipino worker since 2000. I’ve completed a 10-year period of living and working as an ‘alien’ in Taiwan and as a ‘foreign talent’ in Singapore.

While I was working in Taiwan, foreign workers were issued an Alien Registration Certificate or ARC. My nephew, Bon, always teased me about being an ‘alien.’ In Singapore, foreign workers are called ‘foreign talents” and we are issued an employment pass.

“Why are you giving up a good-paying overseas job?” I’ve been asked this question many times ever since I made it known that I’m going home for good.

Here are my answers:

First, when I left to work as an OFW in 2000, it was my intention to go back home. For good. I just didn’t know when.

Second, money isn’t everything. Family and country are more important. When my grandson was seven years old, he told his Daddy:

“Di bale walang bahay. (I don't care for a house.) Di bale walang kotse. (I don't care for a car.) Basta may pamilya. (What matters most is our family.)”

My son was considering an overseas job for himself then, and this was the counsel to him by his young son.

Third, I want to invest time in an earnest relationship with my grandkids. They weren’t born yet when I left the Philippines. I’d go home every now and then, and each time, we’ll have to get re-acquainted.

Fourth, metaphorically speaking, I want to dig in my own backyard and discover the ‘acres of diamonds’ (Russell Conwell, 1890) which have been there all along.
I don’t think there’s a literal ‘acres of diamonds’ in my backyard. In the first place, I don’t have a backyard. I want to go the route of entrepreneurship.

I know that I will need a different set of skills and competencies as a businessperson. I’ve been preparing myself over the years. Most importantly, I will need a different mindset.

Having a job from an employer who gives me a regular paycheck every month is certainly comfortable. But I’d like to stop being an employee, and I’d like to start being my own boss.

I will need a different mindset when I go home. For good.

I have a colleague and friend who’s been insisting that I lay out my plans in black and white, each step of the way. She’s concerned that I might be jobless and penniless. I tell her that God has always provided for me and my family, and He always will.

Last Monday, October 25, Noel Cabangon was featured in a noontime concert in the university where I teach (National Institute of Education, Singapore). He is the singer-songwriter who performed at President Noynoy Aquino’s inauguration at the Rizal Park, Manila on June 30. I went to the noontime concert, of course.

Noel sang nine songs during a one-hour show in the performance room of our music majors. In-between songs, he told us vignettes about himself and his journey as a musician.
Let me share with you the one song which spoke to my heart. It’s the best reason why I’m going home. For good. Here’s the youtube link, in case you want to listen to it.

Ako'y pauwi na sa ating bayan
Lupang sinisinta, bayang sinilangan
Ako'y nananabik na ika'y masilayan
Pagkat malaon din akong nawalay
Sa ating inang bayan

Ang aking dala-dala'y
“Sang maleta ng karanasan
Bitbit ko sa ‘king balikat
Ang binuno sa ibang bayan

Hawak ko sa ‘king kamay
Ang pag-asang inaasam
Na sana'y matupad na rin ang pangarap
Na magandang kinabukasan

Bayan ko ako'y pauwi na
Ako'y sabik na ika'y makasama
Bayan ko ako ay nariyan na
Ating pagsaluhan…
Ang pag-asang dala-dala

Ako'y pauwi na sa aming tahanan
Sa mahal kong asawa, mga anak at kaibigan
Ako'y nananabik na kayo ay mahagkan
Pagkat tunay ang pangungulila
Dito sa ibang bayan

Ang aking dala-dala'y
‘Sang maleta ng pagmamahal
Bitbit ko sa ‘king balikat
Ang pangakong matibay

Hawak ko sa ‘king kamay
Ang pag-asang inaasam
Na sana'y matupad na rin ang pangarap
Na magandang kinabukasan

Mahal ko ako'y pauwi na
Ako'y sabik na kayo ay makasama
Mahal ko ako ay nariyan na
Ating pagsaluhan ang pag-asang dala-dala

Voting as an OFW in Singapore

2010-04-19T06:21:00.004+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

The last time I voted in the Philippines was in 1992. So it has been 18 years of nonparticipation in the electoral process for me. This year, I am taking part in the process again.

This is a historic election year for me for several reasons. First, I am voting as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Singapore. Second, I am taking part in the very first automated Philippine elections. Third, I am making my small voice heard in the clamor for a return to decency, honesty, and integrity in Philippine politics and governance. Fourth, I want my grandchildren to know that I care for their future.

Where and When to Vote

All registered voters in Singapore must go to the Philippine Embassy on Nassim Road. It is a road with several embassies and condominium towers and it is a walking distance from the Orchard MRT Station.

Overseas absentee voters (OAV) may vote in Singapore from April 10 to May 10, 2010. The Embassy is open for voting on a daily basis, Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

As I walked closer towards the Philippine Embassy, I noticed that white tents had been put up on its grounds.

Voter's ID?

There's no need for a voter's ID. I did not receive any. After verifying my name in the list of OAVs in the Comelec website, I took my Philippine passport and Singapore employment pass with me to the embassy.

The Voting Process

17 April 2010, 10:45 - 10:55 a.m.

1. At the embassy gate. There was no queue. I walked in all by myself. A female guard made a cursory inspection of my handbag. I was neither asked for identification nor was I asked to sign in the log book.

2. A smiling male volunteer immediately welcomed me, steered me toward the holding area, and gave me a registration number.

3. The holding area is an enclosed, air-conditioned tent. Having experienced long and sweat- inducing queues at the Philippine Embassy, the holding area was like a dream.

Another smiling male volunteer offered me a seat in front of a computer manned by another volunteer. He took my registration number and asked for my passport. He verified my name in his computer.

After a few seconds, he asked me to write my passport number as well as Singapore ID number, then sign a registration log book. Then he gave me a number which said "P-1."

While I was doing this, I noticed that someone with a camera was videotaping the process (not me). He was obviously part of the team.

4. An alert volunteer steered me towards a door which led to P-1 or Voting Precinct 1. This was also an enclosed, air-conditioned tent. The dream isn't a dream. Another volunteer took my P-1 number, then led me to the registration table. The female volunteer asked me for any ID, then verified my name.

After a few seconds, she asked me to sign a registration log book.

5. I was immediately given a very long folder containing my ballot. A volunteer explained to me that I should shade the oval opposite the name of the candidate I have chosen. He said I may under-vote, but not over-vote. It means voting for only 1 president, 1 vice-president, 12 senators, and 1 party-list representative. Over-voting would mean the disqualification of my ballot.

"Is there a time limit?" I asked. "No," he said.

"What will I use for shading?" I asked again. "There's a marker on each desk," he said.

The ballot was 26 inches long. I did not have a ruler at the time so I used my hand to measure it. Apat na dangkal ang haba. The folder, which was supposed to cost Php370.00 each till a whistle-blower exposed the scam, was made of two ordinary long folders taped together.

6. I sat down at the back. There were 15 ordinary school tablet arm chairs in three rows. Each tablet had been fastened with a cardboard shield to prevent one's seatmates from 'copying.' A felt-tipped marker with black ink was tied to the tablet with a string.

As suggested in some voters' education flyers, I brought my list of candidates with me. I fished it out from my handbag and started shading the little ovals.

Before giving back my ballot tucked inside the folder to a poll volunteer, I made sure that I had voted for 12 senators. I wrote down my ballot ID number in my list of candidates . I noticed that my ballot had been pre-signed by the Board of Election Inspection registrar(?).

There was only one voter before me. He was already seated when I came in. I watched him feed his ballot into the PCOS or scanning machine.

7. The poll volunteer asked me to remove my ballot from the folder. Then he asked me to feed the ballot into the PCOS machine. It snapped up my ballot, then sucked it in. After a few seconds, it said, "Congratulations."

I took note that I was voter number 189 in that PCOS machine.

8. Another voted had come in. While the female volunteer at the table attended to her, a male volunteer asked me to thumb mark (right thumb) the same registration log book I had signed earlier. Then he applied indelible ink on my right index finger.

Done!

I sat down near the door of P-1 to take another look. There were four volunteers in all. The door was made of steel and glass.

Automated Voting Was a Breeze!

It helped, of course, that my voting precinct was air-conditioned and the volunteers were warm, welcoming, and helpful.

I went to the back of the embassy to look around. There are seven air-conditioned precincts altogether. There was a friendly volunteer stationed at the corner with a sign saying, "To P3 - P7." He asked me if he could help me. I said I was done and was just looking around.

I felt a sense of well-being and optimism as I left the embassy grounds.

Simbang-Gabi Singapore 2009: Wardens Needed

2009-11-18T11:30:00.002+08:00

What are you doing after office hours on the 17th of December 2009? Do you live in the Jurong area? Please lend your presence to the observance of Simbang Gabi Singapore 2009 as a church warden at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Boon Lay.

As a volunteer church warden, you will help manage human traffic before, during, and after the Simbang Gabi Mass on December 17.

Please get in touch with Mr. Manny Resmeros through mobile phone +65-9277 2863. He's the conductor of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Choir and he will brief the volunteer wardens on December 13. Thirty (30) wardens are needed.

This is the eleventh (11th) year that Rev. Father Angel Luciano, CICM, a Filipino priest based at the Church of St. Michael, has tirelessly spearheaded the observance of Simbang Gabi in Singapore since 1999.

Maligayang Pasko po sa ating lahat!

Filipino Teachers: Beware of US Recruitment

2009-11-02T16:54:00.003+08:00

Dear fellow teachers from the Philippines,

I am teaching overseas right now. Please do not allow yourselves to be victimized by recruiters. Please read the article about Filipino teachers held in 'servitude' in the USA in the link below.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-27-filipino-teachers_N.htm

You don't need recruiters. You don't need middlemen/middlewomen. You can take control of your job search.

Let me share with you how I applied for my overseas job.

As an Overseas Filipino Worker, my first overseas job was a teaching position at the Da-Yeh University in Changhua, Taiwan. I taught there for 5 1/2 years. I applied online by posting my resume on Dave's ESL Cafe. It was free. Afterwards, Dave's ESL Cafe sent me job ads posted by schools and language centers.

I sent my application portfolio to several universities in different countries. After considering the offers, I chose to sign up with Da-Yeh University in Taiwan. Everything was free in the sense that I didn't have to pay any middleman/woman (the recruiter). Of course, I paid for my passport at the Department of Foreigh Affairs and my visa at the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Makati City.

I applied personally for my passport and my visa. I didn't allow any recruiters or travel agents to make money off me. I was a direct hire.

Right now, I am teaching at the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore. How did I apply for this job? I surfed the web, found advertised job openings for academic staff in reputable institutions, and sent my application documents in 2007 to some.

After going through the usual interviews and waiting for several months, in November of the same year, I received from NIE an air parcel sent through a 24-hour courier. It contained my letter of appointment and other relevant documents. I signed an acceptance letter which I sent back through a 24-hour courier, too. A notice was e-mailed to me to pick up my air ticket from the nearest Philippine Airline sales office.

On Nov. 30, 2007, I flew to Singapore. I checked into the university's executive centre for free, then transferred to a faculty flat on Dec. 3, 2007. I received my first paycheck on Dec. 15, 2007.

I was a direct hire. I didn't allow any recruiters or travel agents to make money off me.

It breaks my heart when I hear of fellow teachers who are victimized by recruiters. I understand the dream that you dream. For heaven's sake, don't let it become a nightmare!

Concerned,

Carmelita C. Ballesteros

MONEY Management Seminar at Insular Life, Makati

2009-09-14T08:27:00.004+08:00

by Jaime G. Seculles, Jr.

Magandang araw po!

Once again, Insular Life would like to invite OFWs and their family members to a Forum/Orientation session entitled, "Money Management", in our Makati Office at 6781 Makati Avenue, Makati City on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

"Money Management" is designed for OFWs and their families to make them aware of the opportunities Insular Life is offering, and maybe help them in financial management.

There is no cost or obligation. Spouses and grown-up children of OFWs are encouraged to attend. Slots are limited, so please reserve a seat by calling Cell No. +63-917-5028310 or dropping an e-mail at juneseculles@yahoo.com

Mabuhay!

Tita Cory's Funeral

2009-08-09T12:41:00.002+08:00

by Ma. Lourdes S. Bautista

A friend of mine in the Philippines sent me this e-mail about Tita Cory’s funeral. It describes how Filipinos from all walks of life took part in Tita Cory's historic funeral spontaneously. The writer has given Barangay OFW permission to publish her e-mail.

Dear all,

Last Wednesday, August 5, 2009, the Filipino people laid Tita Cory to rest. Ton, Nina, Yumi, Ma and I accepted Gigi's invitation to join her and her family in their place which was near the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). It offered a good vantage point of Tita Cory's funeral.

Ma and I arrived at Gigi’s place before 9:00 a.m. and so there was no traffic at all. Ton, Nina, and Yumi arrived after a few minutes. We were able to watch the funeral Mass on TV and it was a great experience being able to see it with family.

Iyakin ako, as you know, so there were several times umiyak ako. All of us found Fr. Arevalo's homily beautiful and we were not turned off (as some were, according to the Inquirer) by the celebrities singing songs -- they were all good (especially Dulce and Lea Salonga) and the songs chosen had great meaning in Cory's life.

At 2:30 p.m., when we thought the cortege was approaching Gigi’s place, we went to SLEX. Ay naku, the wait lasted two hours. It was a very mixed group -- peninsulares who lived in posh villages and ordinary Filipinos. There were the usual vendors of bottled water and peanuts and fish crackers.

When the advance party of the cortege came in view, we flashed the L sign and shouted, “Cory, Cory!” several times. We saw Gina Lopez and then Judy and Mar Roxas drive by. We saw Butch Abad, Aurora Pijuan, and Jun Lozada walk by.

Finally! The flatbed truck with Cory's flag-draped coffin surrounded by flowers and the four honor guards standing tall!

Shouting, “Cory, Cory,” we were again teary-eyed. It was an emotional moment. Nina was shocked that Ma, who’s in her 80s, clambered on top of a monobloc chair to get a better view.

The vans and buses carrying the Aquino family followed. But because of the tinted windows, we only glimpsed Jiggy Aquino-Cruz holding a placard with the pentel-pen inked message: "WE LOVE U. SALAMAT."

Then the rain poured and the wind blew -- and even though we were protected by the Skyway overhang -- we got really wet. The rain came in horizontal torrents.

Ma and I took EDSA back to the house and there was no traffic. We passed by Tita Cory's house on Times Street and we saw the orchids that we had left the day before. At home, we caught the tail-end of the funeral on TV.

A memorable day indeed -- thanks to Gigi and family for the idea and for the great hospitality.

Tish

Images of Tita Cory's Funeral Cortege

2009-08-06T15:49:00.003+08:00

I chanced upon this blog which features pictures and video clips of Tita Cory's funeral cortege from La Salle Green Hills to Manila Cathedral on 3 August 2009.

Do check it out.
http://aboutmyrecovery.com/2009/08/03/cory-aquino-memorial-services/

Tita Cory's Wake... Incandescent Smile

2009-08-05T09:05:00.002+08:00

by Felix Bautista

A friend of mine in the Philippines forwarded to me another e-mail about Tita Cory’s wake at the La Salle Green Hills Gymnasium. The original writer of the email has given Barangay OFW his permission to publish his email.

From: Felix Bautista ______________________
Date: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 6:56 AM
Subject: Tita Cory's Wake
To: tish bautista ___________________________

Folks,

Tato, Joville, Nina and I went to the wake Sunday night. It was raining while we were in the car, but mercifully, the rains stopped when we left Robinson's Galleria parking. We stopped over at the EDSA Shrine and took the elevated walkway to Ortigas.

We got to the line at around 7:30 PM, near the tire shop on Ortigas and the line was just two deep. We settled in for a long wait, observing people, listening to hawkers plying their trade, and hearing Nina talk about her experiences as a high school teacher at La Salle Green Hills in 1986.

It took us several hours to get inside the gym, but we were offered Nestea juice and iced tea, Hersheys kisses, San Mig coffee. The only thing missing were the biscuits, a constant in Philippine wakes.

On the long ramp up to the gym, we saw two of Tita Cory's grandsons, as they worked the line apologizing to the people for the long wait.

Finally, we got inside the gym, and my first impression was that it looked like a giant TV studio, with all the lights and equipment. What struck me next was that even with all the people, the gym was almost quiet.

Soon, we were facing the coffin, and we only had enough time to make the sign of the cross. I only saw the heavily made-up face, not the brown hands and the rosary.

I also saw Ninoy during his wake at the Sto. Domingo Church -- Ninoy in his bloodied clothes. The two images from the two wakes were like night and day.

And then I remembered what Kris said during the Boy Abunda interview earlier. Kris said that she promised Tita Cory that she will make sure that Tita Cory will look good in her wake, so she was present the whole time, during the transfer of the remains from Makati Medical Center to the Heritage Mortuary, the embalming and preparation. And then in typical showbiz fashion, she thanked people who did Tita Cory's hair, makeup and clothes...

It was Kris's showbiz tribute to her mom.

I prefer to retain an image of Cory when she lit up in her incandescent smile, which I am now indelibly reminded watching all of the tributes to her on television. I will remember her for her transparency, her sincerity, her lack of pretence.

We stayed a while, sitting on the bleachers. Joville and Nina signed our names in the visitor's book. We received yellow pins; I will keep mine as a memento. For some minutes, we watched as people viewed Cory, trying to recognize Important People, drinking in the atmosphere.

Nearing 11 pm, we left the wake. On the way out, we caught a glimpse of Dolphy and Zsa Zsa. Dolphy looked stooped and was heavily made- up. So was Zsa Zsa.

As we walked back to Robinson’s Galleria, the line had grown four- tiers thick. The visit to the wake was, for me, a perfect ending to a truly happy day when I celebrated my birthday.

Ton

OFWs and Tita Cory

2009-08-05T08:16:00.005+08:00

by Noslen Sonnel

August 5, 2009 12:45 a.m.

Far from the land of our birth

We thrive on this one land called earth

To be back home our constant dearth

Our fatherland, our countrymen, our mirth.

Adopted, yet unwanted.

Paid yet unneeded.

Seen yet unseen.

Here yet keen.

Keen to see the day of our return.

Hoping and weeping, graceful and silent

Struggling, striving and always benevolent.

Sending our dollars like we've tons to burn.

Keen to see our nation's rebirth.

See Happy Pinoys with none so poor.

Humble leaders with diminished girth.

'Tis what we'd like to see at the end of our tour.

The death of Cory increased our sorrow.

Yet we struggle on ‘cuz there’s still tomorrow.

She was the mother who wouldn’t let us leave
A fellow Pinoy who wanted us not to cleave.

She believed what many of us abandoned
The road she travelled, we scorned and disowned.

Yet in the depths of our hearts we are brown.

We knew then and we know now that we can.

That we Pinoys can never be let down.

And we may yet prove that we are her avid fan!

The death of Cory increased our sorrow.

Yet we struggle on ‘cuz there’s still tomorrow.

Tita Cory's Wake

2009-08-04T11:17:00.005+08:00

by Ms. Juliet Guanlao

A friend of mine in the Philippines forwarded to me an e-mail about Tita Cory’s wake at the La Salle Greenhills. The original writer of the email has given Barangay OFW her permission to publish her email.

From: Juliet Guanlao _________________

To: usths80@_______________________

Sent: Sunday, August 2, 2009 10:35:31 PM

Subject: [usths80] Tita Cory's Wake

I was there last night. It took me, a friend, and three nieces more than three hours to get to Tita Cory's coffin, where we were able to spend a few seconds to say thank you.

I could not pass up on this chance to feel "People Power" all over again. I went there with the hope of witnessing and feeling the same fever that gripped all of us 23 years ago. I was at EDSA (it happened three months after I came home from an 8-year stay in NY). I was squeezed at the gates of Malacañang with the passionate mob who rushed there after hearing the news that the Marcoses had fled. I was in Luneta during the rally after the dictator was ousted.

I just felt that this is the last chance to feel Tita Cory's fervent hope to unite us, even up to her death.

I was not disappointed. The unity of our people and the desire to be with Tita Cory for the last time are very much alive. The line started from Gate 5 and extended all the way to the corner of EDSA and Ortigas, and snaked 4 times. Four layers of people peacefully and orderly lined up along Ortigas, in the midst of traffic and the smoke-belching vehicles. But there were no complaints, no rowdiness among the crowd, just the usual noise of people chatting, waiting patiently in line.

There were a lot of smiles, nods and short comments exchanged among strangers, as we passed by or faced each other in our respective spots. As expected, there were a lot of entrepreneurs who were able to produce yellow shirts and yellow ribbons in such a short time.

We arrived at around 8:30 pm and were able to join the 2nd layer of the line. Those who were in the first line had been there since 4 o'clock. There was a mass at 8pm and they stopped letting people in at 7.

We were feeling impatient at around 10:30 pm when, to our surprise, there was activity behind us. Tita Cory's grandsons, Jiggy (the one who looks like Ninoy) and the other one (we didn't get his name but I think he was the other one who was frequently seen with Jiggy, but this time without his Ninoy glasses), were walking through the lines, shaking people's hands, profusely thanking and apologizing to everyone about the long wait.

Of course there were a lot of posing and picture-taking, and these two young lads were game! It was probably a nightmare for the two security personnel who tailed Tita Cory’s grandsons. Their presence gave everyone the much-needed boost, and we were able to keep our spirits up for the next 2 hours. There was even one lady behind us who shouted, "Iho, ano nga bang pangalan mo? Iboboto kita!" It was indeed an unexpected but heartwarming gesture from those two young men.

When we had gone through the gates, we saw young people handing out Kopiko candies and Hershey's Kisses chocolates. Feeling nasa wake talaga! Kulang na lang Boy Bawang, Happy peanuts, butong pakwan and Zest-o. But there were water dispensers and cups in different spots inside the campus.

Flowers lined up the corridors, and Tita Cory's enlarged portraits were placed along the hallway leading to the coffin. Inside the gym, celebrities were everywhere. But despite the fact that there were showbiz stars and politicos everywhere, I didn't think it replaced the feelings of the people that they were there to pay their respects to Tita Cory. The mood was calm and solemn.

In two's, we were allowed only a few seconds in front of the coffin. Not enough to digest and take in the minute details of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was there with a friend and my three nieces, and when we were back in the car, we pieced together all that we were able to store in our memories.

Tita Cory was wearing a simple bright yellow dress with sparkling stones. Brownish hands folded clutching a rosary. Jet black hair combed back, bright red lips, heavily-foundationed face. She looked very different... she looked like a Chinese mestiza but decades younger... The face was different from the Tita Cory we are all familiar with. But her expression was very serene... very peaceful...

The way she looked in the coffin got us distracted. We were hoping to see the sweet, motherly face of Tita Cory. We walked back to the car pensive, and disturbed. We did not want this to be the last memory we will have of her.

My initial feeling was, I wish I did not go.... But now, the morning after, things are clearer in my mind. She must have suffered so much in her ordeal that they had to hide the pain.. The face may have masked the sufferings but the color of her hands exposed them anyway... Now I feel that even up to her death, she wanted us to see her strength, not her sufferings. And for that, I admire her more...

Tita Cory suffered so much in her life....as a wife, as a mother, as a person...We are the ones who benefited from those sufferings. As a nation, we are free. But, as a people, we have a lot more to do. My fervent prayer is for all of us to show the same unity that we showed Tita Cory and do our share in addressing the ills of our country.

Twenty-six years ago, I was marching in the streets of New York City, together with the members of the anti-Marcos movement, because Ninoy had been assassinated. I live now in Manila, but for the 26 years that I have lived here, my sense of obligation has centered around myself and my loved ones. Other than doing my best to be a law-abiding citizen, the occasional bouts of nationalism demonstrated during the People Power and now for Tita Cory, I have not really done much. I hope now, I can start...

I have been a silent reader in our e-group for the past 8 years.. Now I cannot resist na magparamdam because I want to share this experience with all of you.

To those who are overseas and cannot make it to the wake, I hope this gives you a glimpse of what it was like to be there, from my perspective. To those who can make it to the Manila Cathedral, you still have a chance.

Let's pay our respects to Tita Cory. It's the least we can do. And let's hope that the spark that this visit rekindles will stay and ignite us to move.

Yeng

Thank you, Tita Cory!

2009-08-03T07:45:00.004+08:00

Tribute to Tita Cory

25 January 1933 - 1 August 2009

Maria Corazon C. Aquino
11th President of the Philippines

Thank you, with all our hearts, for your:

C- ourage and dedication

O-verwhelming simplicity and sincerity

R- esolute commitment to democracy

A-mazing and audacious faith

Z-ealous love of country

O-verflowing kindness and love

N-ever-ending legacy of freedom!

OFWs at NAIA Terminal 3

2009-07-23T19:22:00.007+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

Dear readers: Please share your observations of international airports and/or any airport in the Philippines, domestic or international, by e-mailing barangay.ofw@gmail.com

Terminal 1
Are you ashamed of Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila? Compared to other international airports, it is dilapidated and shabby. However, it is a functional airport, although its toilets don’t work all the time.

According to Wikipedia, it handled 22 million passengers in 2008.Wasn’t that a feat? Supposedly, it was built to handle only 4.5 million passengers.

The most significant thing about Terminal 1 is its historic value. It was where Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983, moments after he was escorted out of a China Airlines flight by Marcos’ soldiers. So consider it a unique privilege to arrive and depart from such a rare and aging airport. It’s like time travel. On top of that, it’s an airport where a modern-day hero was assassinated.

Terminal 2
It is a little newer and its toilets seem to work all right. It is used exclusively by the Philippine Airlines for all of its domestic and international flights. However, the last time I arrived at Terminal 2 in 2007, I remember a really awful experience.

There were very few trolleys for the passengers’ baggage. I remember that there were at least 500 passengers fighting for about 20 trolleys. My family was worried sick because it took me more than an hour to get out of the airport.

I advised a colleague who was flying to Manila after me, and also flying via Philippine Airlines, not to check in any baggage so that he could get out of the airport fast.

Terminal 3
What about the newest terminal of NAIA? With its tattered reputation of being at the center of legal disputes and charges of corruption, I wanted to find out for myself how Terminal 3 compares with its older siblings.

Having heard that Cebu Pacific uses it exclusively, I used this airline for my trip from Singapore to Manila and back last June. I was pleased that Cebu Pacific already offers day flights. It used to offer flights only on graveyard shifts – late evening, midnight, and wee hours of the morning.

My flight from Singapore to Manila on June 18 was at 10:35 a.m. I flew out of Changi’s Budget Terminal which is miles better than Terminals 1 and 2 of NAIA. My plane touched down at 2:05 p.m. in Manila and I was out of Terminal 3 by 2:45 p.m. It was a breeze!

I was in a hurry to get home, and didn’t look around. The only impression I got was that there were no crowds and the airport was quite cold and quite bare.

Time flew, literally. Two weeks were gone and I had to head back to Singapore on July 1. My flight being at 1:30 p.m., my family dropped me off at Terminal 3 at 10:30 a.m.

Check-in Process
Unlike the annoying, multiple layers of security checks at Terminals 1 and 2, I got the pleasant, but ‘uneasy’ feeling that security at Terminal 3 was lax. I remember only one security check before I queued up to the airline counter check-in.

The Security Profiler Queue

On my way to the airline counter, there was a security profiler from a private agency. He looked only at passengers’ tickets and passports. He was not from POEA, and I wasn’t sure what his ultimate aim was. He didn’t ask to see my OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) Certificate nor my OEC (Overseas Exit Clearance). Anyway, it took only a few minutes.

The Airline Counter Check-in

There were several flights en route to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei but there was no crowd. The airline counter clerk asked me if I was an OFW. I said yes and offered her my green OEC. She took one sheet from the set of four copies, then returned the remaining three to me.

(By the way, I didn’t need to pay the Philippine travel tax of Php1,620.00 as an OFW privilege. My OEC, which cost me SGD5.50, is the proof that I am a documented OFW. If you are an OFW in Singapore, you must go to the Philippine Embassy on Nassim Road and pay the equivalent of USD25.00 to get an OWWA certificate. Only then will you be allowed to purchase an OEC.

Cebu Pacific, for its part, collects the travel tax from departing non-OFW Filipinos when they buy their airline tickets. Thus, Cebu Pacific has cut down a usually slow and disorderly step from the check-in process of passengers at Terminals 1 and 2.)

On my way to the Immigration Counter, I passed by the booths which collect the terminal fee of Php750.00. I approached the booth for OFWs and gave my OEC to the clerk. She tore off one copy and returned the remaining two to me. I didn’t need to pay anything. Altogether, I was spared from spending Php2,370.00 in exchange for the OEC which cost the equivalent of Php180.00.

Finally, I walked in towards the immigration counter through the terminal fee counter. There were only two immigration counters and there were only three of us international passengers.

The immigration officer waved me through. I was a little disappointed that my transaction was so ordinary and uneventful.

Airport Amenities
I walked farther inside Terminal 3 and had lunch in one of its cafes. It was a 90-peso lunch of rice and chicken. There were pricier choices but I wasn’t interested.

I checked out the wash room, of course. It’s almost as good as Singapore’s. That’s a big improvement.

Was there a duty-free shop? I don’t remember any. For the second time, I noticed that Terminal 3 was quite bare. With nothing to while away my time, I looked for my boarding gate. The clerk ripped off half of my boarding pass using the cover of my passport. Without even looking at me, he waved me in.

There was hardly anybody in the departure lounge. People started streaming in only at 12:45 p.m. After 10 minutes, we were asked to board through a short tube. The plane was probably two-thirds full. We took off promptly at 1:30 p.m. and landed at Changi Airport at 4:40 p.m., 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Both Cebu Pacific pilots who captained my return flights were great landers. The landing was so soft and gentle that I didn’t feel the landing gears touching the ground at all.

An OFW’s Impression
So what’s the verdict? NAIA Terminal 3 is efficient and Cebu Pacific is using it effectively. OFWs, aside from the submission of the green OEC, are inconspicuous. It means that OFWs at NAIA Terminal 3 are treated decently just like any other passenger, whether Filipino or foreigner.

I sure hope the decent treatment of OFWs remains that way. On a different note, I hope some sprucing up of Terminal 3 will be done to make it look friendlier and more attractive.

MONEY Management Seminar at Insular Life, Imus, Cavite

2009-07-17T12:05:00.004+08:00

by Jaime G. Seculles, Jr.

Insular Life would like to invite OFWs and their family members to a Forum/Orientation session entitled, "Money Management", in our Imus District Office in Cavite on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

"Money Management" is designed for OFWs and their families to make them aware of the opportunities Insular Life is offering, and maybe help them in financial management.

The Insular Life's Imus District Office is located on the 2nd Floor of Sayoc-Abella Building (atop Allied Bank), Aguinaldo Highway corner Tamsui Avenue, Imus, Cavite.

There is no cost or obligation. Spouses and grown-up children of OFWs are encouraged to attend. Slots are limited, so please reserve a seat by calling Cell No. +63-917-5028310 or

Tel. No. 63-46-5020151.

Deserving Grace

2009-05-27T09:43:00.004+08:00

by Sonny Coloma

This article was originally published in Mr. Sonny Coloma's column, VECTOR, in the Business World Online on May 22, 2009 (Manila time). He has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach him at sonny_coloma@yahoo.com

newshopper.sulekha.com

"The people deserve the kind of government they want" is a timeless maxim on democracy. If we choose wisely and well, we may yet deserve to have a national leader like Isabela Gov. Ma. Grace Cielo Magno Padaca who was honored by the Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Foundation as its 2008 awardee for outstanding public service.

"When I was elected governor in 2004," she told members of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) the other day, "I thanked God, saying, ‘Lord I was only joking. I did not expect you to take me seriously!’ "

But after 40 years of the Dy family’s hegemony, voters in Isabela chose wisely and well. Against the three Gs — guns, goons, and gold — they elected a polio-stricken broadcaster as their new leader.

Thus did Ms. Grace complete the transition from 1) CPA -- Certified Public Accountant (she graduated magna cum laude in BS Accountancy from Lyceum University) to 2) CPA -- Courageous Public Announcer (14 years as a broadcaster with Radio Bombo), and finally, to 3) CPA -- Competent Public Administrator (second-term governor of Isabela and Magsaysay laureate).

She was reelected in 2007, with a slimmer winning margin, but she felt vindicated. "This was sweeter than when I first won," she said, "because the people reelected me on the basis of my performance, and not anymore on my promises."

With prudent fiscal management, Isabela was able to pay off more than 80% of its more than half-billion-peso debts to the Land Bank, Philippine National Bank, and DBP.

She increased farm productivity by providing subsidies to rice and corn farmers. Isabela is the largest corn-producing province and the second largest rice producer. Her administration was also able to enroll more than 100,000 Isabelinos in PhilHealth so that they now enjoy medical insurance benefits.

She has introduced transparency and accountability. Awards of contracts and release of checks to contractors are publicized in the provincial capitol. Businesspersons and investors have found it profitable to do business and invest in the province because they need not pay bribes or incur unnecessary costs due to corrupt practices of government officials. She urged people to report to her directly any anomalies in government transactions.

But the road to the governorship was rough, bumpy, and fraught with danger. She was immobilized by polio at the age of three.

Her parents, both educators, gave her many books to read. She recalls reading stories about honesty, industry, truth, and fairness — and these filled her mind with positive thoughts and inspired her to dream of an auspicious future.

One of her dreams was to be a radio announcer, a job where she could be heard even if not seen. She went on to join Bombo Radyo where she had a daily three-hour program from Monday to Saturday. Her focus was "the abusive way by which resources of government were being squandered" by political "gremlins" that "seemed to forget that power is not theirs as a birthright."

Instead of being frustrated about not being able to do anything about irregularities that were being committed openly, she decided to seek public office.

"At least," she mused, "even if I lose, I will have peace of mind." She lost in 2001 and ran again in 2004, aware that she could lose then and probably lose two or three more elections before making significant headway in her crusade for good government.

She had an epiphany: "If fear is contagious, courage is also contagious." She urged her province mates to overcome their fear:

"Huwag kayong maawa sa akin dahil ako’y isang pilay at mahina. Maawa kayo sa inyong mga sarili at sa inyong mga anak kung wala kayong magawa kahit mas malakas at masigla ang inyong katawan kaysa sa akin."

("Don’t pity me because I am paralyzed and weak. Have mercy on yourselves and on your children if you can’t do anything despite the fact that you are healthier than I am.")

"What they saw in me was not my weakness, but my strength," she recalls.

Another important realization on her part is that, "People in government wield tremendous power. With just one signature, I could mobilize millions in pesos in resources. If used judiciously, political power may be harnessed to empower people and lift them from poverty."

Thus, she urged the executives in the audience to go into public service themselves, or encourage those who they know can become competent public servants.

Her speech followed a pitch for voter education especially among the youth. "But if the educated voters do not have credible choices among the candidates, even your best efforts may come to naught," she said.

"Those who think themselves to be too smart to run for public office are doomed to be governed by those who are too dumb. Elect the right people," was her spirited pitch. "Look at me," she said, "I am the embodiment of the power of the people expressed through the ballot."

When asked about her biggest asset and her worst liability, her replies elicited warm applause. She said that her staffers call her "Excel Governor" because she always required spreadsheets depicting relevant information and figures, especially when she deals with requests for assistance from barangay officials. Her attention to details (a discipline she acquired as an accountant) enables her to allocate scarce resources judiciously according to the real needs of her constituents.

But she longs for the gentler and kinder days when, as a private citizen, she received abundant care and attention from friends.

She plods on with great courage and determination. When she first won, only three out of 36 mayors supported her; now, the ratio is reversed. Only three have not reached out to her and two of these are members of the political dynasty that she ousted from power.

She is mindful of the need to build common ground even among erstwhile adversaries. "Maybe my being a dispassionate accountant is also one of my strengths; I never take differences personally against anyone." Instead of wooing political rivals, she said she would rather focus on serving the needs of her province mates.

When will we ever deserve the grace of having a national leader (president, vice president or senator) in the mold of Governor Grace Padaca?

Only when we have the courage to elect competent and dedicated public servants like her — and reject the empty enticements of well-entrenched politicians who have all brought our country and us on the road to perdition.

Comments may be sent to sonny_coloma@yahoo.com

If you would like to send a message to Gov. Grace Padaca you can text her at +63-919-3533-222 or send an email to kayanatin@yahoo.com

Alert OFW Lady Foils NAIA ‘Magician’

2009-05-11T19:48:00.005+08:00

by Flori Tuazon
Sweden

Her mother had been sick so my wife Marilyn went home to the Philippines on April 9, 2009. Marilyn’s arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was uneventful.

She was overjoyed the moment she saw the smiling face of our daughter Melanie. Melanie who has recently learned how to drive had come to fetch her mother from NAIA.

My wife Marilyn spent most of her short visit caring for her sick mother and playing with our young grandchildren.

Time flew and Marilyn had to depart the Philippines on April 26, 2009. Melanie took her mother to NAIA where they said bitter-sweet goodbyes and embraced each other tightly and lovingly.

After checking in at the airline counter, Marilyn proceeded to the Bureau of Immigration area for the usual passport and visa check. She chose to line up behind a counter manned by Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’

The name of the immigration officer rang an alarm bell in Marilyn’s head and she wanted to change lanes. But she would have to go to the end of a kilometric line, so she stayed put.

Marilyn keeps her passport in a leather passport wallet with a zipped-up side pocket. Before leaving her mother’s house on that day, she put some dollar bills in the fabulous amount of US$70.00 in the zipped-up side pocket of her leather passport wallet.

Marilyn prayed that her transaction with Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ would be uneventful. And so it was, she thought. But she was wrong.

From the immigration counter, Marilyn went directly to her boarding gate. A few minutes after settling down in the departure lounge, she felt thirsty and wanted to buy bottled water. She took her passport wallet from her handbag to pay for the bottle of water. To her embarrassment, there wasn’t any dollar bill in the zipped-up side pocket of her passport wallet. It was empty.

After apologizing to the sales clerk, she sat down and collected her thoughts. As sure as she was sitting there at the NAIA, she knew that she had put US$70 in the zipped-up side pocket of her passport wallet.

Who else aside from her had access to her passport wallet? Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’!!!

Marilyn rushed out of the departure lounge to go back to the desk of this NAIA ‘magician.’ She nearly bumped into the duty airport police officer whom she promptly asked for assistance. Together, they approached Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’

Mr. NAIA ‘Magician’ feigned innocence at first. But my wife Marilyn stepped on her gas pedal, so to speak, and screeched and screamed and shrieked! Soon, a crowd gathered around the desk of Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’

Mr. NAIA ‘Magician’ came to the rescue of his invisible twin, Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’ He pretended to look for the US dollar bills among his things, then bent down and – surprise! – found the fabulous amount of US$70.00 on the floor. He gave it back to my wife with a sheepish grin.

Mr. Regalado Medalla, the Duty Immigration Supervisor, noticed the commotion and approached the desk of Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’ Mr. Medalla asked my wife, the duty airport police officer, and Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ to come with him to the Immigration Office in the airport.

My wife Marilyn argued that it was impossible for her dollar bills to fall out of her passport wallet because they were inside the zipped-up side pocket. Accusing Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ of theft, Marilyn insisted that her complaint be written down in the airport police blotter.

Mr. Regalado Medalla, the Duty Immigration Supervisor, promised Marilyn that the Immigration Office would pursue the matter and would not let Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ off the hook. Mr. Medalla advised Marilyn to follow up her complaint.

As Marilyn was leaving the Immigration Office to catch her flight, Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ clasped his hands on his chest and begged Marilyn to have pity on him. He might lose his job.

As Christians, my wife and I do pity Immigration Officer ‘Mukhang-Dolyar.’ We don’t want him to lose his job. But he doesn’t deserve his job as an immigration officer at the NAIA. Surely, there are many upright men and women who can be recruited for the job Mr. ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ will lose.

Since Mr. ‘Mukhang-Dolyar’ is gifted with sleight of hand, he will surely find a niche as a clown and magician in children’s parties!

Please… bring the family with you

2009-04-07T19:01:00.008+08:00

By Freddie P. Base

I have been working overseas since 1986. For more than 20 years, my children grew from toddlers to kids to adults without me. Now, my eldest got married. When requested for advice to the newly wed, I said: "Please… bring the family with you. There should be no compromise." Why is it that so?

The Wedding
I was excited. I never thought that as a father I would have the chance walking my daughter to the altar resplendent in a Barong Tagalog sewn purposely for the wedding. Forgetting this was a solemn ceremony, I jokingly whispered to my daughter: "Let's walk in a hurry lest the groom might change his mind". But she didn't hear me, she's 29.

As I sat clasping the hands of my wife, I couldn't help remembering the more than 20 years I labored without them – the jewels in my life at my side: my eldest whom I fondly called Honey, Beybs, my second, Iyay, my youngest, and my lovely wife with whom I proudly call 'Agom' which in bicolano dialect literally means 'spouse'.

The Betrothal
It was last December the betrothal was arranged. The entire family of the would-be groom came to our house to get the nod from me and my wife – Mama Nil. It was not a nod only from both of us. I did asked all my brothers and sisters in the area to come; my parents too were with me since noontime so with my foster mother who's too excited and kept guessing what the other family would be saying as if this event was a sort of a negotiation between agreeing parties. The nod was more like a family blessing. Moreover, this is the first a girl in the family would be engaged. I wanted to experience a beautiful Filipino tradition in this century of iphones and nokia.

A day before, I told my wife to tell our daughter to ask the would-be groom how many from his family would come so we could prepare for the exact food to eat. (Gone were those days of my grandfather not knowing how many would eat ordered a whole pig roasted and employed a chef to cook several menus because my would-be uncle and his family were coming to propose engagement to my grandfather's daughter (my auntie). We ended giving foods to our neighbors and friends because the other side brought the same quantity or more). The reply was only three – meaning the would-be groom, the mother and the father. I said in jest the three would be talking to my entire family. But I anticipated more would come and I was right. We had the food enough to feed everyone, not more but not less.

Four months before, that was September, I got a call from the would-be groom that his marriage proposal was accepted by my daughter. He would have anticipated this because he asked his mom to present to my daughter the engagement ring. He was calling to inform me of this formal engagement and they (my daughter and him) were getting married on December. I said fine, they were adults; the engagement was ok with me but would prefer that this be formally announced a week before the wedding date. I planned my vacation to coincide with this event.

I gathered Mama Nil was expecting the call. This kind of arrangement would never pass from MamaNil who knew everything about her kids. The would-be groom hangs up. He was a skilled aircraft mechanic. He was calling from the USA.

After a month, Mama Nil said the deal was off, our daughter returned the engagement ring to the mother of the would-be groom. I believed Mama Nil. My daughter would not talk to me directly about it but she knew where my mind would always say: I believe her and I would be happy where and when she'll be happy. This is true to all my children; this is true from me.

Another month passed and the boy (who was not a would-be groom now) called up. He's calling from the Philippines. He said he resigned from his job, went straight to the bank where my daughter was working to plead that the wedding should push thru but to no avail, my daughter wouldn't budge. The boy was asking for advice. I told him to court my daughter again and show his total admiration. He was marrying a career-woman who knows how to listen, I added. I could not advise him more. I could sense what's going on in my daughter's mind. She didn't need any advice either. Will this be another love story to remember?

Love story at its worst chapter
Five years ago, December 24th, I was more amused than surprised having a catholic priest as a visitor. I thought this would be a peculiar Noche Buena for my family. Though I heard it all from everyone about the issue, I kept mum since I arrived from Riyadh. I waited until this moment to come but did not expect it would be the night before Christmas. The priest was proposing marriage to my eldest. He was ready to quit priesthood after a year. He claimed to have the nod from his Bishop superior. He knew what to do and what to expect. He didn't say his priestly duty is to God.

Indeed, the situation was not ordinary. If this was a sort of love story, the twist was so unusual… un-expected, one for the movies as my foster mother kept telling the folks in my old hometown. I had known this kid since he entered in the seminary. Along those years, I came to know about his family. I didn't expect the relationship (if there was) would come this far. I said to myself, if this is a love story the ending could still be changed. Right now, it is at its worst chapter.

Having lived my entire bachelor-hood in association with priests, I had witnessed some stories which I viewed as a curse. A distant cousin became pregnant by one of our high school priest-professors. She died delivering her newborn. Her mother insisted that the priest bring the child with him. That was again a terrible mistake. Upon seeing the child, the father of the priest had a heart attack. He died on the spot. The priest's siblings dis-avowed him since then. More quarrels followed and the family had never been the same again. This priest asked me to address him as mister when we became classmates in one subject of a graduate program. He said he left priesthood since the tragedy.

To my visitor that night, I told him that I couldn't give my blessing as a father for this kind of relationship. (He's aware the blessing only comes from above) If there is indeed a curse, I pray to God that I absorb all His punishment – even death – and spare my family. I admitted I can't prevent my daughter from living with him if it is with him she would be happy as this is always the desire of every parent – happiness for their child. Out of love, I would close my eyes and turn my head in the opposite direction and wish their union would be a happy ending. But never would I give my blessing, it's useless.

Deep within I was praying to God to guide the two to the right path. I was seeking for the Holy Spirit intervention… to fill our house… of His love on Christmas. I kept telling myself, this would never be like this if ever I was with my family.

I did not see the priest again since he left our house before midnight.

In the Noche Buena, I led the prayer with my family welcoming the birth of Jesus.

More than 20 years ago.
I could not remember the last time I cried but I found my tears flowing when the Philippine Airlines lifted at the Manila International Airport (NAIA now) on February 26, 1986, first flight to Saudi Arabia after the Marcos family fled to Hawaii. 'Twas also my birthday.

Four days before, I asked my wife (she and the kids were in Manila for the despidida) to go home earlier to our province because the political situation in Manila was getting worse. Enrile and Ramos had just announced in the radio that they were pulling out their support to the president. Everyone was talking about civil war, revolution. I thought of the safety of my family. Perhaps, if indeed there would be a civil war, I could manage myself alone. Mama Nil was crying, unmindful of the other bus passengers. Her eyes asking: why can't we be with you? My youngest (only 14 months) hands were waving goodbye (as he was taught); my second daughter in tears (as she would had been every time I would leave, the last after her college graduation knowing she'll come to Saudi with me); and my eldest (at 6 years) who's looking for answers from questions she would only know. I waited until the bus they were riding exited from my view.

What a way to leave my family. My country was in a mess.

Dhahran was my port of entry. The Saudi authorities at the immigration and customs greeted us like heroes. The custom officer congratulated me, shaked my hand and simply put a sticker on top of my luggage. No questions asked. This was not what I heard during the orientation seminar and from what those ex-Saudis who told stories of baggage's being searched and custom authorities looking for banned items. I reached Saudi to begin my life's journey without my family. I never thought this would go on for more than 20 years.

Mama Mary
I was excited even if I was not able to attend the high school graduation of my eldest daughter. My work as an accountant would not permit me to come on graduation day. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to continue my work in Saudi Arabia, now that I have a daughter pursuing a college degree. I could not wait for my daughter to tell me what course she intends to take in college; into what university she would like to enroll; what she had in mind; what she wanted to be. I was prepared to enroll her to any university of her choice.

"Papa, I want to enter the convent and be a nun. I want to serve Mama Mary", these were the first words from my daughter when we sat down to chat. It was like a bombshell I never imagined to hear. Deafening. The sound pierced my ear more than the sound of the scud missile that Sadam Hussein launched to hit Riyadh during the Middle East war.

My mind groped for the right response. I figured the situation calls for calmness and diplomacy with the right combination of words. I was looking at a very young lady who had grown this far without me.

But how to start with, I really had no idea. How I wish this was a mathematical equation which my brain was trained to do - a mental calculation ahead of what my hands could write.

I had nothing against serving Mama Mary but this is not what I expected from my young lady. I wanted her to finish college and have a family. Is it that much to be desired?

Calculating my move and not sure of what to say, I asked why she thought of this vocation. The next one (1) hour or so was a narration of frustrations and longing. To sum it all, my daughter finished high school alone, without me, without her mother's attention, without the love and care of me and Mama Nil. And because of these, she'd rather enter the convent away from us, from her family. She said she'll be more at peace with Mama Mary.

Mama Nil was in tears from hearing all of these. I asked her to get inside our room which she adamantly complied.

I needed a one-on-one situation with my eldest. I needed to make her feel assured of my presence, of my love, of my vision of her future. I wanted to tell my eldest that Mama Mary on earth is Mama Nil and every mother of a daughter like her. That Mama Mary was simply a symbol of a mother's love to her child. That Mama Mary was used to serve as model to every mother. That if she served Mama Nil, she would be serving Mama Mary too! Moreover, I would not argue with her going inside the convent after she finished her college. Now I was interpreting my catechism days but it's God who knows how true or not my words would be.

I didn't know how long I talked. We found each other hugging and I felt her confidence building. She said she would try the entrance exam at Ateneo the next day.

I was relieved. This would not have happened if I was with my family.

Mama Nil squeezed my arm and whispered that the wedding coordinator announced that I should take the bride for a dance.

It was my first dance with my daughter.

Mama Nil

It was our turn to dance, so I took Mama Nil's hands. She's as lovely as we've met 32 years ago.

Mama Nil to everyone, I fondly call her 'Agom' (spouse) and she's the mother of my three kids. Mama Nil never missed her schedule when it comes to our kids. The last glass of milk Mama Nil served to our eldest was the day before her wedding. This is one reason why I never fail to greet Mama Nil on Mother's Day.

Last year, when my youngest was about to graduate from college, I ask the children if I could bring their mother with me in Riyadh. I told everyone that it's about time that Mama Nil and I should re-discover our relationship as husband and wife. I didn't know it was also their plan for their Mama Nil to come with me.

I had a family status in my company – meaning I was entitled to bring my family and I made sure we were together during vacation times – my family coming to Riyadh. Going back to the Philippines, I would often coincide my vacation so that we could be together three (3) months at the most. But this situation had all changed when my eldest on entering high school, decided not to come back to spend holiday with me. Being in the adolescent stage, I could only understand her. The custom in Saudi Arabia would not let her nor any of my family get out of the house without me. The other two siblings agreed and Mama Nil could only afford to follow.

Little did I realize this would be the beginning of what exactly I wanted to avoid – less time with my family, less time with Mama Nil. For the succeeding years, Mama Nil and I could only manage to talk about ourselves for not more than I could stay – 30 or 35 days, the rest of the topic would be all about family, finances and the kids.

I remembered it was Mama Nil's absence as one of the reasons why our eldest would like to enter the convent. In anticipation of our eldest going to college, Mama Nil decided to rent an entire apartment which was a stone's throw from a university located in the next city. The decision was not hers alone. I consented too.

Mama Nil turned the apartment into a bustling boarding house. She had this business to attend to and without us noticing, Mama Nil's presence would only be with the kids on weekends. The day-to-day upbringing and caring for our kids were left to one of my cousins. Our eldest was left alone to mend for herself until her graduation in high school. Sadly, the apartment was never used during the college days of my kids. I asked Mama Nil to re-sell the rights even before our eldest set her foot into college.

Perhaps, this could not have happened if we were together ever since.

Several years ago, I remembered Mama Nil called up and asked me if we were still husband and wife or not separated. I asked why and she responded that that was the news she heard circulating in the town: we were separated and the only thing that bridged us together was the monthly allowance I send. I returned the question to her so she could honestly answer. She hang-off and went straight to the person from whom she got this news. It was war.

This could not have happened if we were together then.

There was a time when a friend could not return the money I lent and Mama Nil was all over me sending text messages almost daily inquiring when she would receive the monthly allowance already overdue because the kids would fail paying for their tuition fees, etc. Lesson learned: I dread to read Mama Nil's text message whenever I had my shortcoming.

But this would never have happened if we were together.

Our first month together was full of enthusiasm. The next was none of the first. We kept finding faults at each other later. We were struggling to work out our relationship. The most obvious was the separate markings on the bed because we slept on the opposite sides. The last straw, I shouted at Mama Nil. This would never have happened had we've been together ever since.

I figured we need to adjust and I had to make the first move. I kneeled down and made a solemn pledge to Mama Nil: I would never leave her again. -fb

Special Envoy Amb. Roy Cimatu visited Nigeria

2009-03-09T06:33:00.007+08:00

After the visit of Gen Cimatu last week, it seems like the ban in Nigeria will soon be lifted.

As it was, Mrs Derpo spoke at length with Gen Cimatu as he arived in Nigeria on March 4, 2009, before proceeding to Abuja.

On March 5th, Gen Cimatu is said to have met with the Foreign Affairs minister of Nigeria to discuss security situation of OFWs. The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister reportedly told Gen Cimatu that everything is okay with filipinos in Nigeria, except in Oil areas.

Later in the day, Gen Cimatu went to the compound of Julius Berger Construction company, where majority of expat employees are Filipinos. Gen Cimatu was guided by Engr Lito Nocum, the head of Filipino association in Abuja, in touring the accommodations for Filipinos.

Gen Cimatu quipped that he'd never seen so many cars outside the embassy belonging to OFWs. He compared Nigeria to Lebanon. To which an OFW said in jest, "walang pong DH sa Nigeria kasi".

Gen Cimatu wrapped-up his visit to Nigeria with a meeting with Filipinos in Ikeja, Lagos. He was met by the Philippine Barangay Society in Nigeria (PBSN) chairperson (and Banaag 2008 Awardee). Mrs Esperanza Derpo in the airport, and to the PBSN clubhouse in Ikeja.

Gen. Cimatu reiterated his observation that he was impressed at the job positions of Filipinos (managers and supervisors), and the salary/accommodations they have in Nigeria.

When asked what would be his recommendation to the President, Gen Cimatu gamely said that it's obvious from his "body language" that he will recommend for the lifting of the ban.

Gen. Cimatu was accompanied by Consul-Gen Alex LaMadrid on his trip to Abuja and Lagos.

Nigeria is home to almost 5,000 OFWs employed in oil & gas, telecoms, construction, manufacturing and services sectors. Filipinos have been in Nigeria since the early 70's.

Efren Peñaflorida: Kariton Klasrum (onli in da Pilipins)

2009-03-08T13:33:00.006+08:00

"I always tell my volunteers that you are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."

This is quoted from the CNN Story entitled, "Pushcart classes help break gang chain."

Efren Peñaflorida,27,founded Dynamic Teen Company in Cavite City in 1997. The teen volunteers take the Kariton Klasrum to unwashed, unshod, and unschooled kids in the least likely learning environments such as public markets, cemeteries, slums, and prison.

Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) take the plunge and brave separation from their families because they feel that there is no hope in the Philippines.

After working abroad for many years, many OFWs would like to go home for good. But the bleak socioeconomic situation and unstable political conditions stop them. It's a hopeless situation, they say.

Has Kuya Ef , as the kids call him, ever thought of becoming an OFW? Would he apply as an office clerk in a Saudi company? or a bellboy in a Dubai hotel? or a teacher in Singapore?

Probably not. Kuya Ef has found his 'acres of diamonds' right there in the midst of misery where he lives. As a teacher myself, I am humbled by Efren's selfless example.

Fellow OFWs, let's take heart. We have many more skills and many more resources than Efren and his teen volunteers.

We need not be afraid of going home sooner or later. Let's remember Efren's words, "You are the change that you dream, and I am the change that I dream..."

An OFW as a Philippine Tourist

2009-02-17T05:33:00.006+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

I worked in Singapore in 2008 without going home for a whole year. I’d feel homesick every now and then, but there was plenty of work to occupy myself… To make up for lost time, I splurged my annual leave and spent most of December 2008 with my extended family members as well as friends. One of the things we did together was tour Luzon from south to north.

It was wonderful getting re-acquainted with my grandkids as well as exploring my own country and heritage. No small thanks to my Malaysian friends Soo Fun and Michael who came to visit for a week.

Are you a stranger in the country of your birth? Are you a stranger in your parents’ or grandparents’ hometown? Do find time to tour around the Philippines. It isn’t as awful as the newspapers paint it.

True, traffic jams are everywhere in Manila and other big cities. But the strawberry jam and the ube jam of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Baguio City and Tagaytay City are enticing, tempting, and mouth-watering rewards, enough to make you exclaim, “It’s a glimpse of heaven!”

Heaven isn’t the traffic jam. It isn’t the rusty roofs of houses. Neither is it the pollution in cities. Heaven is the kindness, simplicity, and sweetness of rural folk in the countryside. Heaven is friendship and family togetherness that you can experience only in the Philippines.

Last December, my friends Soo Fun and Michael visited the Philippines. Michael actually comes and goes to Manila for business trips, but has never gone around as a tourist. His wife Soo Fun was visiting the Philippines for the first time.

Soo Fun and Michael are Malaysians who live and work in Singapore as permanent residents. I am an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) teaching in a Singaporean university.

I’m a homebody and I travel around the Philippines only when it’s an official trip. So when my friend Soo Fun came to visit as a tourist, I was a tourist myself.

My son, daughter-in-law, and sister took turns driving for us. We drove around Metro Manila, Cavite, then on to Vigan, Ilocos Sur. On the way back to Manila, we drove up to Baguio City from Vigan.

Then we did some shopping and eating in Metro Manila, drove around Tagaytay City, and finally, we went on an arts excursion to Angono, Rizal and Paete, Laguna.

Day 1, Manila. We posed in front of Jose Rizal’s monument at the Luneta Park. As Soo Fun and Michael asked questions about Jose Rizal, I began to realize my being a Filipino in a deeper sense.

Carol, Soo Fun, and Carmel in front of Rizal's monument in Luneta.

Trying to explain to foreigners who Rizal was, what he did and didn’t do, and why he chose to live and die the way he had was mutually enlightening.

Our next stop was the Manila Cathedral. While a wedding ceremony was going on, the next wedding party was already waiting at the back. The Manila Cathedral is probably the most-booked church for weddings in the Philippines.

Michael, who loves doors, windows, and benches/chairs, couldn’t resist having his picture taken beside one of the wooden doors at the Manila Cathedral.

From the Manila Cathedral, we walked to Fort Santiago where Jose Rizal was incarcerated by the Spaniards. While entering the premises, we noticed security guards or patrol officers dressed as ‘guardias civiles.’ A ‘guardia civil’ was a police officer during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.

I was most impressed with the footpath which Rizal had taken on his way to his execution from Fort Santiago to Luneta. The path had Rizal’s footsteps etched on it.

Michael observed, “Rizal wasn’t a tall man, was he? And he must have been walking slowly.”

“I guess you wouldn’t run as you head towards your execution,” I replied. Quietly, I asked myself what Rizal was thinking of as he walked towards Luneta, certain that death was waiting. Did he recite his “Mi Ultimo Adios” as he walked meditatively to Luneta?

Driving from Makati to Manila and back to Makati took the whole day. (Soo Fun and Michael stayed in a hotel in Makati.) There was a humongous traffic jam caused by the anti-Chacha rally mounted by a multi-sectoral group.

It was during this rally that Senator Mar Roxas declaimed using expletives against the Arroyo administration. He was criticized by some, but he didn’t apologize. Actually, the ordinary Filipino loved him for doing so.

Speaking of political unrest, Michael and Soo Fun narrated that Malaysia and Singapore had had its share of uncertain times, too.

Day 2, Cavite and Ilocos Sur. It was a looong 13-hour drive from Cavite in Southern Luzon to Vigan in Northern Luzon. We made several stops along the way, though.

I particularly wanted to go to Vigan so I could visit with a long-time friend, Sister Fidelisa Portillo, SPC, of the Paulinian Congregation in the Philippines. She had been inviting me and my family to visit with her in Vigan since the turn of the 21st century!

We arrived at the gate of the school where Sister Fidelisa is posted, St. Paul College of Ilocos Sur, at 12 midnight. The alert security guards immediately opened the gates and guided us to our sleeping quarters.

They were simple rooms with the basic necessities, including biscuits, mineral water, towels, soap, and shampoo. They were simple, cozy rooms with welcoming and warm curtains which were probably sewn by the nuns themselves.

Day 3, Vigan and Baguio City. Breakfast the morning after was a riotous affair with Sister Celine Santos, the president of the school, entertaining us with humorous anecdotes.

Carmel, Sr. Celine, Michael, Soo Fun, and Sr. Fidelisa.

Can you imagine a breakfast of fried rice fragrant with garlic, steaming coffee, and Vigan longanisa (pork sausage) with vinegar dip in the happy company of family and friends?

It’s enough to make you feel as if you’ve had a glimpse of heaven! It sure was a happy Sunday, our reward after a long day’s drive.

What makes Vigan longanisa extraordinary? What makes the vinegar dip that goes with it a must?

Vigan longanisa is extraordinary because it’s made of lean pork, garlic, onions, black pepper, vinegar, and other ingredients. It hardly has any fat because it’s hung to dry under the sun for at least four hours.

Cooking Vigan longanisa is done by simmering it in water over low fire until the water evaporates. The casing is pricked all the while so that the remaining fat is released in which it is fried until it’s golden brown.

The vinegar dip consists of sugar cane vinegar with crushed garlic, chopped onions, ground black pepper, chili pepper, and salt. You could use tomato catsup or fresh tomatoes, but it is the vinegar dip that makes eating Vigan longanisa a supreme experience.

We said grace, then started eating and chatting. It was mostly Sister Celine Santos, SPC, talking but we didn’t mind. Her hilarious anecdotes and vivacious personality were amazing. And she’s past 70! I guess it’s the reason she looks as if she’s only 50.

Sister Celine is the president of St. Paul College of Ilocos Sur. SPCIS, for short, celebrated its 100th year in December 2005. It has had a long and illustrious presence in Ilocos Sur, molding the Ilocano youth around its charism, “The love of Christ urges us.”

(If you are interested in youth exchange or immersion programs, please email Sister Fidelisa at fidelisaportillo@yahoo.com)

After breakfast, we headed toward Bantay and Vigan, had a calesa ride, bought some souvenirs and goodies, and took pictures, of course. We went back to the school, heard Sunday mass together with the faculty and staff, and had a sumptuous lunch at the Sisters’ convent.

At 1:00 p.m., we were on our way back to Manila. My son decided to take a side trip to Baguio City by taking the Naguillian Road in Bauang, La Union. It was a smooth ride up although there were zigzag stretches of road to negotiate. The mountains, the clouds, the fog, and the setting sun were spectacular views to behold.

Baguio City was cold and windy! It was also unbelievably crowded. There were people everywhere – shopping, walking, eating, taking pictures, driving – all enjoying the 15 degree Celsius temperature of Baguio City.

After a quick supper, we headed down to Manila and arrived a little after midnight. It was Monday morning already. We dropped off Michael and Soo Fun at their hotel in Makati, agreeing to meet later in the afternoon to go shopping for pearl jewelry in Metro Manila.

Day 4, Manila. Pearl jewelry? I couldn’t believe the range of fabulous designs, colors, and affordability of pearl jewelry in the Philippines. For example, a really elegant necklace can be yours at the price of USD20!

Soo Fun loved pearl jewelry and had a grand time shopping for pearl presents as well as pearl keepsakes for herself. She and my daughter-in-law shopped till the shops closed!

(With her husband in tow, Soo Fun had another pearl shopping spree! No, she didn’t re-sell them. She gave most of them to family and friends in Singapore and Malaysia as Christmas presents.)

Day 5, Tagaytay City. Since Tagaytay is only an hour and a half away from Manila, we spent the next day exploring the hills and valleys and nooks of Tagaytay. My sister picked up Soo Fun from the hotel, then met up with my daughter-in-law and me. Driving up to Tagaytay, we were excited that we were having a girls’ outing.

Tagaytay was cool and windy although less cold than Baguio. Because it was a little cloudy, our view of Taal Volcano was not as sharp as on a clear day. It was also too windy to stay outdoors and contemplate the volcano in the middle of the lake.

The pictures we snapped showed us clutching our shawls and sweaters with our hair being blown by the wind in every direction. Funny pictures they were and I’d rather you didn’t see them.

Day 6, Angono, Rizal and Paete, Laguna. We planned to go to Villa Escudero in San Pablo City, but we gave it up after learning that there was no cultural show on a weekday. Instead, we decided to have an art excursion to Angono, Rizal and Paete, Laguna.

My son insisted that we go to Angono, Rizal. He fondly remembers his art excursion to Angono when he was a college student at San Beda College in Mendiola, Manila.

Angono, Rizal is a small town by a river. Its narrow streets and slow-moving traffic are not exactly encouraging. However, it’s also the home of many artists such as Nemesio Miranda and Jose Blanco.

My daughter-in-law had attended art lessons by Nemesio Miranda, popularly known as Nemiranda. So our first stop was his home cum gallery or the Nemiranda Arthouse. The entrance fee was less than one US dollar. It was worth every centavo we paid.

Nemiranda’s art house is like a typical Filipino house made of wood, bamboo, and concrete. But it’s atypical because it’s a house where an artist lives with his wife and children. At the end of the gallery, some pieces were for sale. Soo Fun fell in love with a simple painting of a small house in a farm. It exuded innocence, purity, tranquility, and joy.

We negotiated for a good price and left with the painting bubble-wrapped, ready to travel by air.

Our next stop was Jose Blanco’s Family Museum. My son said the Blanco house he had visited during his college days was a sprawling bahay-kubo which looked like an informal art school where everybody was painting in every corner.

Today, the sprawling bahay-kubo has been replaced by a concrete building which serves as the museum as well as home of the Blancos.

Jose Blanco, a fine arts graduate of the University of Santo Tomas in 1955, was a fisherman’s son. Jose himself fished to raise his tuition money. He devoted his art to the depiction of rural life in Angono and around the Philippines. An art critic, Alice Guillermo, has labeled Blanco’s murals of rural scenes as ‘folk realism.’

His murals are like blown-up photo snapshots as regards faithfulness to details. In a mural depicting a town fiesta, each face was unique and individual. A mural showing a garbage dump made you cringe at the sight of flies and worms.

The most amazing thing about Jose Blanco and his family is that his seven children as well as his wife all paint! None of them had formal painting lessons. They didn’t need to. They have had the best teacher – Jose Blanco himself.

The time we spent together as family and friends inside the museum was priceless. The entrance fee, a little over one US dollar, was embarrassingly cheap! Our guide, a cousin of the Blanco children, had asked us not to take pictures because the flash of the camera could damage the paintings. We complied willingly.

Hungry after two art stops, we hurried to the nearby Balao-Balao Restaurant. It turned out to be another art house. While waiting for our order, we toured the gallery on the ground and second floors.

I was so taken by a wooden sculpture which looked like a blanket cradle from afar. Upon inspection, it was a mother rocking her child to sleep and it was aptly titled, “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan.”

Soon enough, our table was laden with food. Starving, we had ordered food fit to feed a battalion: chicken sour stew, frog legs, deer meat, and the restaurant’s specialty. We were both amazed and delighted when a huge wok (talyasi, in Tagalog) was wheeled in by two waiters. The freshly-cooked rice was topped with chicken and pork adobo, shrimps, mussels, salted red egg, and vegetables.

We ate till we were stuffed. In addition to the main courses, we had soda drinks, bottled water, ice cream, and halu-halo, a concoction of sweets with milk and shaved ice. We couldn’t believe that the banquet which fed six adults and two kids, plus the gallery tour, cost us as little as USD36.00!

Removal of documentary stamp tax on OFW remittances pushed

2009-02-13T01:00:00.004+08:00

We ought to support this move.
----

02/12/2009 09:02 PM

MANILA, Philippines — Militant lawmakers on Thursday pushed for the removal of the documentary stamp tax (DST) on all monetary remittances from Filipinos abroad to their families in the Philippines.

A bill filed by representatives of party-list groups Gabriela, Bayan Muna and Anakpawis sought to scrap the tax amid complaints by OFWs that the DST on their remittances was an added financial burden. The tax is estimated to reach US$1.5 million or P70.5 million per month.

House Bill 5862 proposes the removal of the documentary stamp tax on all remittances from Filipinos abroad by repealing Section 181 of Republic Act 8424 or the "Tax Reform Act of 1997."

The authors of the bill are Gabriela Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Liza Maza, Bayan Muna Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño and Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano.

They stressed that the removal of the tax would “serve as proof of the State's high regard for the huge sacrifices of all Filipino migrants and ensure that their hard-earned monies fully go to their families, putting their interests and welfare over and above revenue generation and other interests of private businesses and even of the government."

At present, the government charges a DST of 0.15 percent for every US$200 remittance. Banks have been collecting this since the enactment of RA 8424 and money transfer organizations are now following suit, said the lawmakers.

Considering that OFW remittances average US$1 billion monthly, this DST collection would mean US$1.5 million or P70.5 million at $1:P47 exchange rate monthly in DST revenue of the government, the lawmakers said.

In contrast to the huge profits and other benefits enjoyed by banks, money transfer operators and the government from OFW remittances, OFWs and their families continue to tighten their belts to make do with the average monthly remittance of US$340 or P15,980 at $1:P47 exchange rate, they said.

Citing data from the National Statistics Office Survey of OFWs, the lawmakers noted that since 1995, around 71 percent of workers' remittances have been sent home as cash, of which 70 percent passed through the banks.

The share of cash remittances coursed through the banks has been increasing from 65 percent in 1995 to 76 percent in 2002.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas estimates that banks now capture 90 percent of total remittances, up from 80 percent several years ago. Total remittances in 2007 were estimated to have reached $15 billion, seven percent more than in 2006.

In a press statement, the lawmakers acknowledged that the pricing for remittance services among banks was quite competitive.

In the US, where most Filipino remittances come from or are channeled through, service charges for remittances range from US$7 to US$8 for credit to account transactions; US$10 to US$12 for credit other bank service; US$8 to US$12 for advice and pay services (within Metro Manila); and US$12 to US$15 for door-to-door services (within Metro Manila).

Philippine bank charges range from $5 (book transfer within one bank, foreign accounts to local branch account) to $16 on the high-end, which can include door-to-door courier delivery. Door-to-door operations add an increment cost of at least $2 to remittance price. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV

==

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/148554/Removal-of-documentary-stamp-tax-on-OFW-remittances-pushed

Gov't may lift ban on sending OFWs to Iraq, Nigeria

2009-02-07T02:41:00.001+08:00

02/06/2009 | 07:55 PM

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will reassess its current ban on sending workers to Iraq, Nigeria and Lebanon and may lift it in areas with lower security risks because of the global economic crisis, the vice president said Friday.

The country's economy is largely dependent on its overseas workers, with some 8.7 million out of 90 million Filipinos working abroad. The government said $14.45 billion was sent home in 2007— about 10 percent of the gross domestic product. It has projected 2008 remittances will hit $15.7 billion.

Vice President Noli de Castro, who is also the presidential adviser on migrant workers, said security has reportedly improved in the economic centers of Iraq, Nigeria and Lebanon.

He said a selective lifting of the ban is being considered "to widen our overseas employment market in the light of the global economic crisis."

A lifting of the ban is only being considered in places with high employment opportunities, and it would remain in areas still considered high-risk zones, de Castro said in a statement.

A team headed by Roy Cimatu, special envoy to the Middle East, will leave soon to reassess the security risks in the three countries, Department of Foreign Affairs officials said.

In a meeting with de Castro last month, Iraqi officials urged the Philippines to send workers to help with the reconstruction of their country, where up to 10 million new jobs are available, the statement said.

The Philippines banned its citizens from working in Iraq in July 2004 after insurgents abducted and threatened to behead Filipino truck driver Angelo dela Cruz. He was released after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo agreed to withdraw the Philippines' small military contingent in Iraq — a decision strongly criticized by Washington and other coalition allies.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said about 10,000 Filipinos work in two US military camps in Iraq without permission from the government.

Some 3,800 Filipinos work in Nigeria's bustling oil industry. Arroyo banned additional workers from going there in 2007 after gunmen kidnapped scores of foreign workers, including dozens of Filipinos.

The Philippines also prohibited the deployment of its workers to Lebanon after war broke out in July 2006. - AP

Pananaw ng Nigeria OFW.

2009-01-24T20:00:00.001+08:00

Ambag na pananaw ni Pastor Billy, a.k.a. ang Carlo Magno ng Lekki, halaw sa baul po daw ng Mga Kwentong Lasing Part 3.

Hindi mayaman ang OFW -

We have this notion na 'pag OFW o nasa abroad ay mayaman na. Hindi totoo yun. A regular OFW might earn from P50K-P300K per month depende sa lokasyon. Yung mga taga Australia, Canada, Kazakstan or US siguro ay mas malaki ang sweldo, lalo na daw mga taga Nigeria but to say that they're rich is a fallacy (amen!).

Malaki ang pangangailangan kaya karamihan ay nag-a-abroad. Maraming bunganga ang kailangang pakainin kaya umaalis ang mga pipol sa Pilipinas. Madalas, 3/4 o kalahati ng sweldo ay napupunta sa tuition ng anak at gastusin ng pamilya.

Mahirap maging OFW -

Kailangan magtipid hangga't kaya. Oo, masarap ang pagkain sa abroad pero madalas na paksiw o adobo at itlog lang tinitira para makaipon. Pagdating ng kinsenas o katapusan, ang unang tinitingnan eh ang conversion ng Peso sa Dollar o Euro o Rial o Naira. Mas okay na magtiis sa konti kaysa gutumin ang pamilya. Kapag umuuwi, kailangan may baon kahit konti kasi maraming kamag-anak ang sumusundo sa airport o naghihintay sa probinsya. Alam mo naman 'pag Pinoy, yung tsismis na OFW ka eh surely attracts a lot of kin.

Kapag hindi mo nabigyan ng pasalubong eh magtatampo na yun at sisiraan ka na. Well, hindi naman lahat pero I'm sure sa mga OFW dito eh may mga pangyayaring ganun. Magtatrabaho ka sa bansang iba ang tingin sa mga Pinoy. Malamang marami ang naka-experience ng gulang o discrimination to their various workplaces. Sige lang, tiis lang, iniiyak na lang kasi kawawa naman pamilya pag umuwi.

Besides, wala ka naman talagang maasahang trabaho sa Philippines ngayon.Mahal ang bigas, ang gatas, ang sardinas, ang upa sa apartment. Tiis lang kahit maraming kupal sa trabaho, kahit may sakit at walang nag-aalaga,kahit hindi masarap ang tsibog, kahit pangit ang working conditions, kahit delikado, kahit mahirap. Kapag nakapadala ka na, okay na, tawag lang, "hello! kumusta na kayo?".

Hindi bato ang OFW -

Tao rin ang OFW, hindi money o cash machine. Napapagod rin, nalulungkot (madalas),nagkakasakit, nag-iisip at nagugutom. Nakukulong pa nga. Naaakusahan pang mga magnana kawkaw pa minsan. Kailangan din ang suporta ng taga Embassy, kundi man physically, emotionally o spiritually man lang.

Tumatanda rin ang OFW -

Sa mga nakausap at nakita ko, marami ang panot at kalbo na. Most of them have signs and symptoms of hypertension, coronary artery disease and arthritis. Yet, they continue to work thinking about the family they left behind. Marami ang nasa abroad, 20-30 years na, pero wala pa ring ipon. Kahit anong pakahirap, sablay pa rin. Masakit pa kung olats rin ang sinusuportahang pamilya ? ang anak adik o nabuntis; ang asawa may kabit. Naalala ko tuloy ang sikat na kanta dati, "NAPAKASAKIT KUYA EDDIE!"

Bayani ang OFW ?

Totoo yun! Ngayon ko lang na na-realize na bayani ang OFW sa maraming bagay. Hindi bayani na tulad ni Nora Aunor o Flor Contemplacion. Bayani in the truest sense of the word. Hindi katulad ni Rizal o Bonifacio. Mas higit pa dun, mas maraming giyera at gulo ang pinapasok ng OFW para lang mabuhay. Mas maraming pulitika ang kailangang suungin para lang tumagal sa trabaho lalo na't kupal ang mga kasama sa trabaho. Mas mahaba ang pasensya kaysa sa mga ordinaryong Tongresista o Sinador sa Pilipinas dahil sa takot na mawalan ng trabaho at lalo na po, dahil sa pasado kami sa psychotest.

Matindi ang OFW ?

Matindi ang Pinoy. Lalo na daw ang mga Naija Pinoy. Matindi pa sa daga, o cockroaches which survived the cataclysmic evolution. Alang sinabi iyang Malarya, ang Kidnapping, Armed Robber sa Inay Gyera, Armed Robbers sa Eh May Grasya NAIA. Sisiw lang mga iyan. Maraming sakripisyo pero walang makitang tangible solutions or consequences na ginagawa ang OWWA/POEA/DOLE at DFA.

Malas ng OFW, swerte ng pulitiko ?

Lalo na si Money Bilyar. Hindi umuupo ang OFW para magbigay ng autograph o interbyuhin ng media (unless nakidnap!). Madalas nasa sidelines lang ang OFW. Kapag umaalis, malungkot and on the verge of tears. Kapag dumadating, swerte 'pag may sundo( madalas meron). Kapag naubos na ang ipon, wala ng kamag-anak.

Sana sikat ang OFW para may boses sa Kamara. Ang swerte ng mga politiko nakaupo sila at ginagastusan ng pera ng Filipino. Hindi nga sila naiinitan o napapaso ng langis, o napagagalitan ng amo, o kumakain ng paksiw para makatipid, o nakatira sa compound with conditions less than favorable, o nakikisama sa ibang lahi para mabuhay. Ang swerte, sobrang swerte nila.

Matatag ang OFW ?

Matatag ang OFW, mas matatag pa sa sundalo ni Hingalo Reyes o kung ano pang grupo na alam nyo. Magaling sa reverse psychology, negotiations at counter-attacks. Tatagal ba ang OFW? Tatagal pa kasi hindi pa natin alam kailan magbabago ang Philippines , kailan nga kaya? o may tsansa pa ba? Paano na iyan Ate Galo, magsalita ka naman, "Hindi na akow kakandi datung, mandada yaak!!!, magna naku!!! Ahh ewan, basta "I Am Sorry" pero di Worry.

Masarap isipin na kasama mo ang pamilya mo araw-araw. Nakikita mo mga anak mong lumalaki at naaalagaan ng maayos. Masarap kumain ng sitaw, ng bagoong, lechon, inihaw na isda, taba ng talangka. Masarap manood ng pelikulang Pinoy, luma man o bago. Iba pa rin ang pakiramdam kung kilala mo ang kapitbahay mo. Iba pa rin sa Philippines, iba pa rin kapag Pinoy ang kasama mo (except 'pag kupal at utak-talangka), iba pa rin 'pag nagkukwento ka at naiintindihan ng iba ang sinasabi mo. Iba pa rin ang tunog ng "mahal kita!", "day, ginahigugma tika." "Mingaw na ko nimo ba, kalagot!", " Inday, diin ka na subong haw? ganahan guid ko simo ba". Iba pa rin talaga.

Kaya Ang Nigeria Travel Ban Na Yan....Alisin Na!!!

Sige lang, tiis lang, saan ba't darating din ang pag-asa.

----

Mula sa panulat nina Kuya Fred Borbon at Kapatid na Carlo Magno

(siempre, may pahintulot)

Jan 24, 2009

2008 Simbang Gabi Singapore

2008-11-24T15:41:00.020+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

Simbang Gabi is one of the unique characteristics of a Philippine Christmas. Simbang Gabi means evening mass or night worship. When I was a girl back in the 20th century, my folks called it misa de gallo. It’s a Spanish term which literally means dawn mass – a mass that is celebrated at four in the morning as the roosters crow at dawn.

In preparation for Christmas, the nine-day Simbang Gabi is held in Catholic churches, cathedrals, and chapels all over the country. It begins on the 16th and culminates on the 24th of December.

In the Philippines, many churches in the provinces celebrate the Holy Mass as early as five in the morning on a daily basis. So a misa de gallo at 4:00 a.m. isn’t extraordinary. It is neither inconvenient for rural folk who go to bed early and get up early.

But for me, it’s always been a huge effort. As a girl, I was always teased as a sleepyhead. I loved to sleep, and it was a chore waking me up.

Sleep would be heavy on my eyelids. The chilly breeze of dawn would keep me curled up under my thin cotton blanket. But my mother’s insistent invitation to rise and shine would become my father’s intimidating threat of a day deprived of puto-bumbong and bibingka! So I’d perk up and jump up and say, “Wait! I’m coming!”

As children, my siblings and I went to the Simbang Gabi not in anticipation of Jesus Christ’s birthday, but in anticipation of breakfast after the Holy Mass. Around the church would be food stalls selling puto-bumbong and bibingka which came with steaming cups of bottomless tea.

It was an annual tradition I grew up with. It is a Christmas tradition most Filipinos grow up and grow old with. It is a special season for family togetherness – going to church, hearing mass, and sharing a simple breakfast of native delicacies.

Living abroad as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), I’ve experienced many Christmases without Simbang Gabi. In Taiwan where I taught in a university, there were Christmases when I found myself teaching on Christmas. It was an ordinary working day for the Taiwanese.

Last year, I celebrated my first Christmas in Singapore. To my delight, there is Simbang Gabi in Singapore! It’s a multicultural city state which celebrates Chinese, Malay, Muslim, and Christian holidays.

Rev. Father Angel Luciano, CICM, a Filipino priest based at the Church of St. Michael, has made it his mission to spearhead the observance of Simbang Gabi since 1999. This is the 10th year that Father Angel is leading the Filipino flock in Singapore in remembering Simbang Gabi in the Philippines.

Ten churches are taking part in this year’s 10th anniversary of Simbang Gabi Singapore. All Christmas novena masses will be held at 8:00 p.m. starting at the Church of St. Anthony of Padua on December 15. Then the Simbang Gabi will move to the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea on December 16.

Each night, the Simbang Gabi will be celebrated in a different church with an active Filipino community. (See schedule below.)

Fortunately, there are many Filipinos in the church I go to, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on Boon Lay Avenue in the west side of Singapore. The Legion of Mary, headed by Yolanda Ligon of San Miguel Bulacan, is taking charge of the preparations for the Simbang Gabi which it will host on December 20.

A sister organization of the Legion of Mary is the San Lorenzo Ruiz Choir which sings regularly during the 7:30 a.m. mass every week.

Thus, the San Lorenzo Ruiz Choir has been tasked to prepare a very special repertoire for the Simbang Gabi.

Led by Manny Rosmeros, and accompanied on the organ by Marissa Esguerra, the choir has been rehearsing since September Christmas carols to be sung before the mass. It includes old-time favorites: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; Joy to the World; Ang Pasko ay Sumapit; Noche Buena; Pasko na Naman; Himig Pasko; Silent Night; etc.

The choir’s main repertoire for the Simbang Gabi promises to be a marvelous treat of original Filipino Christmas compositions by Jesuit priests Manoling Francisco and Rene Oliveros as well as Rene Gozum. The arrangement is by Norman Agatep.

For the entrance hymn, the choir will sing Gumising. Then they will sing Unang Alay and The Seed during the offertory. As the congregation receives communion, the choir will sing Emanuel, Paglamig ng Hangin, and Di Ba’t Pasko’y Pag-ibig.

The recessional hymn will be Pasko Na, a happy song which rejoices in the birth of the Infant Jesus.

To cap the jubilation, everyone will be treated to arroz caldo (chicken porridge) and pansit bihon (sautéed rice noodles) after the mass. Food is absolutely free for everyone courtesy of Father Angel, the Legion of Mary, and their generous donors and sponsors.

On regular Sundays, about 500 to 600 parishioners attend each of the three scheduled masses at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. On the evening of the Simbang Gabi, more than 2,000 people squeeze themselves into the church and the small parking lot in the churchyard.

People usually come one hour early in order to find a seat inside the church. Those who come late stand outside the church and listen to the mass through loud speakers.

Don’t they complain? No; they’re first in the queue to the arroz caldo!

Simbang Gabi Schedule (8:00 p.m. nightly)

1. Dec. 15, Monday. Church of St. Anthony of Padua, 25 Woodlands Avenue 1. Bus No.
912 or 912E (Berth 12). Contact Francis/Tony at tel. no. 97461255/91052930.

2. Dec. 16, Tuesday. Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, 10 Yishun Street 22. Bus No. 804, alight at 2nd bus stop. Contact Lorena/Vivian at tel. no. 97414646/93226438.

3. Dec. 17, Wednesday. Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 24 Highland Road. Bus No. 24, 60, 70, 76, 103, 136, 147, 156, and 317.

4. Dec. 18, Thursday. Church of Christ the King, 2221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. Bus No. 22, 24, 135, 159, 162, and 853. Contact Ving/Allan/Robert at tel. no. 92278043, 96548467, and 93853396.

5. Dec. 19, Friday. Novena Church, 300 Thomson Road. Bus No. 54, 143, 162, 167, and 851. Contact Rey/Sarah at tel. no. 90863457/90762186.

6. Dec. 20, Saturday. Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 200 Boon Lay Avenue. Bus No. 502, 174. Contact Yolly/Alda at tel. no. 94876534/81893796.

7. Dec. 21, Sunday. Church of St. Michael, 17 St. Michael’s Road. Bus No. 13, 23, 26, 31, 61, 64, 65, 66, 107, 125, 133, 147, 853, 857, and 985. Contact Father Angel at tel. no. 63920592.

8. Dec. 22, Monday. Church of the Holy Trinity, 20 Tampines Street 11. Bus No. 8, 17, 18, 28, 34, 39, 59, 292, and 518. From Tampines MRT, walk towards Simei (2nd crossing). Contact Zap/Marie at tel. no. 82881025/94783985.

9. Dec. 23, Tuesday. Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, 31 Siglap Hill. Bus No. 2, 7, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33, and 854. Contact Lyn at tel. no. 96569968.

10. Dec. 24, Wednesday. Church of Saints Peter and Paul, 225A Queen Street. Bus No. 7, 14, 16, 36, 106, 111, 131, 162, 167, 171, 401, 502, 518, 700, 700A, and 857. Contact Jenny at tel. no. 62563163.

Father Angel Luciano, CICM and images of Simbang Gabi.

Father Manoling Francisco, SJ and one of his compositions.

Going home for Christmas? Get travel exit clearance now.

2008-11-22T10:09:00.005+08:00

Get travel exit clearance early, POEA tells returning OFWs

POEA News Advisory
November 4, 2008

http://www.poea.gov.ph/

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration advises overseas Filipino workers returning to the country for the holidays to have their overseas employment certificate (OEC) or travel exit clearance processed early to avoid the holiday rush.

Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said returning workers should avoid flocking to the POEA office in Ortigas immediately after Christmas and New Year’s Day as this results to long lines at the Balik-Manggagawa Processing Center.

To avoid the huge crowd, Manalili suggested that returning OFWs secure their exit clearance instead at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) nearest their jobsite even before their
flight to the Philippines, or as soon as they arrive in the country.

Workers going to the provinces may also get their exit clearance from the POEA regional offices nearest their residence. The POEA offices are located in:

1. Baguio City

2. Tuguegarao City

3. San Fernando City, La Union

4. Clark Field, Pampanga

5. Calamba City

6. Legaspi City

7. Tacloban City

8. Iloilo City

9. Bacolod City

10. Cebu City

11. Cagayan de Oro City

12. Zamboanga City, and

13. Davao City.

Manalili said OFWs may also use the OEC courier system that is available online at www.poea.gov.ph.

Nevertheless, all POEA offices nationwide will be open on December 22, 23, 24, 26 and 29; and January 2, 2009; considered as peak days, to process exit clearance of returning workers, Manalili said.

2 Winners from Riyadh

2008-11-17T13:48:00.002+08:00

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The Filipino community in Riyadh received from the Philippine Embassy its Press Release No. APV 82-2008 dated 09 November 2008. The press release announces the 2008 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organization Overseas.

We are printing below the full text of the press release.

TWO RIYADH EXPATS BAG THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS FOR FILIPINO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS OVERSEAS

The Embassy of the Philippines in Riyadh is proud to announce that two (2) Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whom it nominated for the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) biennial search for the Year 2008 Presidential Awards for Filipino individuals and Organizations Overseas, have been chosen to be among the awardees.

In a facsimile message dated 05 November 2008, the CFO informed the Embassy that Messrs, Alexander Edades Asuncion and Joseph Ilag Magdalena were among the 31 successful awardees from a total of 122 nominations received by the CFO from 29 countries. They won the Banaag Award, an honor conferred on Filipino individuals or associations for their contributions which have significantly benefited a sector or community in the Philippines, or advanced the cause of overseas Filipino communities.

Mr. Asuncion has 30 years of overseas experience. He was conferred with numerous awards for his outstanding service to the Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom, notable of which were the Bagong Bayani Award, Filipino Hero of the New Millenium and the Hall of Fame of OFW Achievers. He is not a lawyer nor has legal background but he has comprehensive knowledge of Saudi Labor and Workmen Law, which he used to give valuable advice and support to compatriots who are engaged in labor disputes at no cost. He used to be a correspondent of Arab News, one of the leading daily newspapers in the Kingdom, wherein he imparted legal counseling and labor assistance and reached out to all OFWs in the Kingdom.

On the other hand, Mr. Magdalena's status and achievement as one of the successful entrepreneurs in the Kingdom is a kind of Cinderella story. He rose from the ranks of ordinary OFWs using his creativity, innate talent, perseverance and patience to reach higher echelon where he now belongs. He is the General Manager and investor of one of the biggest groceries called "Pinoy Supermarket", which is gradually building up branches in the Kingdom. With his position, he helped the government promote all kinds of Philippine products and has been a consistent supporter and benefactor of the programs and projects of Filipino community organizations, individuals and the Embassy. His generous financial contributions to the Filipino community through the years without asking for anything in return, earned him the respect and admiration of the Filipino expatriates as well as the Saudi nationals. Despite his accomplishments though, he remains simple, humble and within reach to people of all walks of life.

Messrs Asuncion and Magdalena will both be recognized during the awarding ceremonies tentatively scheduled on 09 December 2008 at the Malacanan Palace in Manila, Philippines.

The complete list of awardees is as follows:

LINKAPIL AWARDEES

1. Association of Philippine Physicians of America - New York
2. Enverga, Tobias Jr. - Toronto
3. Filipino Women's Association United Kingdom - London
4. Stichting Kapatiran - The Hague

KAANIB BAYAN AWARDEES

Catholic Medical Mission Board - New York
Children"s Chance CT - New York
Heetens Helpgood Center Philippines - The Hague
Ligier, Lauraence - Paris

BANAAG AWARDEES

Asuncion, Alexander - Riyadh
Berberabe, Patricia - New York
Carandang, Angeles - Chicago
Casambre, Sr. Mary Aida - Hongkong
Derpo, Esperanza - Abuja
Filipino Korean Spouses Association - Seoul
Garcia, Lamberto - New York
Ho, Eleanor - Taiwan
Magdalena, Joseph - Riyadh
Muzones, Santiago, Jr. - New York
Noblejas, Dr. Antonio - Wellington
Overs, Lilian - Toronto
Philippine Community of New South Wales - Sydney
Philippine Nurses Association of America - New York
United Filipino Council of Hawaii - Honolulu

PAMANA NG PILIPINO

Besa, Amelita & Dorotan, Romeo - New York
De Leon, Bayani - New York
Esguerra, Carlos - New York
Hizon, Federico - Singapore
Pelayo, Libertito - New York
Ramos, Dr. Teresita - Honolulu
Villarin, Engr. Nilo - Washington
-------------------

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners and non-winners as well. Please continue your noble endeavor. This list once again proves Ninoy Aquino when he said: "The Filipino is worth dying for".

Esperanza Derpo: Outstanding OFW in Nigeria

2008-11-10T07:26:00.007+08:00

There is a saying that goes, “The best man for the job is a woman.”

We, OFWs in Nigeria, are pleased to inform all kababayans that our Barangay Nigeria Chairperson, Engr Esperanza Derpo has been chosen by the Presidential Commission on Filipinos Overseas as one of the recipients of the Banaag Award for the Year 2008 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas.

The Banaag Award is given to Filipinos and foreign individuals or associations for advancing the cause of Filipino communities overseas or for supporting specific sectors or communities in the Philippines.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will personally hand-out the awards in a special ceremony tentatively set on 09 December 2008 at the Malacanang Palace.

Barangay Chair Esper is now on her 4th consecutive year of leading the Philippine Community in Lagos, Nigeria.

Throughout her leadership, Chairman Esper (as she is fondly called here) has rallied the Filipinos in Lagos (living, vacationing, or just passing by Lagos) to come together and build a strong community in Nigeria. To date, the PBSN Filipino community is one of the most vibrant and cohesive communities of expatriates in Nigeria.

Chairman Esper has ushered a new type of Filipino community, a more close-knit and more active community. The PBSN clubhouse is the meeting place of Naija Pinoys every Sunday, and the place to-be every first sunday of the month for the Family Day gatherings. The ‘Family Day’ was a brainchild by Chairman Esper to strengthen the ties, not only among Filipinos, but also to other nationalities as well.

OFW association

The PBSN, in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy, was founded in 1973 to formalize an already existing organization of Filipinos residing in Nigeria. Its foundations lay on the ideals of uniting Filipinos all over the country in the spirit of nationalism and friendship, while fulfilling a social responsibility to the host nation, Nigeria.

Charity Projects

In 2005, the Filipino communities in Ikeja, Victoria Island/Ikoyi, and Apapa hosted three separate fund-raising events for the Dept of Labor and Employment (DOLE)/Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA)’s project: “Classroom Galing sa Mamayang Pilipino sa Abroad (CGMA). Its proceeds helped put up more classrooms in remote areas of the Philippines.

PBSN also donated the proceeds of its 2006 Independence Day celebration to mudslide survivors in Leyte.

To acknowledge the graciousness of the host country, PBSN has organized as its pet charity project the Kiri-Kiri Initiative. It adopted a primary school in Kiri-Kiri, Apapa, Lagos area and provided financial and educational support to the pupils. The PBSN is represented by Mrs Veronica Bernas-Snoxell on this project.

Philippine Representative

For three consecutive years since 2006, the PBSN has been warmly welcomed in the Small World Event, the biggest fund-raising event in Lagos organized by an international community of Lagos Joint Women’s Groups. Philippines/PBSN is among the 27 countries featured in this annual event in Lagos.

The PBSN also serves as an envoy of the Filipino community of Nigeria to visiting Philippine officials. It has received Esteban Conejos, Under-Secretaryfor Migrant Workers Affairs in his 2007 visit.

Recently, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and his team, who were invited by the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) for the Lagos Economic Summit, were also received by PBSN officers and members.
Last 2007, the Philippine Embassy through H.E. Ambassador Masaranga Umpa awarded the organization for its cause-oriented projects and active role in the betterment of Filipino communities in Nigeria. It has, likewise, recognized the remarkable leadership that PBSN Chairperson Esperanza Derpo has exhibited in the organization’s various endeavours.

Welfare to Members/Kababayans

Coordination with the Philippine Embassy for consular matters or for assistance to some distressed OFWs, is a service the organization offers, not only to its members, but to all OFWs who sought its aid. Throughout the years, the members are rendered aid for the death of an immediate family member. At times of financial need, a ’soft loan’ may also be acquired by a registered member.

It is under Chairman Esper’s leadership that the Filipino community in Lagos acquired its permanent clubhouse, hosted at Caverton Helicopter Staff House in Ikeja, Lagos. Gracious OFWs donated billiard tables, dart boards and sing-along equipment. It is now the permanent gathering place every Sunday for Nigeria OFWs in Lagos.

After more than 20 years in Nigeria, the PBSN community has grown in numbers, and evolved into a hybrid of Nigerized Pinoys. Each year, it meets a widening scope of social responsibility unfazed. Despite the changing of the times, it has upheld the ideals it has been founded on.

Congratulations, once again, to Barangay Nigeria Chair Esperanza Derpo.

Mabuhay ang mga Naija (Nigeria) Pinoys (Filipinos)…

The Philippine Barangay Society in Nigeria (PBSN) - serving Nigeria OFWs since 1970’s.
--------------------------

By: Maynard Flores
PBSN Information Officer
Email: ml.flores@yahoo.com

Maria Carlota Derpo
Editor, 2008 Independence Day Souvenir
E-mail: carlota_derpo@yahoo.com

Obama nation

2008-11-08T18:36:00.004+08:00

by Randy David

This article was originally published in Professor Randy David's column, PUBLIC LIVES, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on November 8, 2008 (Manila time). He has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach him at public.lives@gmail.com

He was, by any measure, the superior candidate: clear and eloquent where his opponent often mumbled and stuttered; cool and even-tempered even when the other would dish out sharp rebukes. Barack Obama projected a high-mindedness that made the veteran John McCain sound petty and insular. He was charming and attentive, where the latter appeared condescending and guarded.

Never cynical or arrogant, his confident retorts and measured replies to questions during the debates were always thoughtful and respectful. Even those who strongly disagreed with his views found him amiable. He was fresh and inspiring, where the other seemed stale and boring.

All these qualities are more familiarly summed up as charisma. Obama has lots of it, but he knew it wasn’t enough to win an election.

US commentators say America has never known a more focused and methodical politician. Nothing seemed to distract him. But that is also because Barack Obama ran a tight, energetic, and highly-motivated campaign.

Instead of hiring professionals, he relied on a corps of volunteers, mostly young people who could navigate the politically untapped world of cyberspace with ease. So disciplined was the campaign that the media could not get any inside story except from its authorized spokesmen. There were no leaks about internal rifts, resignations, apprehensions, or the onset of panic. Obama’s machinery hummed steadily and coherently until the last vote was counted.

Here is a politician who ran on a theme of change—change in the way politics is conducted, and change in the way government works. No better way was there to demonstrate the seriousness of this purpose than to radically deviate from the proven ways of raising campaign funds.

Campaign funds in US elections are normally raised by so-called “political action committees” (PACs) that represent the myriad private interest groups seeking to shape electoral outcomes. They hire professional lobbyists who make a living working the levers of congressional and executive power on behalf of corporate America.

John McCain relied almost entirely on this existing infrastructure of traditional politics. In contrast, Obama raised money directly from the voters who believed in his vision, appealing for individual donations of less than $200, while refusing any help from big corporate interests and lobby groups.

In this manner, he not only managed to raise more money than McCain, he also freed himself from the many restrictions on campaign expenditures that were attached to the usual sources of electoral finance. This allowed Obama’s campaign to dominate the airwaves, and, in the final stretch, to buy an expensive block of 30 minutes of prime time on US television to sum up the nature of his crusade for change.

Obama has set a high bar for all politicians everywhere in the modern world. But if one looks closely at his spectacular success, there is really nothing in his two-year trek to the White House that is new or magical.

I suppose it is possible for anyone with the right education to acquire the famous Obama demeanor through long arduous practice. But, if it is not anchored in character, it will surely come out as phony during unguarded moments.

Obama was effective because nothing he did seemed put on or studied. He made no effort to feign experience, even as he was aware that the record of government service by which many sought to test him is perhaps the thinnest among those who have aspired for the US presidency.

Neither did he offer virtuous innocence or naiveté, but only vision, dynamism, and hope in an uncertain world. Instead of the fear and paranoia of a post-9/11 America that George W. Bush had so viciously exploited, Barack Obama hitched his campaign to the awesome energy of an awakened popular optimism.

This has always been America’s strength—ungrounded hope, the driving force behind its boundless pragmatism. There is no theory of society or a philosophy of history here. Underpinning Obama’s program is a consistent problem-solving orientation founded on pure hope.

But foolish or not, the optimism that Obama has injected into American politics has already laid the foundation for a transformed society. The energy it has unleashed not only in America but in the rest of the world provides the kind of game-changing impulse that we all sorely need in this complex crisis-ridden era.

Few leaders have earned as much goodwill in an election campaign as Obama has. He stuck to the issues even when it was more tempting to trace America’s problems to the personal shortcomings and greed of its leaders. He spoke without resentment even while alluding to the historic injustices committed against his country’s racial minorities.

A few black leaders derided him for not being black enough, but he held on to the promise of the nation’s founders of a single nation emerging from the diversity of its peoples, united in the dream of an equal society.

This is quite different from the secular modernity of European democracy. In America, we encounter a large residue of frontier-type spirituality that thrives in small gospel communities. Obama traces his faith to such intimate churches, where members find themselves, in his words, being “summoned” and “moved” by a “higher truth” to “embrace a common destiny” and to achieve what had seemed impossible.

This unique blending of spirituality and secular pragmatism is expressed in the writings of William James. If the American nation has a homegrown philosophy, this is what it is, and President-elect Barack Obama has abundantly tapped into it.

(Barangay OFW sought to re-publish this article by Prof. Randy David because of the transformative change that the President-elect of the USA represents. It is the kind of change that we must seek as OFWs and as Filipinos. )

A Pinay Nigerwife in Enugu, Nigeria

2008-10-30T01:54:00.013+08:00

By: Maynard Flores
in Nigeria since 2006

After a year in Lagos doing marketing coordination job for a Lagos-based company, I was transferred to Enugu State in Southeast Nigeria for an expansion project.

I was full of apprehension of what life would be in Enugu. I haven’t heard of any Pinoys there. But a friend, Guiller, who had worked in Enugu for 3 years, assured me that Enugu is fine and peaceful. So there I went in September 2007, on an Arik plane heading for the hills of Enugu.

After a week in Enugu, I was beginning to feel like I was really the only Filipino in this part of Nigeria. Then in December, Jaime Lumbay came as maintenance engineer for the Pepsi Bottling plant in Enugu. We had known each other back in Ikeja, Lagos where we met in one of those regular Sunday gatherings and Family Days.

Guiller called to tell me about a Filipina doctor who is married to a Nigerian (hence the term 'Niger-wife') and has been living in Enugu for quite a while. I decided to look for her bakeshop. To my pleasant surprise, it was just within walking distance from our lotto office.

I decided one day to pay her a visit and went to Faye's Bakeshoppe at Ogui Road. Only her Nigerian staff were there, but the moment they saw me, they asked if I was looking for my 'sister'. In Nigeria, a compatriot or fellow-countryman is described as 'my brother' or 'my sister'.

I said, “Yes, I'm looking for 'my sistah'.”

"Is madam dey?"

"A dey", a Nigerian staff member replied.

She then called somebody. "Auntie, your brother is looking for you..."
(In Nigeria, 'auntie' and 'uncle' are terms of respect for somebody older than the speaker, even when not related by blood.)

I looked into the kitchen and saw an 'oniyocha' (white-skin) woman looking at me in astonishment. She was a typical Pinay, petite with Chinese eyes and as old as my mother.

"Filipino?" she asked.

"Opo".

"Eyyy, chinike (oh my god! )," she whispered as she came to cheerfully hug me.

As we were making the usual 'kumustahan', I sensed from her accent that she was not Tagalog. So I asked where she was from in the Philippines. She said she was born in Cebu, but grew up in Samar.

"Yay, Waray." I said, as we both laughed.

I have finally met Doc Fely (Fely Maglasang-Chioke), a retired doctor, and now a full-time businesswoman baking cakes and pastries and doing catering. She is well-known in Enugu as a doctor, and as a pesky, fighting 'oniyocha'. In her prime, she was an active officer of Enugu Nigerwives Club (composed of women from different countries who are married to Nigerians), and also a one-time Rotary official in Enugu.

Doc Fely (I call her 'Nang Fely') has been in and out of Nigeria for 25 years. Although she, her late husband and three children are also American citizens, she has chosen to stay in Nigeria.

After the death of her husband, she decided to retire from medical practice and put up a modest bakeshoppe. She’s running her business by herself since all her children are now working overseas.

I am so glad to meet Nang Fely. When I got sick of malaria (p. falciparum) and had thyphoid fever, it was Nang Fely who brought me to good clinics and also helped to treat me.

When I get hungry during lunchtime, I would go to her bakeshop for a free lunch. Lami gyud basta libre. – D

I am also her official taster. I am the first to taste her hamburger, hopia and peppered chin-chin, a kind of doughbread cut into small pieces. Good for ‘pulutan’.

It was through Nang Fely that I was able to go to Anambra to attend the traditional wedding of the daughter of a Filipina (from Butuan) who is also married to a Nigerian. There, I met other Filipina Nigerwives. There were at least four couples. I was also introduced to Nigerians who had studied and finished Engineering and Medicine in the Philippines. They have formed an association called PHILGRAN – Philippine Graduates from Nigeria.

Nang Fely is also the contact person of the Philippine Embassy in Southeast Nigeria. Once, Ambassador Umpa from Abuja called her and requested her to meet and accompany an arriving Filipina whose Nigerian husband died in neighboring Anambra State. It was the Pinay's first visit to Nigeria.

There are now three of us Filipinos in Enugu -- Jaime of Pepsico, Nang Fely, and I. Because of our varying schedules and Nang Fely being almost always fully-booked in the weekend, it is not very often the three of us can get together. But after nine months in Enugu, we were finally able to spend a Sunday lunch together at Jaime's house.

Through Nang Fely, we were able to meet Ate Mayette, a Filipina from Iloilo who is married to a Belgian expat. She invited us to the Anamco Expat Clubhouse in posh GRA, Enugu to celebrate her birthday and the independence day of Belgium. I was with Roland Rosales, my Pinoy colleague who was in Enugu that time for a two-week assignment.

Ate Mayette and her husband have been in Nigeria even longer than Nang Fely. She lived with her husband for a long time in a palm plantation in Benin City, Edo State before moving to Enugu. She invited me to play golf at Enugu Golf and Country Club, but I never had time for that opportunity. Sayang.

Nang Fely rues about the Filipino's lack of entrepreneurial interest in putting up business in Nigeria. She narrated that before the 'pure water' became a hit in Nigeria as a poor man's packaged water, she had already thought about doing it in Enugu, using the regular 'heat sealer' that can be bought commercially. But because she was still active as a doctor at that time, she was not able to pursue it, until 'pure water' business arrived in Enugu from Lagos.

Nang Fely told us stories about the late 70's to 80's when Filipino doctors, teachers, nurses and engineers came to Nigeria at the height of its oil wealth. She said those OFWs just preferred to be employed, take their money and go home, unlike Lebanese and Indians who made big bucks trading in Nigeria.

She said she will take a vacation to Cebu this December and try to check if she can attend a training at the TLRC on homemade ice-cream making. She's planning to introduce a ‘real’ homemade Pinoy ice-cream in Enugu, assuming that the Nigerian Electric Power Authority (NEPA) will remain good in Enugu.

At Nang Fely’s age, this feisty waray is still thinking about expanding into other business ventures in Nigeria.

As my time in Enugu winds down, I am feeling sad about the thought of leaving Nang Fely and Enugu. As of this writing, I haven't told her that I will be leaving for vacation next month and won’t be back in Enugu.

I have come to like Enugu. It is a peaceful place with good electricity. The police are polite to expats (unlike the Lagos police). I will miss the nkwobi, the ise-ewu, the ram suya, Raya’s Chinese Restaurant, quick beer at Polo Park with Johnny, shopping at Roban’s, Wednesdays at the New Haven market, swimming or boating at Protea Hotel/Nike Lake Resort, Abakpa , and of course, the cakes and pastries of Nang Fely.

So to the Pinoys and Pinays travelling to Enugu, please drop by at Doc Fely's Faye's Bakeshoppe at 84 Ogui Road, Enugu. She makes special hamburger, tasty pastries, and great cakes for all occasions.

“Kachifu” (Igbo for goodbye)

----

By: Maynard Flores
In Nigeria since Sept 2006.

Arnel Pineda: Born to Sing

2008-10-26T07:07:00.003+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

Journey, one of the best bands in the world, was founded in 1975. It has a long and illustrious career. But since the departure of its most famous lead singer Steve Perry, it has signed up other singers but none could quite capture the Perry magic.

Founder and guitarist Neal Schon had expressed frustration over not having a lead singer for almost a year. It had been a long and exasperating search, but he never lost hope. Finally, on December 5, 2007, Journey announced in its website:

JOURNEY WELCOMES ARNEL PINEDA

WITH “OPEN ARMS” TO THEIR FAMILY

AS THE BAND’S NEW LEAD SINGER

Arnel Pineda who?

Born in Sampaloc, Manila. Orphaned at 13. High school drop-out. Homeless street child for two years. Tan. Five feet, three inches. Shoulder-length hair. Goatee. 41 years old.Band singer since 15. Singing since his mother conceived him.

Born to sing!

Neal Schon said that he was blown away after listening to Arnel Pineda’s soulful rendition of Journey’s signature ballad “Faithfully” and “Open Arms” on YouTube. Arnel sounded just like Steve Perry, yet he was original. His tenor is higher-pitched and has an unbelievable range.

Here are the opening lines of “Faithfully”:

Highway run into the midnight sun

Wheels go round and round

You're on my mind

Restless hearts sleep alone tonight

Can Arnel perform live to millions of loyal Steve Perry fans around the world? Performing in restaurant-bars like Hard Rock Café is child’s play compared to a world tour.

Rising to the occasion, Arnel’s been touring South America, North America and Europe since February 2008 and the reviews rave about his phenomenal talent and energy. The original Journey band members say they feel reborn.

Where does Arnel get the lung power that makes his tenor soar? Where do the awesome, raw emotions come from? Where does he get the inner drive to sing on and on and on?

Born on September 5, 1967 in Sampaloc, Manila, Arnel is the eldest among four children. His parents were both tailors. His mother loved to sing and always listened to and sang along Karen Carpenter’s and Barbra Streisand’s songs on the radio.

Arnel, being the first child, grew up listening to and singing along the same songs his mother loved. And he had the voice, the talent, and the interest. His father would ‘bribe’ him with new pairs of pants to wear to amateur singing contests.

He and his siblings went to Quiapo Parochial School. Arnel was involved actively in the glee club, the rondalla, and other activities. His family thrived although his parents had to work hard as tailors. Then tragedy struck.

After a long illness, Arnel’s mother succumbed to rheumatic heart, leaving the family bankrupt with huge hospital bills and unpaid rent. Even the funeral expenses were a big challenge to deal with.

Broke and broken-hearted, Arnel’s father had no choice but to move his grieving family out of their rented apartment. He decided to ask different relatives to act as foster families for his young children while he tried to put the pieces of his life back again.

Arnel decided to strike out on his own. He was thirteen.

The streets became his school; Luneta Park, his home. There were days when he’d go unwashed so he’d drink and bathe in the fountain at the Luneta Park. There were days when all he could afford to eat was a small packet of biscuits.

He found work buying and selling metal scraps, old bottles and newspaper. Whenever he made a few extra pesos, he’d go and pay a visit to one of his brothers who lived somewhere near. He’d give his brother some money.

Arnel had a friend, Monet Cajipe. Monet had a guitar and he’d ask Arnel to come to his family home. They’d sing and entertain Monet’s family who’d feed Arnel in return.

When Arnel was 15, he and his friend Monet joined the Ijos Band. It was the humble beginning of a 25-year career as a rock band lead singer. Arnel was paid thirty-five pesos a night and was given a small room as his sleeping quarters.

Arnel must have been so happy. He must have shared the wonderful news with his father right away. The same brother Arnel had been visiting every now and then narrates that his father came to fetch him from their relatives’ house.

Arnel had sent for him. Arnel had a job and a place to sleep. Arnel wanted him to stay with him. It wasn’t much of a bedroom. It was infested with roaches, rats, and mosquitoes, but it was theirs and they were happy. Two of them brothers had been re-united. And his brother Arnel sent him back to school.

Arnel has occupied his niche as a rock band lead singer since the time he joined Ijos Band in 1982. He and his friend Monet Cajipe would re-group and would form new bands with new names, but the two of them stuck together -- Arnel as the singer; Monet as the guitarist.

In the 1990’s, Arnel and his band found their way to Hong Kong. It must have been a steady, well-paying, and enviable gig, singing six nights a week. But Arnel lost another important woman in his life. It devastated him. He turned to drugs, unable to deal with the indescribable pain.

One day, he lost his voice. He just couldn’t sing any more. A doctor told him to retire from singing. He was only 27.

What?! Retire from singing?

It was a wake-up call for Arnel. If losing a girl friend had devastated him, losing his voice knocked sense into his head.

He went home to the Philippines and refusing to believe the Hong Kong doctor, he re-trained his voice. He stayed clean and sober, determined to rise from the depths of despair. Six months of disciplined vocal health care and training paid off. He was able to sing again!

In 2002, he went back to the Hong Kong rock band circuit. Somehow, in 2006, Arnel met Bert de Leon who convinced him and Monet to relocate to the Philippines. They signed up as talents under Bert de Leon’s entertainment company and formed a new band called Zoo. They began performing in restaurant-bars in Metro Manila and Olongapo again.

In 2007, a fan and friend, Noel Gomez, started posting on YouTube video clips of the Zoo performing songs by Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Air Supply, Kenny Loggins, and of course, Journey.

What was Noel thinking when he started videotaping Arnel’s gigs at Hard Rock Café? What was he planning when he started posting on YouTube Arnel’s performances with his band Zoo? What made him insist that Arnel reply to Neal Schon’s e-mail which Arnel had dismissed as a hoax?

Noel must have recognized the magnificent talent that Arnel is blessed with and a tiny voice must have told him to do what he had done. He was the bridge which connected Arnel and Journey to each other.

International stardom as a rock music celebrity has made Arnel hot copy. Everyone wants to interview him for a live TV show or for a print medium.

During some interviews in the US and in the Philippines, there were unguarded moments when Arnel would choke up with emotion. His voice would break, trail off, and he’d wipe a tear from his eyes. Those were the moments when he would be asked about his late mother and the homeless, hungry years he spent after her death.

Arnel’s mother was the first and most significant woman in his life. He said in his interview with John Blackstone of CBS that his mother taught him how to sing. She taught him to be brave, to fight on when the world isn’t too kind, and to keep on believing…

Such impact a parent has on a child!

Wherever Arnel’s mother may be right now (she must be in heaven), she must be singing alleluias in gratitude and with pride. Not only has her voice pupil become a phenomenal success around the world, but he has also remained humble and human.

A fan writes about the precious pre-concert moments Arnel spent with her and her wheelchair-bound brother who has cerebral palsy. Arnel thanked them profusely for coming to the concert, for buying Journey’s new CD, Revelation, and for supporting him.

Eric Caruncho of the Philippine Daily Inquirer writes that Arnel doesn’t think of himself as a rock star. He says, “I’m more of an OFW than a rock star. I’m just like you guys—I’m working.”

Today, Arnel is on vacation in the Philippines. Having performed in 69 sell-out shows in South America, North America and Europe, his vocal cords need plenty of rest and he deserves time with his family.

He has announced on Philippine TV two pieces of good news. First, he’ll be organizing a foundation for streetkids. And second, he and his fiancee are getting married early in 2009.

How did Arnel pop the question? He didn’t say, but he must have sung one of Journey’s signature ballads:

So now I come to you, with open arms

Nothing to hide, believe what I say

So here I am with open arms

Hoping you'll see what your love means to me

Open arms

This was originally published in the Filam Weekly MegaScene, Illinois, USA on October 14 & 17, 2008. The publishers may be reached at filammegascene@aol.com

Mr. Ajith, Fellow Overseas Worker

2008-10-20T06:28:00.001+08:00

by Arjaye Llamas Peria
Saudi Arabia

This article was originally published in Color and Visions (Volume I / Issue 1), official corporate publication/newsletter of Astra Polymers (www.astra-polymers.com) as a feature article from one of its (former) employees, Mr. Rjaye Llamas Peria. Mr. Allan V. Adan, Editor-In-Chief of Color and Visions, has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach Mr. Adan at allan.adan@astra-polymers.com or allanadan@hotmail.com

It was not a typical Saturday morning. Something had changed in him. He smiled at me though I sensed the freshness of his face had succumbed to the dark shadow that he tried to conceal. I knew by intuition that Mr. Ajith was hiding something from me on that day.

I knew there was something wrong. But I was not accustomed to asking him questions that might give me an embarrassing retort. Besides, I knew Mr. Ajith pretty well and therefore, asking a question if he was all right or not would be nonsensical. It was logical to hold that action speaks louder than words.

I lowered my eyes and nailed my attention to his right hand. He was holding a piece of paper. When he noticed that I was staring at it, he slowly handed the paper over to me. I glanced back at him after going through it. I was totally astounded.

The truth was, we had had many instances of short conversations whenever he came to clean my office. He told me that he came from a poor family of four siblings. He was second to the eldest. He dreamt of working abroad not for himself, but for his parents and his own family. He wanted to help them in their daily survival, and hopefully, to help them enjoy an average way of life. A way of life that was conventional in his country.

His first experience of being away from home was in 1999. It was an ill-fated experience. He was a roomboy in a lodging house in Kuwait. After four months, an untoward incident occurred that forced him to leave Kuwait and fly back to Sri Lanka. Once again, he embraced the difficulties of life which he had hoped to change.

It was in the early part of the year 2000 when another opportunity crossed his path. This was his chance to work in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Ajith was determined to pursue his dream for the sake of his extended family. Without a second thought, he gave himself another try. He left Sri Lanka hoping to seize one of the stars in order to illuminate if not the whole portion of his life, at least a part of it.

“Do you wish to see your father for the last time?” I asked.

While saying this, I looked back at the piece of paper he gave me. It was a short fax message in Sinhala; “Tata mala en ne gadara.” (Your father died come home).”

He shook his head. His face was unfathomable. After a while, he murmured in broken Arabic, English and Sinhala, “Ana mafi go, me send money to them. They need money. Me mother old.”

Then he whispered with a trembling voice, “Egollanta mudal awassai bumithanam viyathamata.” (They need money for the burial).

As a Filipino, I was stunned. I’d fly home whatever it took if I were in Mr. Ajith’s place. I didn’t know what to say. Silence, so silent it hurt, reigned between us.

Was it about the expenses of flying back to Sri Lanka that made him insensitive and unsympathetic? I was cynical whether to admire or accuse him. Softly, he shuffled out of my office. His steps were slow and heavy as if he were dragging himself. It was then I realized the gravity of his loss and the grief he was dealing with.

It was a short encounter between Mr. Ajith and me on a Saturday morning. It was not a typical Saturday morning. Something had changed in him, and in me. It left me with a heartbreaking thought – to love is not solely to give oneself but to learn to endure each pain in order to fulfill a more noble cause.

Aikido School in the Middle East

2008-10-11T10:01:00.005+08:00

by Mel Villareal
Saudi Arabia
http://shuryukan.webs.com/

Yoshinkan Aikido is a modern Japanese Martial Art taught to the Japanese kidoutai, which when used for self-defense can counter many different attacks. Yoshinkan Aikido began in 1955 at a Dojo (training place) in Tsukudo-Hachiman, Shinjuku Tokyo. Now, the headquarters (Honbu Dojo) is located in Kami-Ochiai, Shinjuku Tokyo.

The All-Japan Yoshinkan Aikido Federation and International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation were founded in 1990, both of which are now led by Shioda Yasuhisa Kancho, the son of the founder Shioda Gozo Soke. All of these organizations contribute to the spread of Yoshinkan Aikido not only in Japan, but all around the world.

The Dojo
Our journey is to master and understand the basics utilizing the Yoshinkan approach. Powerful, flowing, and dynamic movements should only be attempted once a good understanding of the basics has been established.

In this dojo, we train very seriously, and yet interact with each other like family members. Our instructions are minutely detailed, as we pay special attention to the position of the hands and feet, guided by kihon dosa/waza - an innovation by the Yoshinkan Foundation to help the beginners and advanced students understand the fundamental principles.

We practice basic techniques over and over to learn how to move our bodies in response to different types of power exerted by the opponent. Repeated and correct practice of these basic techniques eventually enables the aikidoka to react instinctively and to apply the appropriate technique in the situation in which he finds himself, whether it takes place in the dojo or at unexpected moments in daily life.

Chief Instructor
Romuel Villareal, Chief Instructor, began his study of Aikido in 2000 under the direction of Mr. Flor Bisin and Mr. Alvin Valero. He took over the day-to-day operations of the dojo upon Mr. Bisin’s retirement in March 2005.

To further his study and understanding of Yoshinkan Aikido, Mel made two very significant trips. The first was in March of 2006 when he went to Japan and trained at the Yoshinkan Honbu dojo and at the Yoshinkan Aikido Ryu dojo where he was tested and awarded 6th kyu by Tsuneo Ando Shihan.

While visiting the honbu dojo, Mel was also privileged to observe proper testing protocols as administered by Inoue Kancho and Chida Dojocho, the former director and chief instructor.

The second event took place in 2007 when Mel visited Mr. Sonny Loke, Yoshinkan 6th dan, while vacationing in Malaysia. Mel spent several days training at Mr. Loke’s dojo.Upon meeting all the requirements of his advisors and the honbu dojo in May 2008, Mel was awarded his shodan and level 6 instructor certificate by the Yoshinkan Honbu dojo, making him the first AYF registered instructor in Saudi Arabia with grading authority to 4th kyu.

Mel is assisted by Aikido Instructors Fernando Sakay, Roque Amparo, and Omar Seracarpio.

Dojo (place of training)

We welcome all those interested in learning Aikido, and we assure you that you will enjoy your training with us whether your reason for training is cardio-vascular exercise, self defense, or just simply working out. More so, Aikido teachings adhere to the same principles of anger and risk management. At the end of the day students become fit, strong, and ethically disciplined to better serve the community.

'No' to Bilateral on OFW Pension Funds

2008-10-01T21:18:00.004+08:00

by Elizer Peñaranda

South Korea

The author, Editor-in-Chief of Sulyapinoy Newsletter in South Korea, has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach Mr. Elizer Peñaranda at elizer_penaranda05@yahoo.com

SEOUL, South Korea--Various Filipino organizations are opposing the National Pension Scheme-Social Security System (NPS-SSS), a bilateral agreement on social security between South Korea and the Philippines.

An ongoing signature campaign widely recognized and supported by the majority of the 51,051 members in different Filipino communities here is paving the way for all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to band together in protest. With the help of the religious sector, information and encouragement on the issue are also disseminated to churchgoers.

Regardless of gender, religion and visa status, OFWs are currently calling for immediate revision of the agreement and its planned transfer of the NPS lump-sum refund to SSS. Workers are worried about the vested interests of some allegedly greedy public officials in the Philippines, whom they fear will use their money for anomalies, unscrupulous plans and personal interest.

OFWs, owners of the NPS Lump-sum Refund benefits, feel they have been inadequately consulted by the SSS and the Korean officials on this Bilateral Agreement.

Article III - Bill of Rights, Section 7 of the Philippine Constitution states that "The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions... shall be afforded the citizen…"

The procedure in the formulation of the Bilateral Agreement clearly violated our constitutional rights, resulting in the loss of workers’ small business opportunities upon return, unfair compulsory coverage in the NPS-SSS social security agreement, and the vulnerability of our refund to corruption at home.

All these have triggered the EPS workers, led by the Filipino EPS Workers Association (FEWA), to launch a massive campaign for social awareness and participation by all OFWs.

The Filipino Employment Permit System Workers Association (FEWA) and SULYAPINOY spearheaded the signature campaign, supported by the Hyehwadong Filipino Catholic Community (HFCC) led by its chaplain Fr. Alvin Parantar, MSP;

the Kasan Migrant Workers Community (KMWC); Changhyun Filipino Catholic Community; Human Rights Welfare Organization Filipino Community (HRWOFC); Ansan Filipino Catholic Community (AFCC); Philippine Migrant Workers Association in South Korea (PMWAK); Filipino communities in Busan and other parts of South Korea.

The SULYAPINOY website’s current online signature campaign has demonstrated the online participation of other workers, who cannot sign the petition letter in person. They number an unprecedented 1095 at this writing.

With support from Philippine radio program like DZME, the issue has reached the Philippine Senate through the office of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Our campaign program against the NPS-SSS social security agreement continues to empower all concerned workers with the necessary information. We strongly believe that justice should be served for the general welfare of all OFWs, to foster solidarity among Filipino communities and awareness on issues concerning Filipino migrant workers all over the Korean peninsula.

Our struggles are for our families in the Philippines who have been making great sacrifices due to our migration. They keep on praying while waiting for our return, hoping against hope that our end-of-contract refund-resources would be sufficient to rebuild the broken pieces of our lives under social injustice, poverty and unemployment in our own country.

“Till Death Do Us Part”

2008-09-28T07:43:00.003+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

Tio Primo, my father’s brother, was my last living uncle. He was 79 when he passed away on November 10, 2007. I don’t think he ever wrote a book nor planted a tree. But he had definitely assured himself of immortality with his fourteen children. In fact, he has scores of grandchildren and great, grandchildren.

Auntie Gloria, Tio Primo’s wife, is 80 years old today. She took care of Tio Primo who never fully recovered from a stroke for thirteen loooong years.

There are wives who always complain about their husbands, but not Auntie Gloria. And there are husbands who openly criticize their wives, but not Tio Primo. I never saw them argue nor hear about any argument between them.

There were, of course, many problems and many issues to resolve with such a huge family. They probably talked them over in private.

I have always marveled at Auntie Gloria’s fortitude. Giving birth to 14 children is a feat! What’s even more marvelous is that she has aged gracefully, elegantly, and with a quiet dignity.

Her hair has turned pure silver, but her eyes still sparkle like a child’s full of curiosity and joyous anticipation of simple things like hot pandesal.

It must have been an unshakeable faith in each other and in God’s providence which have kept Tio Primo and Auntie Gloria’s marriage solid as rock till the very end.

Other couples with fewer children always complain that they don’t have enough of this and that, but not Tio Primo and Auntie Gloria. I never heard them complain. And they always had enough. They were never rich but they were never in need.

It must have been Grace from Above which has kept their family together through all of life’s rollercoaster rides. All 14 children, kids-in-law, and the scores of grandkids and great, grandkids are alive!

All 14 children, kids-in-law, and the scores of grandkids and great, grandkids were at Tio Primo’s wake. Seven of the 14 children are Canadian citizens. Would all of them be able to make it to the wake and funeral? Would they even bother? They did.

The final wake was a riotous informal reunion among cousins, nephews, nieces, grandkids from this branch and that branch of the family, friends, and relatives from all over.

On the day we laid Tio Primo to his final resting place, we were worried that Auntie Gloria would weep, faint, collapse, have a heart attack, etc. But she was composed. Crying quietly, she stood in front of Tio Primo’s tomb until it was sealed.

It must have been love in the purest sense of the word that have kept Tio Primo and Auntie Gloria together through more than 50 years of marriage. When they took that vow on their wedding day, they must have meant it:

“… to have and to hold,
from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer or for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish
until death do us part.”

“Pinay sa Singapore”

2008-09-18T13:27:00.002+08:00

“Pinay sa Singapore”

By:

Rizza

It's the first Sunday after payday, and I’m dragging my feet to Lucky Plaza. Located on Orchard Road, near the MRT station, it is a shopping mall where many Filipinos go to make remittances, to shop for Philippine goods, to eat Filipino meals, etc.

I need to go to Lucky Plaza to remit the monthly payment for my house in the Philippines. The place is crowded just like every Sunday in Singapore. And just like every Sunday in Singapore, I see Filipino women…in groups:

- sitting under some trees eating their favorite home-cooked meals;
- sending money to their loved ones;
- walking around dressed skimpily with 80% of their skin exposed;
- eating at McDonald’s with an Indian fellow who pays for their meal;
- flirting with a Filipino guy who works as a seaman;
- looking around with shifty eyes watching out for something, or someone?

I see Filipino women…alone:

- shopping for clothes to send home to her family;
- queuing to pay her monthly SSS / Pag-ibig dues;
- calling up her family on a payphone;
- crying while talking on the phone… to her husband? children?

I see Filipino women with foreign men:

- flirting with an Indian fellow;
- cuddling the head of a Bangladeshi guy on her lap;
- sleeping on the shoulder of a Burmese man;
- holding hands with an Indian guy…

Most of the time, the Filipina in the above scenario seems to be more than 40-year old, married, and have five children!

These are frightful sights for me. And it hurts me whenever my male officemates joke about it.

“Women at Lucky Plaza are cheaper. It will cost you just a meal at first. Then, they would come digging pink bills out of your pocket in time.”

“What do those guys like about flirting aunties at Lucky Plaza?”

And they’ve even asked me, “Is it true that when Filipino women age, they become more aggressive? Watch your age then!”
These scenes at Lucky Plaza amuse Singaporeans and other races. They make fun of our fellow OFWs. It makes me sad. It makes me mad.

A year ago, on the first Sunday after my payday, I was so eager to go to Lucky Plaza to remit the payment for my house in the Philippines. When people asked me of my nationality, I had proudly announced, “I am a Filipina. I am an OFW.”

Today, my bag of mixed emotions sometimes overwhelm me. Yes, I am a Filipina. Those flirting aunties are Filipinas, too. And we are all OFWs.

I rationalize my pain and sense of shame by telling myself that it is the ‘oldest profession.’ There are women of other nationalities who also ply their wares on Orchard Road, especially in the evenings.

If I had a magic wand:

I’d zip the mouths of my male colleagues forever;
I’d turn Lucky Plaza into an enchanted queendom where well-meaning wishes are granted;
I’d build the Philippines into thousands of Singapores;
I’d bring an end to the OFW phenomenon!

The Perils and Challenges of Working Overseas

2008-09-12T08:30:00.002+08:00

by Romulo L. Panganiban
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This article was originally published in Color and Visions (Volume II / Issue 5), official corporate publication/newsletter of Astra Polymers (www.astra-polymers.com) as a feature article from one of its (former) employees, Mr. Romulo L. Panganiban. Mr. Allan V. Adan, Editor-In-Chief of Color and Visions, has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach Mr. Adan at allan.adan@astra-polymers.com

Considering the sagging economy and high level of unemployment in most South Asian and South East Asian countries, the job market in the Middle East has proved to be a lucrative alternative for those aspiring to break free from joblessness and monetary insufficiency. Not only that the Middle East offers employment opportunities for many blue-collar workers, but it also contributes in generating economic rewards for many third-world countries through dollar remittances. Thus, many have left behind their loved ones with hopes and expectations that working in the far away desert would make their dreams come true – a better life.

Risks and Uncertainties
However, working in another country in favor of greater economic gains has enormous risks and uncertainties. Stories have been told about men and women who lost their psychological balance for not being able to handle the pressures of the new environment. There have been many accounts of maltreated workers who had to find desperate means and run away from abusive employers. Similarly, one cannot ignore the sad tales and tragedies about broken marriages, disintegration and moral degradation among families of overseas workers.

Being an overseas contract worker is certainly not easy. It takes a higher level of maturity and emotional strength to tackle the many issues besetting the home, relationships, financial needs, survival at the workplace, and cultural differences. People who opt to work in a far away region are compelled to relinquish the direct and close supervision of the household, child-rearing, family affairs, and family budgeting, among others; and go through the complicated acclimatization process as they set foot in a foreign land.

Emotional Balance and Open Mind
Working in another country does not solely revolve around going to work every day and sending remittances home at the end of each month. Psychological and emotional readiness in living independently and combating homesickness is necessary, as overseas workers should be able to conclude each working day without losing sanity. Hence, a high level of self-determination and self-sufficiency is essential.

It is likewise important that migrant workers possess an open mind to survive the demands of the new job. They must unlearn stereotypes and outdated points of reference and adapt to the new work environment with due consideration to certain factors such as power distance, organizational hierarchy and corporate culture to keep themselves afloat. They must find ways to battle through political bickering, departmental frictions, hostilities, leadership styles and many other challenges, which they will surely encounter within the four corners of the workplace. It is easier said than done. But capitalizing on humility, dexterity and flexibility will surely make them travel far minus the bruises and pains.

A high degree of socialization and interaction with people in the new environment could help manage homesickness and yearning for loved ones. Peer groups and companionship are means by which an overseas worker could establish connection with people, from whom he could seek assistance and company. More importantly, bonding with peers and friends through activities of common interests such as hobbies, sports and recreation expands horizons and enhances social development.

Although overseas workers should remain proud of respective ethnic origin and cultural heritage, they should recognize that thriving in a foreign land requires understanding and respect for other cultures as well as opening their minds to learning and adapting to a few local customs and traditions. The concept of ethnic superiority has long been discarded by modern social scientists. Instead of building cultural fortresses, overseas workers should recognize cultural diversity and assimilation. Instead of passing judgment based on other people’s cultural practices, they should try to look through the intricacies of the interwoven behavioral patterns until they understand the assumptions and beliefs that define them.

Commitment to Marital Fidelity
Working in another country is often more complex for married people. While the covenant of marriage is said to guard couples from infidelity, husbands cannot be certain of their wives’ quandary and private actions. Similarly, some men are quite weak in handling intrinsic physiological desires and end up having extra-marital affairs.

Although fidelity is indeed a challenging vow, couples could survive long distance relationships by centering on commitment, communication and self-control. Overseas workers should remain wary of being hooked into affairs that could lead to marital separation, unwanted pregnancy, and even health troubles (i.e. sexually transmittable diseases). Quite intricate, but such could be achieved through periodic priority checks and keeping one’s focus on the motivations of working abroad – the family. Equally significant, however, spouses back home should exert the same effort in battling momentary separation and support their husbands’ or wives’ quest for economic advancement.

Being Absentee Parents
The harsh reality of not seeing their kids grow is a far more taxing emotional burden among parents working abroad. Though some children have grown normally without the physical presence of their father or mother, a strong parental relationship would certainly have a more positive impact on any child’s psychological and social development. Hence, it is essential for the spouse back home to keep a constant reminder and memory of the father/mother to the kids as well as establish regular communication and interaction with the distant parent. Information technology and modern telecommunication devices are of great use in this aspect of remote parenting.

The Challenges of Returning Home
Returning home to family, friends and community is another challenge for those who have worked abroad over a long period. Some overseas workers find it hard to re-integrate themselves and experience a feeling of detachment and indifference from families and old pals. There is also the pressure of living to the high financial expectations and impression among relatives and friends thereby creating more strain and pushing them to further distress.

These perils and predicaments are just a few of the many challenges that baffle the spirit of overseas workers each day. Additionally, there is the demand of achieving the financial target and reaping the payback of long-term separation from the family.

Frugality and Financial Prudence
Material wealth is fleeting and no overseas worker is spared from the spiral relationship between income and spending. The increasing costs of living, growing demands of family members, and the desire for personal gratification are forces that constantly shake the hard-earned wages of overseas workers.

Overseas workers must imbibe frugality and prudence in their way of life. Financial stability is achieved through efficient management of limited resources and regular assessment of net worth. One should learn the art of spending within reasonable means and channel a portion of his/her income into a savings account or sound investment venture (e.g. real estate, entrepreneurship, marketable securities). Otherwise, the sacrifices invested and the opportunity costs incurred in working abroad will simply lose their essence.

It is likewise advised that they savor the fruits of hard labor by allotting a portion of their income for personal consumption purposes. Youth and time are irreversible occurrences and engaging in reasonable recreation and leisure activities are equally important in living a balanced life.

Employers’ Role
Employers also play a vital role in helping overseas workers survive and thrive in a foreign land. They (Employers) should have a good grasp of the psyche of overseas workers and respond accordingly by providing support mechanisms in the form of proper and adequate job orientation, organized social activities, adequate time for rest and recreation, and coaching and counseling. All these would increase the chance of survival among overseas workers as well as induce efficiency and long-term commitment to the organization. Likewise, empathy and encouragement from supervisors and co-workers would augment the longing for family affection and care.

The Invisible Costs of an Overseas Job
These challenges, uncertainties and risks are the invisible costs of any overseas employment contract, which a number of workers fail to realize and consider when accepting job offers (as they are often fixated on the monetary reward).

Whatever overseas workers make out of their life abroad depends on their personal agenda, priorities, coping skills and way of life. And although the majority’s standard measure of success is centered on tangible and financial accomplishments, overseas workers might consider looking at these priceless indicators whether working overseas genuinely results in a “better life”: relationship stability, family cohesiveness, peace of mind and self-worth.

A Room for my Mom

2008-09-07T19:38:00.003+08:00

by Anthony Diala
People’s Republic of China

I grew up with a happy family. My father was a policeman and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. My childhood days are still fresh in my mind. Though we lived in a small house in Pampanga, I remember how happy we were. I remember the joy I felt whenever my Mom would give me my baon of around 50 centavos (that was in 1979). And I would spend most of it on kakaning-kalamay and tibok-tibok (local delicacies of Pampanga).

Amidst our simple life, my Mom and Dad would always have visitors in our house. Most of them would be asking for help -- either relatives or strangers whom I had never seen in my life. But my parents were generous to a fault. Don’t get me wrong. As a grown-up child, I admire the generosity of my parents. I remember my Mom sacrificing our own needs just to lend something to our needier relatives and friends.

Needless to say, it was my Mom’s relatives in the U.S.A. who sustained most of our expenses in school. My siblings and I went to a private institution. My Dad’s salary as a policeman was just enough to pay for our monthly food expenses; nothing more, nothing less.

When I was in third year high school, my daily expenses and those of my brother and sister had become a financial burden to Dad and Mom. Though an uncle of ours paid for our tuition fees, my parents had to take care of the expenses for projects and many school activities.

And so Mom decided to work abroad. But Mom had never held a job and had never been away from us. Besides, she was only a high school graduate. What kind of job could she qualify for?

Dad told me that she would work as a domestic helper in a Chinese family in Hong Kong. But before this decision was made, I recall that my parents tried to engage in export. However, it did not succeed, though I witnessed how my parents gave their best effort to their fledgling export business.

So it did come to pass. Mom flew to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper while Dad continued his work as a policeman. At this stage, my brother, sister, and I had to make drastic adjustments in our lifestyle. We were forced to cook our food and wash our clothes whenever Dad could not come home due to red alerts and other police operations.

It was a painful adjustment and a rude awakening. We missed Mom. Terribly. We never appreciated her presence. When she was around, we ate our meals, put on our uniforms, and went to school without bothering about the logistics of running a home. Most of all, we missed Mom’s loving presence. We missed the presence of two happy parents.

Dad tried to cope. Even though he had just come home from an all-night police operation, he would wash our clothes by hand (we didn’t have a washing machine then). I felt sorry for Dad. Many a night, I would see him lie awake. Then he’d get up at dawn, silent, absent-minded, and looking out of the window at nothing. I knew he missed Mom so much.

After a difficult year of adjustment, we thought Mom would be able to come home. We were sorely disappointed when we learned that she needed to complete her two-year contract. We adjusted to the situation the best way we could.

I was in second year college when a shocking news devastated me. Dad just had a stroke and was in the hospital. My dad’s relatives stopped me from breaking the news to Mom. But alas, after almost two weeks of fighting for his life, Dad departed. The responsibility of breaking the news to my Mom fell on my shoulders. I couldn’t utter the words. They were words which broke my heart. My tongue felt heavy and my jaws felt tight as if I were afflicted with tetanus.

At the airport, Mom joined me and my dad’s sisters in the car. We hugged each other lifelessly. Mom had been away for more than a year; she was in shock and was speechless.

“So, Mom, how’s Hong Kong?” I asked stupidly. I knew they were not the right words to say, but I didn’t know what to say.

At the wake, Mom tried to stay strong, but I saw her escaping to an empty room and I heard her weep. My only comfort then was crying on the shoulders of my ex-girl friend (my wife). It was a very tough moment for all of us.

I was offered an option to continue Dad’s service as a policeman, but Mom refused. She was determined to start a small business out of what she can get from Dad’s death benefits but another tragedy struck. Mount Pinatubo erupted and most of the city where we lived was in complete disaster. We had to evacuate to the house of my girlfriend’s family and we stayed there for about three months. We had to spend the money from Dad’s death benefits, and only my Mom’s relatives in the US served as our lifeline.

It was a very tough decision, but Mom signed up for another contract in Hong Kong. Her employers were asking her to go back to Hong Kong, and amidst the hardship we had to endure, she accepted. She left me, my brother, and my sister to take care of ourselves in a small, rented apartment.

Mom worked abroad for the next ten years, going back to Philippines once every two years. Through all those years, she supported us with everything she earned abroad. My brother and sister had gotten married just like me, but Mom never had a chance to attend any of our weddings. We never did have a royal life, but Mom gave us her best. Come to think of it, she even gave up a happy married life for our sake.

Right now, Mom lives in the US. Her relative’s petition for her has been finally approved. Ironically, she has to continue working for a family in America. Life is tough as well. Up to now, just like my uncle who sent us to school, Mom still sends financial support to my brother and sister.

How can we repay them in return?

I promised Mom that she would never live in any home for the aged. As my tribute to her, when I finally build my home, she will have a room in it and I will support her in return.

Not that I must pay her back for what she has given us all her life. In fact, I can never repay her for what she has given up. But I want her to know that she is very special to me. It was she who carried me in her womb for nine months – I owe my life to her. She invested the best years of her life in me and my siblings. Selflessly, she gave us her all so that we can have a better future…

My ‘Addiction’ to Photography

2008-09-05T08:45:00.004+08:00

by Manuelito N. Dagohoy
Saudi Arabia

It all started with the eyes, my eyes. I use these eyes to see things differently in multi-color, black & white, lights, emotions, patterns, nature, and people. I appreciate the many beautiful creations around I encounter outside and inside my home, office, school, shopping centers, outdoors, streets, my trips in and out of the Philippines, and others. But my human memory chip can not store all those beauties and savor all those moments. Thus, I have turned to my camera to help me capture those moments and share them with others.

Back in high school, I got interested in photography when a classmate showed me his SLR camera and different photography books. However, the realization of having my first film SLR camera (Olympus) came about only when I started working in Saudi Arabia in 1998. I took that camera to Germany and Brazil in 2000 and my eyes had a feast taking images of those beautiful countries, particularly the mega city of Sao Paolo. Then I went back to the Philippines in 2001 and took pictures of my hometown in Mindanao.

Unfortunately, a film camera has disadvantages in the digital world. Films are expensive in areas of exposures, development and storage. Like other photographers would say, you can take a million shots to get one beautiful image. Imagine using hundreds or thousands of film rolls to get that one ‘Kodak’ moment’. Film negatives are difficult to store for future development. Exposure to the elements can damage films. Moreover, film development is expensive compared to digital post-processing using computer applications like Photoshop and GIMP where I can do the processing myself.

Thus, I bought my first digital SLR, the Olympus e500, two years ago. Recently, I bought an Olympus e3. Why I’m into Olympus cameras is another story. Where I got these? From the same shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where I bought my first film SLR. The digital SLR has helped me in many ways. Cost-effective, the compact flash memory cards can be re-used to capture thousands of images. I can store the images in my computer external hard-disk. I can do in-camera editing and I can do my digital post-processing in my PC (admittedly I’m not yet good at this digital processing thing). Printing the picture is now cheaper.

In many ways, digital photography opened the door to more knowledge in photography techniques, equipment, networking with other photographers and business opportunity. On-line sites for photography techniques, reviews, brand forums, SLR buy & sell abound for digital SLR users.

Photography is social networking. To hone my skills in photography, I joined a photography workshop in Riyadh. I met several Filipinos and others from different countries. These photographers share their views, techniques, gears and their photo sites. On-line photography forums are available from the Philippines, UK, Canada, Saudi-Arabia, UAE, the USA and other countries. Some photographers -- enthusiasts, hobbyists or professionals -- joined the forums from other countries thereby expanding the network, skills transfer, and techniques.

Many of the workshop attendees found out that other photography buffs are just two corners away from their homes or offices. Some live in nearby streets or cities. This realization led to the formation of photography clubs. Filipinos in Riyadh formed a photography group called, ‘Desert Fox Shooters’ or DFS.

The members come from different fields of profession. There are interior designers, engineers, technicians, nurses, pediatricians, graphic artists, teachers, bank & supermarket employees, salespersons, and others. You can view the images from our Desert Fox Shooters website . The club has also helped our spouses and children become budding photographers. We have our ‘kulitan’ in the on-line forum. Most of all, members share their images, techniques and photo opportunities. You can view my photos from this site.

Our group has expanded from Riyadh to other cities in Saudi Arabia. Other members who had left Saudi Arabia for other countries linked with other ‘Pinoy’ photography clubs, i.e. Gulf Photographers Network. Well-known photographers and digital artists from the Philippines have also joined our network. These well-known artists offer huge discounts to club members in their workshops.

We are into different photo coverage for the Filipino community in Riyadh. We cover sports, weddings, school activities, embassy functions, corporate events, glamour shots, portraitures, food & product shoots. Most of these are done free of charge. We also meet for in-house photo sessions where we invite other Filipinos like a Chef for our food photography, families for family portraits, and models for glamour shoots. Sometimes, other photographers pose as models, too. We do these to enhance our skills as photographers because we simply enjoy shooting images. At the same time, we scout for opportunities to grow in the photography business.

Business opportunity in photography is where I plan to invest my retirement as an OFW. Why? I love seeing beautiful images of different people, places, and events. And I’m not alone. There are so many people who are not photographers who want to capture and relish special moments in their lives. This is where the business opportunity comes in.

People want to share their images taken when they were young, growing up, in groups, in events, in their weddings, graduations, parties, and trips. Other than individuals, there are corporate business opportunities like shooting products of a company, clinic, and sari–sari stores and there are opportunities from government functions like conference, tourism, town fiestas, fashion shows and school sports development.

Admittedly, photography is not a cheap hobby. Some say it’s a very expensive ‘bisyo’. For me, I’d rather have this kind of vice which offers a business opportunity. Compare my kind of hobby to others who splurge on designer clothes, who play mahjong, or who go night-clubbing and drinking. I can use my camera anywhere and get paid, that’s the big difference.

Others dream of becoming famous photographers featured in National Geography, Getty Images, Time, Sports Illustrated, etc. I choose to live and see the colorful world and at the same time learn, earn and enjoy my hobby.

A few years from now, the photography equipment I have purchased will be relocated to my new studio in the Philippines. My camera will be with me to capture that magic moment!

Eugenia and Evelyn: Fellow OFWs

2008-08-30T08:05:00.003+08:00

Eugenia Baja and Evelyn Milo were both Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

According to a Bulatlat news report, Eugenia Baja, 24, left the Philippines for Saudi Arabia on May 6, 2007. She went back home on June 12, 2008 in a cargo box. She was deployed by Aisis International Manpower, Inc. as a domestic helper although she had signed a contract as a patient server.

The cause of Eugenia’s death was uncertain. First, it was reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippine government that she had died of an illness. But later, the DFA claimed that she had committed suicide by hitting her head with bathroom tiles.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report headlined its story that the family of Evelyn Milo, 24, did not believe her alleged suicide in Abu Dhabi, UAE on August 9, 2008. Her remains were flown back to the Philippines on August 19, 2008.

Evelyn, a saleslady in Abu Dhabi, allegedly jumped off from a building to her death. But her family told reporters that her body bore marks of foul play. They pointed out that if she had really jumped off from a tall building, her body wouldn’t be intact any more.

Mrs. Thelma Milo, Evelyn’s mother, protested indignantly that Bright International Manpower, the agency which recruited Evelyn, added insult to injury by offering her three hundred pesos!

Senator Manny Villar heard and immediately heeded Mrs. Thelma Milo’s heart-rending appeal for help on QTV Channel 11 so that she could bury her daughter. By inference, one could conclude that the DFA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) had been sleeping on the job. It is a reputation both offices do not endeavor to change.

Evelyn will be buried today, Saturday, August 30, at the Makati South Cemetery.

As an OFW myself, my heart goes out to Eugenia and to Evelyn. As a mother, I feel Mrs. Thelma Milo’s grief, indignation, and unspeakable pain.

If we had known one another, what would I have told Eugenia and Evelyn? What could I tell other women out there in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, Japan, Italy, Singapore, Israel, Hong Kong, etc.?

What must I tell everyone back home in the Philippines?

The OFW dream is not for everyone. For some, the OFW dream is a nightmare which choke them in their sleep. A new day never dawns for them. They leave the Philippines dreaming of a good life, but they come back with battered bodies, broken spirit, and shattered dreams.

Stop being a victim!

Stop being a victim of recruitment agencies, government offices, and foreign employers. Stop working as domestic helpers or whatever euphemism it’s called.

Stay in the Philippines!

Better be a poor mouse in your own country than a slave or an object in a foreign land!

The Real Cha-cha Goal

2008-08-24T11:02:00.004+08:00

by Artemio V. Panganiban

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 20:12:00 08/16/2008

Former Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach CJ Panganiban at chiefjusticepanganiban@hotmail.com

“ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR CHA-CHA,” SCREAMED the headlines a few days ago.

“We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao,” President Macapagal-Arroyo told visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin.

Federalism Cha-cha? Obviously, the Palace is using the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) negotiated in secret by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as the bogey to revive Charter change.

It is riding on the crest of Joint Resolution No. 10 sponsored by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., calling for the convening of a constituent assembly (Con-ass) to create 11 federal states in the Philippines.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said GMA was fully supporting federalism as the way to implement the GRP-MILF MOA creating the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE). The BJE would be proposed as one of the 11 federated states. He flatly denied the “naughty insinuation that she is going for Charter change because she wants to extend her term of office.”

This denial is deceptively clever. Technically, GMA does not want a new term under the present presidential system. If, as sitting president, she were allowed by a Charter change to seek another term, she would then have to run a nationwide campaign for reelection. Given her abysmal public approval rating, she has no chance of being reelected even if she called 10 “Garcis.”

Parliamentary Cha-cha. Significantly, Dureza did not deny that GMA has long ago lusted for the parliamentary system. In fact, in 2006, her minions launched a rather crude people’s initiative for it. This was however rejected by the Supreme Court as a “gigantic fraud” on our people. Now, her surrogates are going for it again via the Con-ass. The parliamentary objective is the same, but the mode to achieve it has changed.

Understandably, GMA wants the parliamentary system so she could run in a much smaller constituency, a parliamentary district, and then retain power as prime minister of the Republic. Compared to a nationwide presidential vote, the parliamentary option is the much easier route for her to remain in reign.

Thus, in my columns on July 20 titled “Can GMA reign beyond 2010?” and July 27 titled “Can GMA win the Cha-cha war?” , I explained how the Con-ass could be convened, how the constitutionally required three-fourths vote could be skirted, how the counter-checking role of the Congress, Supreme Court and Commission on Elections could be surmounted, and how a two-year timeline could be attained.

If (a big if ) the parliamentary Cha-cha succeeds, the election in May 2010 would no longer be held to choose GMA’s successor as ordained by the present Constitution but to elect members of Parliament under the revised Charter. GMA would run for a parliamentary seat in Pampanga and then become prime minister.

Overzealous supporters may even include a Cha-cha provision canceling the 2010 elections altogether and naming simply all the present national officials (president, vice president, senators and representatives) as members of an Interim Parliament.

This subterfuge would assure GMA’s continuous reign without need of any election, whether national or local. Also, this no-el scenario will ensure the enthusiastic support of local officials who will themselves remain in office.

Complicated Cha-cha. Debating and explaining both federalism (to accommodate the GRP-MILF MOA) and parliamentarism (to extend GMA’s reign) would be complicated, confusing and time-consuming. Lawyers and political scientists know that these two concepts have many variations and ramifications that could indefinitely delay the Cha-cha.

True, federalism has many advantages. But it is equally true that the many federated states (like the United States, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Malaysia, etc.) do not practice it uniformly.

Neither is there a single parliamentary model. The parliamentary system in Great Britain is different from that in France, Italy and Japan. Given that GMA wants the Cha-cha to be completed before her term expires, there is simply no time for long, simultaneous debates on both federalism and parliamentarism.

Also, the GRP-MILF MOA is so riddled with incredible flaws that it would be more difficult to sell to our people than the parliamentary shift. The parliamentary Cha-cha merely seeks to alter the form of our government, but the MOA (which I shall discuss extensively at another time) proposes to dismember our territorial integrity and to scuttle our country’s sovereignty.

Again, while the MOA may be useful to revive the Cha-cha, it cannot last long as the reason for it. Hence, the federalism ploy would soon be dropped by GMA to focus on the Cha-cha’s parliamentary centerpiece. Of course, to prove the alleged urgency of Charter change, GMA needed to show the GRP-MILF MOA as Exhibit 1.

As I said in my two earlier pieces, nothing prevents the Con-ass—once convened—from dancing the parliamentary Cha-cha with soothing federal music. But we must never ever forget that the real reason for the shindig is the parliamentary swing.

Let us all face this monumental battle squarely. Abandon the pretension, double talk and deception. There is only one real goal for Charter change: to extend GMA’s reign beyond June 30, 2010. Let those who favor it be transparent. Let them remove their gloves. Let the oppositors bare their knuckles. And let the real Cha-cha bout begin.

To All Filipinos Everywhere

2008-08-18T08:14:00.003+08:00

by Dina Sembrano

Ang Kapatiran Party, Philippines

This article was originally published in the website of Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) on February 19, 2008 (Manila time). Mr. Eric Manalang, President of AKP, has given Barangay OFW his kind permission to re-publish this article. You may reach Mr. Manalang at angkapatiranparty@yahoo.com

I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn't true. It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excuse do these rich, educated people have that could possibly explain their bizarre behavior?

And to think I was always so relieved when petty snatchers got caught and locked away in jail because I never fully realized that the big time thieves were out there, making the laws and running our country. Can it get any worse than this?

Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my TV to watch the latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. They are not men. They are caricatures of men - too unreal to be believable and too bad to be real. To see these "honorable" crooks lambast each other, call each one names, look each other in the eye and accuse the other of committing the very same crimes that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and appalling that I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainmentat its worst!

I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered and looking smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strut around with the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and awe from the very citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like "Honorable", "Senator", "Justice", "General", and worse, "President".

Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law, make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder why our policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders, and the leaders of this nation Robin Hoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their motto? "Rob the poor, moderate the greed of the rich."

It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and what kind of upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for all the world to see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to, what kind of teachers they had, what kind of environment would produce such creatures who can lie, cheat and steal from an already indebted country and from the impoverished people they had vowed to serve.

It makes me wonder what their children and grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding a whole new generation of improved Filipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad more style but equally negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!

I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a job that pays for my needs and those of my family's, even though 30% of my earnings go to the nation's coffers. Just like others in my lot, I have complained time and again because our government could not provide enough of the basic services that I expect and deserve. Rutty roads, poor educational system, poor social services, poor health services, poor everything.

But I have always thought that was what all third world countries were all about, and my complaints never amounted to anything more. And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidents pointing fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes. Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting on his boss only after his interminable term has ended, Enrile inquiring about someone's morality!

The already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more money than they or their great grandchildren could ever spend in a lifetime. Joker making a joke of his own "pag bad ka, lagot ka!" slogan. Defensor rendered defenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security men providing anything but a sense of security.

And it's all about money, money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imagine in his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent and hardworking citizens are leaving to go work in other countries? And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungry president whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship.

"Love (of power) is blind" takes a whole new meaning when PGMA time and again turns a blind eye on her husband's financial deals. And still blinded with all that is happening, she opts to traipse around the world with her cohorts in tow while her country is in shambles.

They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippines are no longer capable of showing disgust. I don't agree. Many like me feel anger at the brazenness of men and women (Ed.) we call our leaders, embarrassment to share the same nationality with them, frustration for our nation and helplessness at my own ineffectuality.

It is not that I won't make a stand. It is just that I am afraid my actions would only be futile. After all, these monsters are capable of anything. They can hurt me and my family. They already have, though I may not yet feel it. But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I need to let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to issues that would later affect me and my children.

I want to make it known that there are also Filipinos who dream of something better for the Philippines. I want them to know that my country is not filled with scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there are citizens left who believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak, a right to voice out ideas, a right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us that they have abused their power and that it is time for them to step down.

I refuse to let this country go to hell because it is the only country I call mine and it is my responsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it. Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs to battle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power of good.

We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. We can offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask others to pray, too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. And we can offer sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get the message to Him of our desperation in ridding our nation of these vermin.

After all, they cannot be more powerful than God! I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way you can. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of the material comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teach them that there are more important things in this world.

I beg all fathers to spend time with their children, to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair play, sharing, dignity and compassion "right from the sandbox" till they are old enough to go on their own.

Not just in your homes, but at work, in school, everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining examples for your children so they will learn to be responsible adults who will carry and pass on your family name with pride and honor.

I call on educators and teachers. We always underestimate the power of your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a love of their country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance in order to gain real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable men and women.

Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do what they can to lift this country from the mire our traditional politicians have sunk us into. The youth is our future and it would be largely because of you, our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the seats of power with good leaders, presidents, senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law enforcers and lawful citizens.

I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhere, to look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harsh realities you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because we need your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdom of your elders.

YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Do what you can for this land that gave you your ancestors and your heritage. Use technology and all available resources at hand to spread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because I promise you will not regret it when you become parents yourselves.

You will look back at your past misdeeds and pray that your children will do better than you did. Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running this country. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. We are tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will think of the greater good before anything else.

I voted for Atty. Martin Bautista and his team and I sure hope they will run again. Do your utmost to excel in your chosen field. Be good lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer techs, engineers, doctors, military men so that when you are called to serve in government, you will have credibility and a record that can speak for itself.

For love of this country, for the future of our children, for the many who have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us to perdition. We owe ourselves this. And we owe our country even more.

Manny Villar leads 17 outstanding entrepreneurs

2008-08-15T08:18:00.003+08:00

by Domini M. Torrevillas
"From the Stands," Philippine Star

This article was originally published in the Philippine Star on August 7, 2008 (Manila time). Ms. Torrevillas has given Barangay OFW her kind permission to re-publish this article. She is a columnist of the Philippine Star, a leading broadsheet in the Philippines. You may reach Ms. Torrevillas at dominimt2000@yahoo.com.

Sen. Manny Villar gave the awards to the country’s 17 outstanding entrepreneurs over the weekend at what is now called Laurel Mansion on Shaw boulevard, Mandaluyong City, over the weekend. The awards were a centennial gift of the Nacionalista Party dubbed Pondo sa Sipag, Puhunan sa Tiyaga.

The awardees came from different regions across the country and chosen from thousands of entries, and each of them received P100,000 and a statuette. Senator Villar, who is president of the Nacionalista Party, said, “We give due recognition to our entrepreneurs who have exemplified the Filipino spirit of excellence and resilience in their respected fields even amid trying times.”

The party and the Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation joined hands to realize the party’s vision of propelling entrepreneurs through the Pondo sa Sipag initiative. It was at the party’s 100th year celebration held at the Philippine International Convention Center in November last year that the nationwide search for the most promising and innovative entrepreneurs was launched.

The winners, coming from different regions of the country, are: Sarah Dabucon and Margarita Allado from Region 1; Albino Francisco, Calma Arcala, Albert Dulnuan, Elizabeth Africano and Solomon Maylem from Region 2; Pacifico dela Cruz from Region 3 and Antonia Villanueva from Region 4; Marianne Olano from Region 5; Roland Madera from Region 6; Lucresia Saga from Region 7; Elizabeth Rafal from Region 12; Ernesto and Alicia Paglinawan from the CARAGA Region, and Marie Saclag and Regina Mado from CAR.

Now, why am I saying that the senator headed the 17 outstanding entrepreneurs? The reason is that he embodies the traits of sipag (industry) and tiyaga (patience), among others. At the awards dinner, he proudly recounted his journey from a seafoods vendor in Tondo to office employee to distributor of gravel and sand to builder of possibly the country’s biggest number of low-cost and middle-cost housing projects, and although he did not say it, to become one of the most wealthy of the country’s legislators. He said that what he has become has been due to industry, patience, humility and innovativeness.

At the awards dinner, the winners were given cash awards of P100,000 each, to encourage them by providing them with additional capital. As Senate President Villar told the audience that packed the historic Laurel mansion, “We expect their (the awardees) feats in this nationwide search will serve to inspire our countrymen to follow their lead and take the path of entrepreneurship to spur the economy.”

Due to space constraints, I’m writing very brief sketches on how the entrepreneurs started their businesses. They share similar experiences of facing difficulties and making their businesses grow — from very little capital.

* * *

A native of Binamar, Banna, Ilocos Norte, Sarah Dabucon’s husband abandoned her and their three children. In 2002, with a seed capital of P5,000, she started a home-based enterprise producing rice coffee and soya coffee. Her business, SCUFYND (an acronym of the three names of her sons), is now a success, netting P308,688 last year.

With an initial capital of P10,000, Margarita Allado, once a domestic helper in Hong Kong, put up a small sari-sari store in Currimao, Ilocos Norte. Her business, which she and her husband run, has expanded to include a fish cage business, cattle-fattening, swine production, and rice and vegetable farming.

From Region 2 comes the winner, Albino Francisco, of Maura, Aparri, Cagayan. His small refrigeration and airconditioning shop, is used by TESDA students for their training. His 25 years in the business may not have much financial reward, but it has helped him and his wife raise their family.

No. 4 awardee Calma O. Arcala, a graduate of agriculture from Benguet State University in Mt. Province, and her husband started their mushroom culture business with an initial capital of P85,000. Cali’s Mushroom Farm in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, netted them P190,000 in 2007.

Albert Dulnuan, an Ifugao by birth, is a retired teacher, a former principal of a public high school, and a former municipal councilor. He started the A.B. Dulnuan Rattan Seedling Nursery and Plantation, which raises rattan seedlings at an average of 100,000 seedlings each year. Clients include farmers and provincial governments, and Albert’s farm is being used as a venue for practicum on rattan propagation by agriculture students.

At age 56, Elizabeth Franco Africano, a school teacher, and her two sisters opened Franco’s Café in Cauayan City. The café introduced the first Italian, Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine in the city, and meals without rice consisting of pasta, pizza, salads and deli-sandwiches as well as local delicacies. The café’s success gave way to social responsibility by its employing city health volunteer workers as part-time sales ladies in its outlet at the Pasalubong Center, and segregating and recycling waste materials in its good environment program.

* * *

Dr. Solomon Maylem of Malvar, Santiago City, a veterinary doctor by training, runs an edible mushroom business which earns him P10,000 a day. In his farm he also raises super sweet corn, giant tomatoes, sorghum and lettuce and high variety fruits and vegetables. He has adopted the slogan, FAITH, meaning Food Always in the Home.

From Region 3 is winner Pacifico dela Cruz, 54, a native of Plaridel, Bulacan, who started his itikan (wild-duck poultry) with only 185 ducklings. At present he has more than 3,000 ducks in his farm. His itlog na maalat is very popular for its outstanding taste.

(This article has a second part. As of post time, however, it is not yet available. Ed.)

A Joyous Evening with James Skinner

2008-08-11T05:45:00.003+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

When I woke up on the twentieth of June, I prayed for a marvelous and magnificent day. I knew it was going to be a long day because I had several appointments to keep plus an evening talk (7:30 – 9:30 p.m.) by James Skinner.

Who’s he? The e-mailed invitation from Wendy Kwek, co-founder of Executive Directions in Singapore, said that James Skinner is a multimillionaire and business builder. Currently, he’s involved in the online business, YouPublish, with his business partners Mark Victor Hansen (co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul series) and Roice Krueger (Founder of listed company, Franklin Covey).

The end-of-the-week talk was free and there was going to be a buffet dinner, also free! So what have I got to lose? Some sleep, that’s all. (I’m a morning person.)

After a warm and brief introduction, James Skinner strode to the front of the seminar room with about 80 attendees. The audience gave him a long and hearty applause. Obviously, they knew him although I didn’t.

What was joyous about the evening?

First, James Skinner radiated joy. He grinned boyishly as he greeted all of us. He laughed at himself, laughed at his jokes, and laughed with the audience. He exuded a childlike curiosity and sense of adventure.

Second, he didn’t give a talk, he didn’t give a lecture, and he didn’t read from a powerpoint presentation. Instead, he told stories which were humorous, suspenseful, and inspiring. I cannot tell if they were true, but they were definitely energizing and invigorating, considering my biorhythm.

Here are some snippets from James Skinner’s talk:

He began by asking, “What is the biggest company in the world?” After several wrong guesses from the audience, he said it is VISA card. Each employee of VISA brings in a revenue of US$1 billion per year! James said, “Money is not real. You can make as much as you want. You can make as much as you can imagine.”

To illustrate imagination in wealth creation, James told us the story of his friend Peter who was bankrupt. Peter told himself that it was a good excuse to build all over again. So he browsed the web and decided to start rebuilding his life by buying a penthouse although he was flat broke. (laughter)

Peter called the real estate agent and asked what it would take to own the penthouse. The agent said, “One hundred thousand dollars in 24 hours as non-refundable deposit. One million dollars in 12 weeks.”

Since Peter was penniless, he mortgaged his mother’s house and paid the US$100,000 deposit on his penthouse. How was he going to make one million dollars in 12 weeks?

Peter was in London at the time, so he paced the streets of London, convinced that there was a way to make one million dollars in 12 weeks. He just didn’t know how. (laughter)

He chanced upon a sizeable vacant piece of land and asked the owner how much the selling price was. The owner said, “one million pounds.”

Peter said, “I’ll buy it at one-and-a-half million pounds.”

The owner said again, “I’m selling it at one million pounds.” (laughter)

Peter said again, “I’m buying it at one-and-a-half million pounds. Give me 12 weeks to close,” said Peter.

“Done,” said the owner.

So now, Peter had a sizeable vacant piece of land, but he must produce one-and-a- half million pounds in 12 weeks to close the sale.

Peter knew there was a way. He just didn’t know how. (laughter)

So he paced the streets of London some more. He noticed that there were many Chinese immigrants in London. He phoned a friend to ask about the culture of the Chinese people. His friend said the Chinese love the number 8.

“Eureka!” Peter divided his sizeable vacant piece of land into eight by eight parcels and sold them at eight thousand pounds apiece to the Chinese. He made himself enough money to pay the owner of the land, pay for his penthouse in full, redeem the mortgage on his mother’s house, and do other things he loved.

James, buoyed by the energy of the audience, continued with another fascinating story. He said a friend of his was bidding to create the Tokyo Disneyland. To win the bid, his friend needed US$500 million. Let’s call his friend Victor.

So Victor went to a bank and asked the president to lend him US$500 million so that Tokyo Disneyland might become a reality. The bank president signed the check pronto!

James went on telling inspiring success stories till ten in evening, 30 minutes longer than the announced time frame. But the audience was so animated that we could have stayed till midnight.

The third reason it was a joyous evening was that James made frequent summaries of the lessons he was teaching in short, catchy sentences:

Money follows guts. (the most important lesson)
Treat people well.
If you want a different answer, ask a different question.
If you want a different result, do something different.
Find someone who has the capability to say yes to your request.
Big people want to be part of big ideas.
If you’ve ever been a dissatisfied customer, then you have a million-dollar idea.
Implement your own idea.
Banks need people who need money!
Contribute to humanity in bigger and better ways.
Stop watching TV. Get a life.
Time management is doing less things. Work on what matters.
Focus is the challenge.
The solution to every problem is the same. Make more resources available.
Create a great company culture by celebrating people’s achievements.

Speaking of people’s achievements, how did James Skinner and his partners Mark Victor Hansen and Roice Krueger celebrate the birth of their latest big idea, YouPublish? How did they show their development team that their impossible feat of creating YouPublish in 97 days was deeply appreciated?

James said that he and everyone involved in the project, including their families, had a wacko party. As the party began, he announced that his five-geek development team survived on pizza while working on the project.

And so they’re going to celebrate by having some more pizza! On cue, waiters came in carrying boxes of pizza which they presented to the development team. Each of the five geeks opened his/her box of pizza and saw that it contained envelopes with a picture of pizza on it.

Were they going to eat pictures of pizza? Each of the five geeks opened an envelope gingerly. Wow! Each envelope contained 25 Benjamins (one-hundred dollar bills) in cold cash!

James didn’t say how many envelopes there were in each box…

Alternative Insurance, Anyone?

2008-08-04T08:02:00.004+08:00

by Freddie P. Base
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The heading I believe will be more interesting if I tell you the story of two employees working in the same department of an insurance company in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both suffered from medical conditions which required the support of their medical insurance coverage.

Danilo Pagdanganan
Company: The National Company for Cooperative Insurance
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Diagnosed with colon cancer
Medical Insurance coverage: SR100,000 per annum
Life Insurance Coverage: 36 months of basic salary
Died: August, 2004
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Danilo's medical surgery including radiotherapy and chemotherapy had exceeded the SR100,000 per annum limit. In a very rare circumstance, the employer approved the continuity of his chemotheraphy and radiotheraphy sessions beyond the medical insurance limit. Estimated additional expenses had reached more than SR30,000 when the patient died of cancer-related complications.

Danilo's remains were repatriated to the Philippines after 21 days. This was considered by many as faster than any known repatriation recorded in Saudi Arabia. The average number of days to repatriate a cadaver takes about three months to process. The procedure is indeed time- consuming owing to the many governmental procedures one has to follow in getting the required documents and approval.

Life Insurance Benefit

Danilo's surviving wife and three adult children each received US$16,320 being the equivalent of Danilo's 36 months salary as indicated in his life insurance coverage in case of death.

OWWA Insurance Benefit

Danilo's beneficiaries received from OWWA the maximum Php100,000 being his insurance coverage in case of death.

Freddie P. Base
This is me telling you my story.
Company: The National Company for Cooperative Insurance
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Diagnosed with Acute Myocardiac Infarction
Medical Insurance coverage: SR250,000 per annum
Life Insurance Coverage: 36 months of basic salary
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Early morning of December 10, 2006, I felt a pain in my left neck while applying body lotion after a morning shower. It was a cold day and I thought I would have a stiff neck (as usual during winter) the whole day.

Getting out of the bathroom and putting my clothes on in preparation to getting to work, my stiff neck became a stab-like pain in my back just opposite my heart. I thought it was a really cold day and so I asked my house mate to rub my back with vicks vaporub.

Suddenly, I started to sweat profusely and my hands became almost numb and too weak to hold anything. I realized that I wouldn’t be able to drive myself so I asked my house mate to call our neighbor to take me to the nearest hospital.

I had the feeling that I was having a heart attack, judging from my symptoms which I had read about from the Internet. I started coughing loudly (as recommended to a person having a heart attack) and managed to guide my driver-neighbor to the nearest hospital.

The emergency room was immediately filled with doctors and nurses in seconds. The attending doctor announced my condition: Acute Myocardiac Infarction. One nurse was yelling my blood pressure at 70 over 40 while another nurse yelled that my temperature was no more than 30 celsius. I heard the doctor instructing another nurse to administer morphine. The nurse’s face was contorted and she advised me to hang on. From her looks, I told myself I was dying.

With God's blessing, I survived the ordeal. I underwent angio-plasty surgery. The medical bill cost more than US$10,000, all paid for by my medical insurance. I was discharged from the hospital after 7 days with life-time prescription of medicine worth no less than Php500 daily. Without the medical insurance coverage, which OFW will survive spending at least the equivalent of Php15k per month?
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Both stories above tell you of one similarity: availment of medical insurance coverage in the country of work. While one succumbed to cancer, another lived to tell these stories. Both were recipients of a comprehensive medical insurance. I could have died without my medical insurance coverage. Both of us had the same life insurance policies. For the late Danilo, his beneficiaries were able to receive the much needed money in times of grief. With the payout, his beneficiaries have continued to live a normal life.

In contrast, there are many cases reported in the newspapers and media of OFWs who had died because they did not have the kind of insurance to cover the medical and hospital bills during confinement. Sad to say, these cases go on and on until today.

What must the OFW do? What must be done today? What is Alternative Insurance?

Group Insurance Policy

With an ordinary income, insurance premium if taken individually will cost too much for any OFW. Also, the benefits depend on how much premium is paid to the insurance company. Low premium means less benefit. More premiums paid mean more benefits.

If grouped together into a single policy, the premium cost decreases as the number of insured increases while retaining the same benefits for every member. This is called group insurance policy – a group of individuals duly insured in a single policy but having each insured receiving the same insurance benefit.

With this concept, the OFWs can group themselves together and apply for a group insurance policy. In the Philippines there are insurance companies which accept the concept of group insurance policy and insure a group of individuals with common benefits. If you cannot afford as OFW an individual insurance policy, try and get this group insurance with less premium yet with the same benefits if you were to pay for a single policy.

But why get another insurance policy? Is this not provided by the Overseas Worker Welfare Administration (OWWA)? What about Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth)?

The Real Score about OWWA and… Philhealth

The Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA) has never been an insurance company. It was a government agency formerly known as the Welfare and Training Fund for Overseas Workers created by law (presidential decree). Renamed as OWWA, it was expanded to provide for compulsory Medicare coverage which was later transferred to Philhealth, another agency created out of OWWA funds.

Originally envisioned by the government, OWWA imposes the US$25 contribution from the employer of every Filipino (the Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW) going out of the Philippines to work abroad. However, this amount has been shouldered by the OFWs because no foreign employer can be fooled to pay this mandatory fee to the Philippine government yearly or every contract renewal of the OFW.

The US$25 constitutes the fund which in the original omnibus policy shall be used exclusively for the benefit of the OFW. The fund has grown into hundreds of millions of pesos according to the latest claim by several NGOs notably Migrante International.

Sad to say, being a government agency, OWWA is subservient to the whims and caprices of the government bureaucracy. It is said that the OWWA fund can be diverted easily with mandate from the Office of the President as in the case of the creation of Philhealth.

One of the objectives of OWWA reads: To provide social and welfare services to OFWs, including insurance, social, work assistance, legal assistance, cultural services, and remittance services. Its quality policy says: OWWA measures its worth by total member-OFW satisfaction with timely interventions and quality standards set forth.

While insurance is one of OWWA's objectives, it has never been properly administered and the benefits have never been paid consistently by its management. There isn’t any OFW who can unconditionally claim being satisfied with the services provided by OWWA.

Let’s take the case of a very recent tragic incident.

Eugenia Baja’s death and much-delayed repatriation of remains were featured in the media and leading newspapers in June 2008. Reading this kind of news always breaks my heart -- not so much the sad story of the death of Baja but the delayed repatriation of her remains. Let's face it, death in whatever form – tragic or natural - is inevitable.

It is a pity the following should happen first before the remains of Baja could be transported back to the Philippines. As gathered from the news:

1. Lilibeth Baja-Garcia followed up the repatriation of her sister’s remains with the

Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs

for three months to no avail.

2. When Garcia felt that her pleas were being ignored, she brought along representatives

from the 700 Club, a news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

3. ...because of the presence of media, OWWA officials immediately promised to give them

P20,000 ($450.349 at an exchange rate of $1=P44.41) for burial expenses, and a

P100,000 ($2,251.745) life insurance policy... The OWWA also gave them a direct contact

number to a certain Ed Lamparas who is working in the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

In her own words, Garcia summarized it: “Nag-iiba sila kapag may kasama kang media. Samantalang dati pinabalik-balik pa nila ako."

And do we have to add political color in the midst of grief?

4. …through the help of Migrante International, an organization of OFWs and their families,

Lilibeth Baja-Garcia was able to ask Senate President Manny Villar for assistance. Villar

gave money for the plane tickets of Garcia and two other relatives going to Bohol for

Baja’s wake. Congressman Edgar Chato of Bohol promised to shoulder the funeral

expenses for Baja.

5. Gladys Garcia from the legal department of Senate President Manny Villar was able to

negotiate with the NAIA administration to allow the relatives to fetch the casket.

What’s the real score?

We cannot change OWWA - how it is managed the way we would like it to be managed. It is not an insurance company that can invest the premiums collected in order to sustain claims when due. Because it is not an insurance company, OWWA cannot issue an insurance policy. Thus, the payment of benefits can be subjected to discretion by any OWWA personnel. This has been proven many times and only corrected (if ever) when exposed to media scrutiny.

With alternative insurance, OFWs will be assured of a well-managed, competitive premium payment, on one hand, and the insurance benefits consistently and uniformly applied to all members unlike with OWWA.

Worldwide Insurance

What is worldwide insurance? How is this made possible? How can the ordinary OFW be assured that his alternative insurance will have a worldwide coverage?

In every insurance contract, a premium is paid for by the insured to cover a certain risk which is assumed by the insurer. The premium, as we know of, is way below the assumed risk. The best example here is the OWWA contribution of US$25 (premium) with a return maximum claim (assumed risk) of Php100,000 in the event of death by the insured OFW.

In the case of OWWA, the individual contribution of US$25 is deposited in any accredited bank inside the Philippine territory and is expected to grow into millions what with contributions pouring in from millions of OFWs every year.

With this system, the funds remain inside the Philippine territory and the assumed risk is totally absorbed by OWWA itself. In the event of a catastrophe, this system will not be able to sustain a very large loss of the OFW population.

So how do you make the US$25 get a worldwide coverage?

If managed by a private insurance company, part of the US$25 would be paid as re-insurance premium to an insurance broker with worldwide acceptance among the leading re-insurers outside the Philippines. This is called re-insurance contract.

The concept of re-insurance is to spread the risk so that in the event of a claim, every member of the re-insurance contract will have to share the burden of claims payment. In a very competitive insurance market, we can expect any local insurance company to provide the best and most efficient management of claims applied for by the beneficiaries.

In the US, every citizen is encouraged to buy medical insurance coverage. Most often than not, hospitals do not accept payment in cash but prefer medical insurance to cover patient's hospital bills. Cash is accepted to pay for hospital service that is not covered by the medical insurance. For added premium, repatriation of remains is included in the coverage.

In Saudi Arabia, the government has made it compulsory for all employers to provide free medical health insurance coverage to all employees effective 2005. This compulsory medical insurance covers Saudis and Non-Saudis; thus, making this country the leader in terms of providing free medical insurance to its workforce in the Middle East. Lucky employees are provided an additional free life insurance coverage by large companies.

If such worldwide insurance coverage is possible in countries like Saudi Arabia, it is also possible to have this kind of insurance coverage in the Philippines.

What is Alternative Insurance with worldwide coverage?

An alternative insurance coverage is another insurance premium paid for by the OFW to secure insurance coverage both for himself/herself and family. The benefit is worldwide and covers OFW repatriation (dead or alive). It will include the medical health benefits of the family in the Philippines during the tenure of the OFW working overseas. After the long sojourn, the OFW may opt to continue the coverage while re-integrating himself/herself and may have the option to terminate the insurance coverage at any point in time.

Before working overseas, an OFW should buy this special kind of insurance so that in the event of death or when incapacitated, it is the insurance company that will work toward the fulfillment of the claim applied for by the OFW or the beneficiary.

In the Philippines, there is an actuarial study (feasibility study) being conducted by one of the biggest insurance companies providing this kind of alternative insurance cover for OFWs. The study is considering payment of affordable premium similar to the payment of US$25 while the benefits triple or quadruple the benefits you get from OWWA.

If this alternative insurance cover is realized, OWWA's term will have to end and instead a more responsive and competitive insurance scheme will take place. OFWs will embrace the alternative insurance. NGOs will request the government to discontinue the existence of OWWA.

With the alternative insurance, OFWs wherever they may be deployed, will have the comforting thought that come what may, during their tenure in their country of work, their loved ones left in the Philippines will be supported financially.

Unlike with Eugenia Baja's remains that had to wait for political and financial patronage in order to be repatriated, beneficiaries of a worldwide insurance coverage only need to submit the required documentation by the insurance company located in the Philippines and wait for the OFW’s remains to be delivered at the beneficiary's doorstep.

And unlike with OWWA, the beneficiaries need not beg. They need not wait for three months or more. They need not go to the Department of Foreign Affairs for assistance. They need not employ tactics like contacting media to get the attention of the government authorities.

Copyright © 2008 to Barangay OFW. All rights reserved.

Domestic Work is Work… Not Slavery!

2008-07-31T07:53:00.002+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

The lights were turned off in a tiny auditorium at the Substation, a small art gallery for emerging artists on Armenian Street in Singapore. About a hundred men and women in the audience hushed. Soft, background music which sounded like a muted lamentation slowly filled the silence.

Six women in batik pants literally crawled in from the backstage. Then they struggled to stand up. They pantomimed a ritualized beating-up of a poor, hapless slave. As the victim pleaded for mercy, an angel came and snatched her from her tormentors.

The lights were turned on and the six women performers took a bow. It was then that I noticed what their t-shirts proclaimed, “Domestic work is work…not slavery!”

I tried not to cry, but I felt hot salty tears streaming down my face.

H.O.M.E., a registered charity organization which looks into the welfare and rights of migrant workers in Singapore, had sponsored the free screening of the film “ina… anak, pamilya.”

Starring Joel Torre, Eula Valdez, and Angel Aquino, it is a mixed documentary and fiction. Surprisingly, its director, J.P. Bautista, is an amateur film director who resigned from her comfortable Makati job in order to go into advocacy work through the film medium.

The ladies’ pantomime was just a front act. After the introduction of the director and her producer-husband, the lights were turned off again.

It was a simple film about a mother and wife who decided to work as a domestic helper in order to provide more food on the table for her family. Her husband had a lowly clerical job and his salary was hardly enough for food, house rental, school uniforms and shoes for their three children.

On the day that the mother left for the first time, her bunso was probably five years old. It was early dawn and she didn’t wish to wake up the children. As her husband (Joel Torre) stood waiting, holding her suitcase in the doorway, the mother (Eula Valdez) looked longingly at her children. She couldn’t resist caressing ever so gently her bunso’s hair as he slept peacefully.

I tried not to cry, but I felt hot salty tears streaming down my face.

Eula Valdez wasn’t crying; neither was Joel Torre. The children were asleep. There were no words spoken. There wasn’t any music. Then I heard my seatmates to the left and to the right sobbing. My face was getting soaked, so I took out a hanky. I heard a collective sniff. Everyone was crying!

How could a simple, underacted scene make everyone cry? It was because of the depth of our collective anguish, unspoken pain, and silent yearning for our families to hold and to love.

Interwoven with the mother’s story were statistics, survey results, and interview excerpts. It said there were 10 million domestic workers around the world in chains. In addition to Filipinos, these workers included Indonesians, Thais, Sri Lankans, Burmese, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Lao, etc.

Toward the end of the mother’s story, hope through OFW reintegration programs was shown. The husband attended an NGO-sponsored seminar and the docu-part of the film talked about the government’s initiatives towards providing loans for small entrepreneurs.

When the lights were turned on, the director of the film spoke again saying that her hope was that OFWs would be able to go home for good, succeed in their small businesses, and never ever have to leave their families behind again.

First Pit Stop

2008-07-27T20:22:00.003+08:00

by Nardito Sapon

Singapore

I have been taking taxis for some years now in my daily morning ride to the office and I have often thought how some cab drivers resembled our barbers back home in certain ways.

It seems as if it is not only their duty to drive us down those well-paved Jurong roads and do what they are being paid for, but also to regale us with some stories, mostly on their work before becoming a cab driver, some familiar, some unheard of and some on how it was in Singapore ages back.

Many of those short glimpses into their lives, including the storytellers themselves, I could no longer remember, but there is one I shall never forget.

This particular cab driver seemed to be a breed apart from the rest. He sounded well-educated and even talked about some cosmic forces regulating the planets’ movements and was a confessed avid watcher of Discovery and Animal Planet cable TV channels.

But it was his chance remark that made me retrace my overseas work-life roadmap. In particular, it made me check where I am right now, not so unlike the x-marked “You Are Here” kiosks found in big shopping malls. Am I truly headed where I want to be? Am I on that strategic path that will lead me back to home?

It was totally unexpected. Upon learning I was a Filipino, he candidly remarked, “What are you doing here? You have a country far richer than Singapore. Here you can find trees, but most do not bear fruit. You can see tall buildings, but there is not enough land.”

I was astounded as he continued, “Go back and find your gold mine in your own country.” He sounded serious. I could only smile and utter a meaningless yeah in return.

I didn’t have a chance to tell him the real score, the true plight of my beloved Philippines, as the cab negotiated the bend to Gul Avenue and abruptly stopped at No. 39. However, I made an unspoken promise to make an effort to heed his call, “gold or no gold.”

There’s more or less 1 in a 15,000 chance, but if ever I get to ride his cab again, I would proudly inform him that a group of compatriots working in various parts of the globe recently launched an internet blog site.

He will not be interested in it, that’s for sure, much less would I be able to convince him that in being part of this group, I have embarked on my journey back home to become an ex-foreign talent. And most importantly, I have found the first pit stop in Barangay OFW.

Copyright © 2008 to Barangay OFW. All rights reserved.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

2008-07-23T18:07:00.003+08:00

This article, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" by Teresita Cruz-del Rosario was originally published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on July 17, 2008 (Manila time). Dr. del Rosario has given Barangay OFW her kind permission to re-publish this article. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. You may reach her at tdelrosario@nus.edu.sg

From nanny-cum-cook-cum-laundry-woman in an Asian city, Maria promptly plunged into work in an export garments factory eight years after her return home. Wages were better, work conditions allowed her one-day-a-week off, and there was handsome overtime pay. Her life as migrant worker was irretrievably over.

Then one day she fell mysteriously ill. What started as a suspicion that she inhaled too much cotton dust from cutting fabric ended with a much deeper malaise, diagnosed six months after a cough that wouldn’t go away. She had contracted the HIV/AIDs virus.

She was promptly thrown out of her home that she helped build and sustain through eight years of monthly remittances. Her husband remarried and her children put her in a government hospital that has since become her home. Along with other patients, like her usually migrant returnees, she is hidden from view, a secret scourge that society has wished away into non-existence.

Maria’s mini-narrative mirrors the vulnerabilities that somehow disappear in the reckoning of advantages to both labor-sending and labor-receiving countries. Remittances and strong labor demand remain at the top of a list of economic justifications for why governments would adopt, however unofficially, the export of labor as government policy.

Yet it is also a central feature of the global labor market that the majority of foreign workers are young able-bodied women, hardly equipped with the socio-cultural-psychological resources to navigate the complexities of the global marketplace. Like Maria, many of them fall through the global cracks. Those who suffer from extreme misfortune plunge into a deep dark hole, unable to redeem themselves.

Some countries have stepped up to the plate, however. Sri Lanka, for one, has negotiated bilateral agreements with a Jordanian insurance company to provide cover for all Sri Lankan domestic workers. The costs borne by Jordanian employers are reflected in model contracts that embody all contractual obligations between employer and employee. Similar arrangements are currently being worked out with the Kuwaiti government.

Recently Thailand entered into bilateral agreements with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to manage the logistical arrangements involving 50,000 to 100,000 guest workers. This move aims to curb illegal migration through registration, and provide better monitoring and surveillance of cross-border migration. Such agreements are however silent on migrant labor’s rights or social protection measures available to them.

Singapore’s open admission that its continuing viability as a city-state hinges on constant labor importation translates into a series of policy and programmatic interventions to entice foreign workers to join the Singaporean workforce at all levels. Training for skills upgrading is an option to domestic helpers who can acquire a diploma as a nursing aide.

At the high-end of the labor market, Singapore allows professionals to apply for permanent resident status within three months, a recognition of their worth to the Singaporean economy, and a policy move to retain professional labor.

Most labor-sending countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines require pre-departure training for migrants, provide protection shelters for migrant workers in designated countries, and have institutionalized an overseas welfare fund to provide insurance benefits to workers and their families in case of death, repatriation, partial and total disablement. Membership in these funds is mandatory; hence migrant workers are automatically covered even before they have left for their work destinations.

Maria’s predicament, however, remains unresolved. Current social insurance schemes miss out on various other contingencies that afflict migrant workers the world over. The majority of complaints center on issues of non-payment of salaries, breach of contract, onerous conditions of work and cultural adjustment problems.

Workers arrive in these countries stranded, left to their devices when agencies in the receiving countries fail to show up at the designated pick-up points. Others are officially employed to work in single homes yet are asked to double-up at a family-owned restaurant or clean up a mother-in-law’s house. The worst cases forcibly end up in their master’s bed for sexual favors and much like Maria, their brutal predicaments are known only much later.

For those fortunate ones whose migration experience was all-around trouble-free, their return home is a tale of sudden insecurity. They have provided for everyone but themselves, accumulated no savings, despite long careers overseas. A long line of children, nephews and nieces would have grown up and been educated on remittance money, the family home refurbished, the land title fully secured and paid for, the sari-sari (convenience) store abundantly stocked with monthly shipments of goodies.

But the migrant worker returns home with only a suitcase of clothes and perhaps a television set purchased at the duty free shop in Dubai. Relatives teeming at the airport await a final dole-out of leftover cash. The migrant worker’s first day at home is a wash-out.

To date, there is no pension or forced savings scheme for migrants. For while countries with aging populations worry about the availability and longevity of social security funds and depend on migrant caregivers, there is little thought given to migrant workers’ desires to retire from overseas work someday. Yes, Virginia, migrants become old too.

Perhaps these additional social costs should be factored in when charting supply and demand curves in the global labor market equation. More pointedly, time has come to put more balls in migration governance.

An OFW Daughter’s Perspective

2008-07-21T09:12:00.008+08:00

by Rizza Lee
Singapore

She is in her mid 20's, a fashion-plate with designer clothes bought from different corners of the globe. Sweet, witty, and pretty, she is my friend who confides to me not for advice, but to have somebody who can see her in a different perspective.

When she was eight, her parents worked separately in two different European countries. When she was ten, her parents separated and she grew up under the tutelage of her grandmother.

“Who cares? As long as he gives me a good amount of sustento,” was her remark about her father who had re-married and already had his second family abroad.

My friend’s mother came home for a few days once in a couple of years. At age 52, she was still working quite hard out there to spoil my friend with worldly materials.

Spoiled enough, she was! She had four different active cell phones. She used each phone with a different boy friend. This arrangement, according to her, helped avoid confusion of sweet talks and text messages. She also dated several married guys and a few managers in our company.

People either loved her or hated her. She had a ‘bad girl’ reputation which she created herself and heedlessly flaunted. Although most of my female colleagues hated her, I thought of her as a little girl who managed to hide her pains through the attention of an entourage of boy friends who adored her.

One day in the office, she seemed annoyed while talking to her mom on the phone. When she put down the phone, she looked at me and sighed deeply.

“Nakakainis! My mom wants to come home next month--- for good.”

I said, “That would be great!”

But I stopped talking when she continued to say jokingly, “Ayoko nga, noh! I’m not used to having her around. Hay naku, di bale, I will try my best para makisama. She might not give me pasalubong at pera pag inaway ko.”

More than a month had passed and I noticed her coming to work early and working late at night. I was curious how she and her mom were getting along. I asked her about her mom while we were having lunch.

“Naku, gusto ba naman tumabi sa akin sa pagtulog! Tapos sa umaga, she makes me a tuna sandwich kasi healthy daw. Di ba n’ya alam na I don’t eat tuna? Eto pa ha, she prepares my clothes for me kahit di nya rin alam kung ano gusto kong isuot. Hay naku! I hope she stops doing those things, kasi she’s treating me like the kid I was when she left me. That’s why I go home late and come to work early para maiwasan ang encounter.”

I responded to her, “But I don’t think you should be giving her that ill-deserved punishment. Sabi nga nila, the more you hate your parents, the more you become like them, or even worse!”

My laconic comment stunned her to silence. Then she asked, “Uy mare, totoo ba ‘yan?”

“Ewan, pero marami na akong kakilala na ganun ang nangyayari. Alam mo mare, when we were kids, LOVE was spelled TIME in our eyes. Now that we’ve grown-up, and our parents have aged, they realize that at this point in our lives, we were right all along. Love is time spent together.”

During that time, I was planning to work abroad myself so I could afford to provide for more than just my children’s basic needs. My own advice was reflected back to me. As her mother had done, I was also about to brave separation from my own children and work abroad in the hope of giving them a good life.

Was it really all worth it? Would they ever understand? Would they ever see beyond the desertion that I had only the best intentions for them?

Aware of my friend’s perspective as a daughter, I made a promise to myself that wherever I go, my family would come with me and we would always be together. It would be a lot riskier but it was a risk I was most prepared to take.

Two months ago, my friend sent me an email. An excerpt of it says: “I have learned to accept and not to fight back what is happening. And I felt better. I’m just starting to do it, mare. And we are both struggling to be comfortable with each other. All these years, my mom was a stranger to me.”

I felt both happy and sad for her. Happy – because she seemed to have become a new person who had finally figured out her life. Sad – because she felt that her mother was a stranger to her.
The words might not have been spoken, but her mother must have surely felt it. What else could be more painful to a mother who had sacrificed the best years of her life working as an OFW in a foreign land?

Key OFW Issues and Proposed Reforms

2008-07-11T16:25:00.008+08:00

by Mark Serrano

Dubai

As if living in strange lands -- far away from home and their loved ones -- is not hard enough, OFWs have to deal with the challenges imposed upon them by their own government and people.

OFW horror stories emanate from POEA, OWWA, Immigration and Customs at the airport, and the recruitment agencies back home. The supposed "heroes" are actually "martyrs" in their homeland, subject to the opportunism and ill treatment from their fellow Filipinos.

Barangay OFW has come together to bring to the forefront these key issues. It has also taken the pro-active stance to propose reforms in a holistic manner.

In one document, Barangay OFW would like to share the collective experiences, thoughts, desires and bright ideas of OFWs from all corners of the globe with the Philippine government, the Filipino nation and the rest of the world.

This is a tiny step toward, “Reforming the Present, Creating the Future.”

Indifference has been the ally of oppression; conviction its antidote. Fellow OFWs past, present, and future, if we all make a stand and take a tiny step forward today, we shall soon claim the magnificent destiny we all deserve. Mabuhay!

Consolidated OFW feedback & proposed reforms - Upload a Document to Scribd

One Barangay at a Time

2008-07-11T05:53:00.003+08:00

by Carmelita C. Ballesteros

Singapore

Barangay Wawa is a rich fishing village in the town of Nasugbu, Batangas. Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje, its patron saint, is famous for protecting fisherfolk and blessing them with plentiful catch.

My son and I left our village in the 1980s. My son went to school at the St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary (high school equivalent) in Lipa City while I taught at De La Salle University in Manila. We always went back to visit, but we never really belonged any more.

After high school, my son went to San Beda College in Mendiola, Manila for his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.

While completing my doctoral degree at the University of Santo Tomas, I applied for a housing loan and built a two-bedroom bungalow at Camella Fairfields in Bacoor, Cavite.

My son and I commuted from our new home to Manila every day. Every so often, we’d visit Barangay Wawa, but we never really belonged any more.

Time flew. Soon, the 21st century had begun and my son was already a family man. We renovated our modest bungalow to build additional rooms for his growing family. We asked carpenters and masons from our village to come and help us. Afterwards, we’d go and visit Barangay Wawa every so often, but we never really belonged any more.

Two weeks ago, my son and his family went to our village to help lay to rest a childhood friend of his. While walking with the funeral cortege from the village to the cemetery to help bury his friend, he realized that he’d left a piece of himself in Barangay Wawa. It is the home of his childhood and he has never stopped belonging.

He cried silently, grieved by the untimely death of his childhood friend. But he wept in his heart, grieved by the decay of the home of his innocence.

Whenever we’d visit in the past, we’d stay in my mother’s or brother’s place, have a picnic, then leave. We’d say hello to neighbors in the morning, then we’d say goodbye in the afternoon. Spending time at the wake of his friend, my son had a chance to listen to the stories of his other childhood friends. He had time to observe them up close.

Most of them didn’t finish high school. They married in their teens so they already have teenage children. Their daily life is a struggle for economic survival. They don’t have steady jobs. They work as seasonal fishermen, carpenters, masons, plumbers, drivers, etc. Some of their wives work as fish vendors, laundrywomen, or room attendants in the exclusive beach resorts nearby.

The village has become too crowded, overrun by local migrants from other islands. Village wells have either dried up or have become too polluted. During my son’s childhood, we drew drinking water from the well in our backyard. In fact, everybody drew water from that well.

In fact, every household had a well somewhere near. My mother used to wonder in amazement how in heaven could the numerous wells give fresh potable water while the village sat beside the sea? God must be a real genius!

Unlike the wells, the sea has not dried up. But it has been abused by dynamite fishing and has become depleted of its once abundant supply of fishes of all species. Owners of fishing boats groan that they have to fish farther and farther into the open ocean.

Sometimes, they come back to the shore empty-handed. Sometimes, they come back to the shore with a comrade injured by a dynamite blast. Sometimes, they don’t come back at all, perishing in a typhoon or a dynamite accident.

Worst of all, the village has become a haven of drug runners and addicts!

It is a screaming irony that the original inhabitants of the village have become destitute and despondent while local migrants from other places now own exclusive beach resorts.

Being involved in CFC and Gawad Kalinga, my son and his wife have promised themselves that they will to go back to Barangay Wawa and focus on education for all – the children, the teen-agers, and the adults.

There is an elementary school in the village and there are several secondary schools in the town proper. But only a few students from our village finish high school, and hardly anyone seems able to go to college.

So the village is hostage to poverty and misery. Perhaps, some boys and girls do dream of a better life. But they don’t know how to make their dreams come true. Perhaps, their dreams die in their childhood.

This scenario is multiplied a thousand times all over the Philippines. As a third-world country, we used to compete with Malaysia and Thailand. But Malaysia and Thailand have overtaken us.
Lately, we have stopped competing with Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. They have also overtaken us. Now, we are competing with Myanmar for notoriety and corruption.

Many of us despair and give up. Many of us are ashamed to own a Philippine passport. Many of us hate having been born a Filipino.

The good news is that there are many more of us who refuse to give up. There are many more of us who carry themselves with dignity and show their Philippine passports with pride. There are many more of us whose childhood home is a village somewhere in the Philippines. And we never stop belonging to the home of our childhood.

Soon, I hope to join my son and his wife as they go back to our village, our town. We hope to show the children, the teenagers, and the adults that abundance is everywhere, that there is hope.

Perhaps, they can learn to dream again. Perhaps, this is the way to bring about social transformation in the Philippines. One barangay at a time…

(Originally published in FilamMegaScene, Chicago, Illinois, USA, June 20, 2008)