Domestic helpers. Mail-order brides. Exporters of human labor. Phony businessmen.
These are how people the world over have come to know us, Filipinos. And I can’t blame them. For though it’s not completely true that these are what constitute us as a people, it’s not completely false either.
A big chunk of our population — roughly ten percent — are Overseas Filipino Contract Workers (OFWs), many of whom are working abroad either as domestic helpers, construction or factory workers, or health workers. Our OFWs are our modern-day heroes, so they say, because they have saved the country’s economy many times over through their remittances. Without our OFWs, our economy would have long gone under.
And we do have mail-order brides — women who have become wives or girlfriends of foreign nationals through dating sites. I do not think this phenomenon is true only among Filipinos, or SouthEast Asian women for that matter, but our case seems to be out of proportion. Just type in the word “Filipina” in the search engine, and you’d see sites advertising Filipinas as if we were commodities. Being a Filipina, this situation affects me greatly, more so because I cannot claim that the conception that Filipinas are mail-order-brides is entirely false. Many Filipinas have actually taken the easy road to financial security — by marrying a foreign national they met only through the internet, and who they have never met before tying the knot, and someone they don’t — or at least, didn’t at first — love.
And so that’s what our women have come to be known — not just mail-order brides, but brides for sale.
When I was a sophomore student in the university, one of my professors, a tall, young, and light-skinned mestiza-looking woman once related to class one of her experiences in an Asian country during a get-to-know party among international scholars. A friend jokingly introduced her as a European, and everybody believed him. Then this friend introduced her as Chinese, and again, everyone believed him. Then Latin American. Again, everybody believed him. Until this professor told her friend to cut the game out, to tell everyone the truth: that she was a Filipina. So they did; but this time, no one believed them. They thought they were joking. No, it wasn’t because she didn’t look like a Filipina, but because they couldn’t believe there’s a Filipina who would be intelligent enough to be part of that group. They thought Filipinas were only either nannies or prostitutes.
Just recently, a friend of mine who works as a marketing assistant in Qatar told me that if only she had a job to come back to in the country, if she weren’t thinking about how difficult their financial situation back home was, she would have quitted her job. “It’s different here, Sis,” she told me. “They have very poor opinion about Filipinos. They would tell you face to face that Filipinos are stupid, and loose. It’s degrading. But you know what? Sometimes, you couldn’t blame them. There are really quite a number of Filipinas here who are… uhmm… misbehaving.”
There are many other related stories about discrimination and misconceptions about our country’s womenfolk; all disheartening. Though Mary’s sin is not necessarily Ann’s, their common denomination — nationality — make other nationals think they are the same. Logically speaking, this thinking is fallacious, but perception is not the domain of logic. Right or wrong, logical or not, this perception remains, and we shall be viewed through the lens of that perception, whether we like it or not.
We can’t blame other nationals for their misconceptions about us. We do have mail-order brides. We do have women who have become victims of the sex trade. We also have countrymen who have falsified their documents to gain entry to other countries. There are also those who do fishy business. We have women who would shamelessly ask (demand?) financial support from their foreign boyfriends. We have bar girls who do dirty tricks on their costumers. But still, I can’t help but wish that when others look at us as a people, they would look deeper than the skin color, beyond the one-word entry in the passport that reads Filipino. Because while it is true that a number of our people had made mistakes in the past, and are committing the same mistake now, it doesn’t mean we are all the same. We share many things, but every person’s actions reflect the choices he made alone, not the choices his comrades made, are making, or shall make.
That we export labor is a sad thing. But I don’t think it should make me hang my face in shame. And no matter how “lowly” the jobs Filipinos hold abroad, I don’t think we should be ashamed of them. OFWs have gone to work overseas to do the things their employers hate doing, or can’t do. They care for their employer’s elders. They fix their mess. These jobs, though seemingly lowly and menial, are respectable. They care for their employers’ children, while inside they are hurting… hurting that own their children back home whom they left long before they were old enough to memorize their parents’ faces, are left uncared for. And the OFWs wonder, and hope, and pray, that the money they send their kids would be enough to pay for their absences (though knowing full well they it won’t be), that the material comfort their remittances could buy their children would be enough to nurture them until they go back back home to care for them, never to leave them again.
There are thousands of OFW success stories, but for every thousand happy endings, is another thousand of wrecked home and children gone wild. Very sad, indeed. But sadder still is the fact that our government is doing nothing to solve the problem. Instead of creating jobs right at home, our government encourages its people to leave and find work abroad. And to send remittances back home.
Yes, we Filipinos are up for sale. And we’re a bargain. We have medical specialists who work as nurses abroad. Lawyers who work as hotel janitors. Professionals who work as nannies.
Ah, I wonder… I wonder what I’m worth in the international market. And what I’d be doing abroad had I, too, chose to leave.
//Sherma E. Benosa
03 August 2008
Check out my other blogs:
Bard and Brain
Bilingual Pen
Photo.Graphic Thoughts
Taeng ni Ayat
1 comment:
Hi Sherma,
I was touched by these issue you published here, this is trully happening here, I am one of the lean witness of all daily life of OCWs abroad. There are certain categories of all this issues and they are different in some aspects though they are committing the same nature,,,,complication of problems and gearing for success too.
All the problems arised because our government or lets say the present administration cannot cope up with heavy unemployment and too many population to feed that is really impossible to manage if we just depend on our local economy. As you explained that even a well above capable professional were heading abroad for better or greener pasture as we says, which is right, but not for all, not many, few are succesful enough to become somebody and many were exploited and much prone to distress, maltreatment, abuse and even death.I wanted to explain in brief but detail in every category of what is the true life of filipinos abroad, i mean our life based to what i obsereved daily.
1.HOUSE MAIDS-they are the most vulnerable and easy prone of abuse since they are considered only as a "HOUSE ACCESSORIES" they dont have much protections from agencies abroad since they dont have much rights compare to the professionals around. they have a very limitted knowledge of whats around them as their employers were reluctant to let them know better as they are also scared that they may exploit them too, which should not be a case. some housemaids were subject to work more than their required time and even let them work on the other houses or relatives of their employers and worst, they dont give them adequate food and perks. most of the employers looks at them lowly that they may not give them even their hard earned salaries on time or in some cases, forever or after the long ardous court proceedings.But not all have the same cases, many also found a good employers and giving their maids a fair and less duties and better pay and easy access to outside world.Since these maids are having better tolerance to everything, they seems wanted even more. they are committing illicit relationship with someone just to quench their worldly needs, i mean below the belt.some are stealing and some are abusing their employers too. and when everything is out of control, they will get refuge in our embassies and give false stories to make their employer looks ruthless allowing them to speed-up their repatriation.So its not seems fair right? Ofcourse there are many abuses that employers occured and even never revealed,ironing a maids skin, slapping them to death,starvation and raping them are just few examples.And all of this is because of the poverty back in our country...
2.SALES LADIES,MASSEURS,NURSES etc.-They are less prone to abuse since they are covered with labor rights, they have better perks and salaries and they lived freely whenever they are done with their duties. In most cases, mistakes are done by them,They committed illegal relationship with a better-earned person just to fill their pockets some extra fees, and besides, they are happy and enjoying it! my GOD! They are married back home. and even some are getting a fake marriage license to make them looks firm and legitimate! this scenario is sprawling here in the GCC and simply kept secret to avoid dangerous consequences.Some are less fortunate that they are not getting fair pays, dont get salaries on time and deny basic rights in most cases reason for them to resort on prostitution, its not only a female who are involved in this phenomenon, males or gays are basically seen and even connived with foreigners. males are not safe from being raped too as heard or just keeping themselves secret to protect from damaging their own reputation and manhood.Gambling and liquor most likely the best past time but sometimes landing them in jail, stealing is very rare though some are resorting on it whenever they had great pressure from their families back home..
3.PROFESSIONALS,ENGINEERINGS,TECHNICIANS Etc.-In GCC,this category is well respected and cannot be compared to almost all the other asian countries,they are ahead of them by far.Most received salaries that cannot be compared back home(a months salary is equivalent to 24 months pay in the philippines if you are working in the government agencies)they haves a good housing units,families with them and having a paid leave yearly if not quarterly, besides, they have all the best amenities offered to make them calm and happy, they are the foundation of the countrys development to be considered.But even them are not safe from being abused,They are prone of being defeated by lies or jealousy from co-workers most likely the other nationalities hawking after their positions. a good performance for 5yrs can be damaged in just a couple of minutes and losing a job is difficult prompting them to commit suicide or landing to jail. this will create a big animosity even damaging the family in process...
4.ARRANGED BRIDE-a rare case in the GCC but also a giving a very bad reputation to all filipinos.most of the marriage were done not knowing both attitudes, once they met, the girl are always the loser, she may subject to abuse and maltreatment and even use her in prostitution. this happens here too..
I met one local rich arab man who has a filipina wife,in front of me, she was abused and slapped, i was shocked and tend to leave but the husband called me and told me, "dont worry, i just met her thru internet, she is nothing" It seems that he forgot that im a filipino too, or he wants to show me that we filipinos are nothing despite that im actually his boss!!(hes fired anyway after that happening)...There is something wrong with us filipinos that very difficult to solve. The questions are hard to reveal and answers are instinct if not impossible. or simple to say,,,whats wrong with our race?? despite of all our effort to clean our image, some are pulling us down, did we have crab mentality here? nope! it seems normal but why its difficult to route out reputation? for me-i think im respectable but to the others, not yet! as i said I HAVE A QUESTION-BUT I DONT HAVE THE ANSWER......Thanks sherma....
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