On the OFW Phenomenon, Mail-order Brides, Prostitutes, and More
Domestic helpers. Mail-order brides. Exporters of human labor. Scammers.
These are how people the world over have come to know us, Filipinos. And sometimes, 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.
Our main export product is our people. 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, nannies, and health workers, among others. The government calls our OFWs “the modern-day heroes,” because they have saved the country’s economy many times over through their remittances. Without our OFWs, our economy would have long gone under.
We also have mail-order brides — women who have become wives of foreign nationals through dating sites. I do not think this phenomenon is true only among Filipinos, or South East 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 he did; but this time, no one believed him. They thought he was 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. Mary’s sin is not necessarily Ann’s, but for some reason, 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.
I wouldn’t deny that there is a tinge of truth to other nationals’ 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 shamelessly ask (demand?) financial support from their foreigner 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 or she made alone, not the choices his or her 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 their own 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 it won’t be), that the material comfort their remittances could buy their children would be enough to nurture them until they go back home to care for them, never to leave them again.
It’s true, 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 of course, send remittances. The saddest part of it all is the lack of realistic government programs to support our OFWs who, instead of finding success, meet up with failure abroad.
Yes, we Filipinos are up for sale. And we’re a bargain, with our medical specialists who work as nurses abroad, lawyers who work as hotel janitors, and professionals who work as nannies. But what can we do? For most of our countrymen, not having the guts to leave the country in the face of scarcity of employment opportunities back home is tantamount to succumbing to failure. For most of us, working abroad has become a matter of survival.
Ah, if only our government would wake up from its drunken stupor, if only it would finally learn to put its act together, it would cease being the hearse that leads the nation to its cavernous pit.
//Sherma E. Benosa; 03 August 2008 (Updated 16 October to strengthen last paragraph.)
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October 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
This is a very courageous post. While many are over-romanticizing Filipino economic migrants and their success stories, few have the courage to tackle the salient points of being brown, Filipino and a citizen of the third world. While the slave trade has long been banned (according to governments of former slave traders) and slaves were hunted and sold to the highest bidder during the past centuries, Filipinos are virtually put on sale on this age of globalisation.
What is very appalling is the inability of the concerned governments (and perhaps even the citizen of the world too) to stand up to their politics of democracy and mutual existence in this ever-selfish world. Of course there are other problems for them to solve like wars, famine, the economy etc. but stereotyping a race is just as unacceptable as the war crimes of Hitler, Mao, Saddam Hussein etc.
To the Filipino people, they seem not to notice at all that the only foreign policy the government can make an excellent deal with is to sell them cheap to other countries in need of cheap labour. They unconsciously get enticed by rewards of a better life abroad yet there is no ready and realistic program for those who fail.
The Philippine media too is to be blamed by this ugly phenomenon. I’ve once watched a satellite broadcast program highlighting OFWs. And to my dismay, and like their on-line sites, you see nothing but icing of a bitter cake –the ‘educated slaves’ of the modern world – brown, cheerful, hardworking and armed with laptops and PDAs hehehe!
//Ah, this time I can’t find a thing to disagree on this article. You spoiled my day!!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
[...] CONTINUE READING [...]
October 4th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Phew! I have tears in my eyes righ tnow. This took a lot of caring and honesty and courage to put this out. I am so glad you did!!!
I have read about the slave trade all over the world that STILL exists in a variety of forms, waaaay more than most people know.
Thank God, no matter what, I’ve never looked on any people in any country as “less than” in terms of who they are or their dignity or courage or goodness. I am far too intelligent to fall for that crap. I look and see suffering all over the world and my heart responds with compassion. I am compelled to do what I can to help, to see them as myself…to see them as God.
When people readily judge an impovrished person or whole nation; they too easily forget that often people do the things they do because they are desperate and need to eat, or desperately need a life better than simply existing. I am not saying that the alternatives such as prostitution or mail order brides, or bar maid sex, etc. are the answer or are an improvement. No.
But people in my country who judge people in third world countries are judging from a place of having so much food that they can afford to throw it out everyday. ALL DAY LONG!!!
The state of third world countries also reflects the neglect of countries like my own (USA) who could help others all over the globe and as a collective often don’t. We waste so much here I am appalled every day. We know about sweatshops and we still buy objects made under sufferance…but if gave all the money that we spent on trinkets to the people in sweatshops there would be more balance and less suffering. Buying things made in sweatshops by tiny kids and tired women is like saying that salvery is okay, racism is okay, suffering is okay. Well, it’s NOT okay.
And if anyone is going to look down on anyone else then lets start looking down on “big business” in the USA and other western countries that covertly condone slavery and repression by buying desperate women and children for the sex trade, for sweatshops that “big business” has hidden in Asia to make trinkets for wealthy Americans that they then ship back to America and make HUGE profits on. These places are often kept secret from Americans because the labor is cheap and based on desperate people seeking even a mouthful of food a day, based on menial labor for pennies a day, based on human abuse and suffering.
We must address the top of the junk heap, which is “big business” that lines its pockets from the sweat of repressed or starving people all over the world. Or goveronments that talk back and forth and agree to sell and buy people to line official’s pockets.
There are good people all over the world. Desperate starving people in any given country should not carry shame; it is the monsters that go in and feed off desperate people simply to make more money. That I cannot abide.
I don’t think less of any people in any country. I see into the human spirit in ALL people and understand “why”.
I have fallen in love with you and your nephews and through you I’ve grown fascinated by your country. I love your writing and your shinning indomitable spirit. You are a burst of Life on the planet my dear friend.
Good for you dear beautiful Sherma. You are such a dynamic human being, one I am proud to call “friend”. You are and will continue to go with a powerful voice into the world and will bring about positive change.
Know that you are treasured and seen.
Love,
Robin
PS Please forgive my ranting here but humanrights is something that I feel strongly about.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Hello there Sherma,
This is my first time visiting your blog. Thanks for visiting mine too. I’ve linked you.
This is a very touchy subject matter to discuss, but needs discussing nevertheless. I do have female friends and relatives that have their own horror stories to tell.
To the topic of women’s rights, honor, prostitution, abuse and etc., I agree with you. But this too is felt by women of all colors and nationalities. Shades of racial inequities and descrimination haunt theirs and our own society as well. I understand it is never easy to be a woman these days. Middle-eastern cultures frown on women who travel alone, and assumes they are call girls or loose whatever their nationalities are.
My point is, whether we like it or not, we represent the hope and shame of our people. We must carry ourselves in a very dignified and respectful manner, for we don’t merely carry ourselves, but our country as well.
About the thicked-skulled dimwits, that belittle us as a people, don’t deserve us, and are poorer for it. These are the kind of people (regardless of race), who blame God, the western world, the weather, and other people for their own problems and predicaments in life. They blame everything except themselves.
They’re not even worth a sneer.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Its a given that there are stereotypical expressions for every national in our world. Most of those who HAVE in this world find it difficult to understand the Place that a HAVE NOT comes from. Its easy to judge others, when the stomach is full and feet have shoes and loved ones look happy.
Thank you for being the woman you are. I hope you never ever measure your worth by standards that arent yours to begin with.
October 4th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
It looks like you’ve caught the attention of scholarly minds here, friend.
I like what Robin have said: “people in my country who judge people in third world countries are judging from a place of having so much food that they can afford to throw it out everyday.”
Robin, you are not ranting at all. You’re right. Few countries have too much food while many are starving. The primary instinct of a hungry individual after gasping for breath is food. And when there’s no food, that slim line separating humans from lower forms of animals is breached. The rich taunt the poor and the poor clings into anything to have food and the vultures will gather for a feast.
Although the lack of food (and some necessities-in-life) in some countries maybe due to natural calamities, others are mostly caused by bad politics; the democratization of the poor.
In the case of the Philippines, it is, in principle, a country with rich and productive agricultural lands. We used to be self-sufficient in rice –our staple food. But partly due to this OWF phenomenon and beyond the facts BT have discussed in her article, the Filipinos became too dependent from that easy money that comes with it.
The educated Filipinos migrate leaving the country empty with ‘heads’. They call it, brain drain. Due to remittances, beneficiaries (or dependents) become lazy. They don’t till the land anymore and prefer investing on things not related to food production. And it’s sad to say but a big chunk from that 10 percent of migrating OFWs BT mentioned come from farming families and educated thru money produced from agriculture.
We cannot blame them though for it’s easier to buy than to produce. But as if rubbing salt to a gaping wound, our government is too dumb to accept that this OFW phenomenon is already becoming a disease without a ready cure. And those dollar remittances, instead of using it to buy farm equipment and or technology to boost food production, they use it to import things we can actually produce, RICE.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I have nothing intelligent to add…just want to let you know, Sherma, I’ve read and I’m learning. My world is very small…you’ve helped me to see outside of my bedroom walls, my television.
Thanks.
Michelle’s last blog post..Through the Darkest Nights
October 5th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I have a foster sister who is Philipina…and she was my best friend in school..i don’t see her much but when I do…we love…and her mama was a mail order bride..another beautiful person..loved them…things were different for her mother…but I have been blessed to know them. I also worked with a Korean young lady who was also a mail order bride, and no one worked harder than her, and she also became a friend to me.
we are God’s children, and we really as a people (worldwide) should be taking care of each other. Sweet you always have a home with me…I love you and your heart. None of us have the perfect life going on..that doesn’t happen til Heaven…Glad you will be there with me!
darla’s last blog post..Bus Saga-my 6 1/2 hours a day
October 5th, 2008 at 7:20 am
I ♥ U!
darla’s last blog post..Bus Saga-my 6 1/2 hours a day
October 5th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Hello friends! Good morning!
I am so overwhelmed by your responses. The truth is that I did not think you would appreciate it as most of you do not experience this thing first hand. I am so overwhelmed that you do.
You just made me feel blessed with your comments.
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VF. Hiya there Buddy. Thank you so much. Yes, this post required lots of courage from me. I had to ask myself over and over if I should post it. You now know the answer…
I agree with your first comment. Slavery is now a thing of the past — in theory of course. In reality, it is still happening. And the main victims are the people from Third World countries trying their luck in foreign lands.
I know for a fact that some Filipinos working abroad, particularly in the Middle East, are required to surrender their passports to their employers. THAT IS TANTAMOUNT TO STRIPPING THE OFWS of their rights! And remember that OFW (my neighbor’s sister) who failed to contact her family for six months (since she got to her host country?) Well, the main reason was that the agency required her NOT to own a cellphone. They even instructed them not to bring money! So her family back home was worried sick, unable to sleep well for six months! THAT IS TORTURE!).
Filipinos are on sale. Yes, I quite agree. And you know what? There are times I wonder if I made the right decision NOT to seek employment abroad as well… not to put myself on the international labor market. Sometimes, it seems impractical that I didn’t. I could have become rich. I would have been able to put a nicer roof over my parents’ heads, so to speak. Sometimes too, I feel I am a talent wasted, not bringing in enough cash for what I do. At other times, I also feel that it was selfish of me not to have made THE sacrifice for my parents and my family. If I had, then there’s a big possiblity that my parents would be better off now. Can you see the dilemma? Becoming an OFW is a “damn if I do, damn if I don’t” thing. So what should a poor Filipino do?
As to your other comments (on comment 1)… I quite agree.
On your second comment (Comment 6), I agree with everything as well, except that I want to highlight that while it’s true that some have become too dependent on their OFW relatives, the problem really on the lack of rice sufficiency is that we no longer want to toil our soil, because of the pervasive perception that the educated should be in airconditioned offices, doing paperworks; that it’s a shame for an educated person to be farming, because this job is only for the uneducated. Also, let me point out: who would still wish to toil a soil that he doesn’t own? A big chunk of our agricultural lands are owned by the rich!
Anyway, rice sufficiency in the country is a topic that is not part of the article. I can post another one like that in the future. At the moment, let us just limit the discussion to what this article is about: stereotypes, mail-oder brides, our OFWs, slavery, and sex trade. Otherwise, the discussion will become TOO big for me to handle. You know me, I can only think small.
Thankie and Love yah! 
October 5th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Thank you for your comment, Robin, my dear sister! Oh, you are such a compassionate heart. I’ve been reading you for months now and every time, you make me feel I’m right there with you… on your journeys… walking alongside you. You have become a sister to me through your posts.
And yes, I do agree that to stereotype people is not an intelligent thing to do. We should always look beyond the stereotypes. In the first place, stereotypes have never been an accurate reflection of reality.
But no, you weren’t ranting, my friend. You made such good points on your post.
You mentioned about big business. You hit the nail in the head! I’ve nothing to add!
And I so like that you said this: “There are good people all over the world. Desperate starving people in any given country should not carry shame; it is the monsters that go in and feed off desperate people simply to make more money. That I cannot abide.”
Perhaps it’s time we look deeply into ourselves — whether we are in a third world country or we are in a developed one and evaluate whether or not we might be contributing (unknowingly) to the proliferation of slavery and other evil activities.
Thank you for making me your friend. I am so proud to call you my friend, as well. You know what, human rights issues are very close to my heart as well. No one, I think, has the right to trample upon the rights of other people.
Let us be the voice to the voiceless. Hopefully, through our collective efforst, they will eventually find their voice!
Love you, Robin. You know I do.
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Mysoul, Soulsheik, Michelle and Darla: My dears, thank you for the comment. I’ll respond to them, I promise. I just need to go get some breakfast. Thanks!
October 5th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Hi - this is quite the topic! In a sense mama and I were mail order spouses! We met by mail first! I will be checking your blog and watching your activities!
Indian Lake Papa’s last blog post..Celebrate Your Marriage!!
October 5th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Hi Soulsheik! Thank you for the visit. And for the link! Greatly appreciate it. And I’ve linked you as well. I like the things you write about, and how you write them.
You made a great point there, my friend, when you said, “whether we like it or not, we represent the hope and shame of our people. We must carry ourselves in a very dignified and respectful manner, for we don’t merely carry ourselves, but our country as well.”
That is so true. And I agree that the best way to handle it is to act in a dignified, respectful manner. Modeling the behavior we wish to be known for is the best way of correcting the stereotypes about us.
I’d also like to add (to the latter part of your post) that people who belittle others are those who think (wrongly) that they are better than other people, that they are the only sons and daughters of God.
I hope this post will, in a small way, help open the eyes of other people. And ours as well.
October 5th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Hello MySoul. Oh, I’m so excited to have you here. I’ve been reading your posts. I do admire your poetry!
Thank you so much for the comment. I can’t agree with you more.
Things will become much clearer to us if only we stop and imagine ourselves on other people’s shoes. And better yet, actually put on their shoes! Then, and only then, will we have a greater understanding of the suffering around us. Only then will we know that they truly exist. They’re real.
And hopefully, we will we learn not to be too judgmental of other people, of other races, especially those who do desperate things. Because then we will understand what desperation really is, and how much havoc it can cause to us.
Compassion is all that our suffering brethren need. Sadly, compassion is in short supply these days. Sigh~
Again, thank you, MySoul. You don’t know how much your last lines mean to me. Thank you.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Hi Michelle!
I am glad you read it! I am so happy to know that I am able to share how things are with us — to bring closer to you and the rest of the world our realities, the things that we in the Third World deal with everyday, individually and as a people.
Hiya Darla!
Oh! I’m happy to know that you do have a Brown friend! Wow! And know of people who are mail-order brides… and that you think great of them. I’m glad. So glad. Please read my comment on mail-order thing in my response to Papa. Coming up next.
To both of you, I thank you for your friendship. I do appreciate it. During the past months I’ve been reading you, I’ve found a home in you. I so love your warm welcome every time I come over to your place! And the lessons you so unselfishly impart.
Go well my friends. And be the living inspirations that you are…
Warm hugs from the Philippines.
October 5th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
hi there bt. kakalungkot nga na ung filipinas are being eyed only for such things. on the part of being an OFW, mahirap talaga maging isa. kung ako lang din tatnungin mo mas gugustuhin ko na ang magstay sa pilipinas kung hindi lang sa economical turmoil dun eh hindi na ako magtiis dito. i just hope and pray na maging maunlad ulit ang pinas balang araw.
gmac’s last blog post..low disk space
October 5th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
like GMAC, i also just want to chose to stay in Phils… but since compensation is better here eto napunta na tlga dito. but i must agree to what u said about pinay Prostitutes.eventhough they have good chances of getting a good job, they choose to well as you say, misbehave. kaya aun minsan nadadamay ang iba.
rhap’s last blog post..eid mubarak
October 5th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Wow! Such an important post, this one. I went back to my province recently and most of my high school classmates are either working abroad or working in manila.
Most of our intelligent folks are choosing to go abroad. Most of the people age 20something to early 40s are migrating for work. It’s sad really… that the beautiful houses and gadgets of Pinoy kids are bought by sweat and blood of parents working abroad.
Yet, in the end we remain as consumers and spenders. We don’t care, or at least most people do, about how to produce our own brand of technological products. :(
Meanwhile, most of our youth are being deprived of the guidance of their parents.
It’s doubly sad that Filipinas are being perceived as the world’s nannies and domestic helpers. They are keeping the Philippine economy alive. But where is the Philippines headed?
Waah! How I wish we could do something great real quick for the plight of OFWs.
Mighty’s last blog post..Y! Explode Video Teaser
October 5th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Good evening, Papa! First, I’d like to congratulate you and Mama on your 45th wedding anniversary today. Wow! That’s awesome… I’ve read your post about YOUR DAY and I thought it was sweet.
On mail-order brides. Thank you for letting me know you and Mama were ‘mail-order couple’ in a sense. First, you post is a testimony that mail-order relationships can also work; so do relationships that sprang through the internet. Second, you have just given me the opportunity to clear my stand on mail-order relationships.
The truth is that I am not opposed to the idea (of mail-order relationships). No, not at all. But I am rather touchy where it concerns a Filipina. This is mainly because of so many other factors involved, especially the “financial” need factor. Plus the fact that we have become known not only as mail-order brides but brides for sale. My boyfriend tells me that in his corner of Europe, it’s not uncommon to hear someone ask: “Hey, have you found me a Filipina wife?” or, “Oh, where did you buy your lovely Filipina?” It’s degrading.
As to dating sites: Same thing. Whenever I see the word Filipina, I feel as though I am being advertised.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Hello GMAC and Rhap!
I can only imagine how hard it must be. I never had the inkling to work abroad. I’ve heard too many horror stories about working abroad long before I graduated from the university, plus I did not want to leave my family, so I decided to stay. I also did not like the idea of becoming a second class citizen. Plus I did not think I could take it if someone tried to steal my right/freedom right in my face…. or tell me foul things about us Filipinos. No, I don’t think OFW life would suit me. That’s why I haven’t yet joined my BF overseas.
Just be careful where you are, my friends. I hope and pray you will do well in your host countries. I know it’s a big sacrifice you are doing.
Take care and God bless you both. Thank you so much for joining us in the discussion… for sharing your feelings about having to work outside the country.
October 5th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Hiya Mighty! You’re back from your vacation? That quick?
You asked a very important question: Where is the Philippines headed?
If we didn’t make drastic positive changes… we’re leading nowhere! Sad… but true!
We truly need to start making changes NOW!
But how?
How can we change the ways of our CORRUPT politicians?
How can we stop our government from selling us like hotcake in the labor market?
The answer to those questions is I DON’T KNOW.
But I do know one thing: we can make a difference in our small way.
If we rephrase my questions to “What can I do to alleviate my country’s woes (however seemingly small and futile)?” we’ll find it is easier to answer.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:41 am
it is kind of sad no? human exporters. but what can those people do? it’s a reality of life. the world needs OFWs and the OFWs need it too.
PM’s last blog post..Happy Birthday Babe
October 6th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Very sad indeed, PM.
Sana man lang, maayos ang mga lagay nila. Kaso a big percentage of them eh hindi e. And the government is not doing what it’s supposed to do — to extend help to them, lalo na kung nangangailangan sila.
The government has a habit of stepping only when it’s already too late. And only for media exposure. Or how about to ensure votes for the 2010 elections? Pabango ba?
Have you heard of the latest news about Filipinas who are victims of human trafficking in Singapore? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Ang masakit, kapwa natin Pilipino ang ibang gumagawa nito!
Minsan nga iniisip ko, paano tayo makakaexpect ng respeto mula sa ibang lahi kung mismong kapwa natin Pilipino ay ginagago tayo, di ba?
October 7th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
“OFWs have gone to work overseas to do the things their employers hate doing, or can’t do.” This line is so true, mare. Foreigners are using our mind and talent. What’s painful is that they’ve been using our women for the longest time, too. If only Filipinas abroad would regard themselves highly, coz that’s how we really are, no one will dare take advantage of them. This is a very sensible post, mare.
Sonnetshaven’s last blog post..Still blogging, peeps!
October 8th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
kahit ano pa ang sabihin ng iba
they are our modern day heroes
without them, bagsak ang ekonomiya natin
we owe them a great deal of respect
raft3r’s last blog post..How Far We’ve Come
October 9th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Hey mare! It’s so nice to see you here! Miss na kita, sobra. Indeed, this is a sensitive issue.
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That we owe our OFWs respect is true, Rafter. And the problem is that we don’t give them that. The kind of service we extend to them reflects how much regard we give them. At the moment, the relationship between OFW and the government is parasitism.
The OFWs are the hosts, and the government is the parasite.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I just hope there would be atleast one person who could start to do changes in our government so everyone can follow… kakalungkot n talga isiping kalagayan ng pinas as a whole.
Iba na thinking ngayon nga mga tao most especially ng mga kabataan to graduate and to go abroad …
hey .. where back..
October 9th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Here’s the latest from the supposedly civilized world, after US’s “Desperate Housewives”: UK’s BBC TV aired another stereotyping of Filipinos in their “Harry and Paul” comedy show. Here’s the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHEHNu6ZQz8
Ah, if my failing memory serves me well, wasn’t a UK dictionary who again defined the word, Filipina, as nannies and or domestic workers?
I don’t have anything against the job as nanny or domestic worker but defining a race, I repeat, a RACE like that in a dictionary is worse than the much publicised “xenophobia” of the west and or “apartheid” in South Africa. And mind you, being stereotyped in a dictionary or in a world famous (and respected) television company like the BBC is worse than the killing fields in Cambodia and the gas chambers of Hitler. It’s a killing-me-softly worldwide genocide of the FilipinA race!
Of course, because of “The-Economy”, Malacanan will wave a battle cry to appease the Filipino nation but will eventually die down once the big west and other OFW host nations start wielding their black magic baguettes –dollars, dollah dollah! And that will be very soon. Look at them vultures of the world economy, –dollars-a-tumbling-down, pulling down every economies of the third world!
Ah, I have a dream. I dream that one day, Filipinos will live a respectful life…
Citizens of the Blogging Planet, is there anything you can do to save the Filipino(a) race?
Then move…
October 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
wooh! so heavy topic but really good to discuss. okay, since i’m working here, my bad experiences with aliens were through chatting and (indirect) interviews.
chatroom… okay to explore… madalas nakikipag-chat ako with other nationals. grabe, out of 10, 2 1/2 lang ang okay….sex lang ata ang nasa kokote nila and once na malaman nila na you don’t have camera kahit may pics ka… hihinto sila sa pakikipag-chat sa iyo.
interviews - well madalas, kapag ang nai-interview ko ay Filipino from abroad, one of my leading questions is yung discrimination. well, i’m happy that though na dumaan sila sa ganun eh nao-overcome nila. for example yung kay billy crawford. sabi niya, tinawag siyang yellow man, FLIP, and non sense.
“When I got to New York when I was in junior high, discrimination for being Filipino yes! Because we’re known for mostly of our negativity around the world, we’re known for prostitution, for drugs and for poverty. Lahat ng masama alam ata ng mga Filipino o alam nila mga Filipino ang mga gumagawa nun,” yan po ang eksaktong sinabi niya walang labis walang kulang. pero tingnan nyo naman may naabot din siya.
okay another courageous Filipina ang nakausap ko na kahit may mga kuning sya sa buhay… go for gold pa rin.
“Pag passive ka… body language is very important. I experienced it in the beginning akala nila kakayan-kakayanin ka nila because parang feeling mo hindi ka siguro sa sagot mo. Kailangan confident ka.
“I wouldn’t deny that in the beginning I was intimidated but years went on I realized that if they gonna pay attention to you, what goes around comes around.” - Rachelle Ann Wolfe (former Bb. Pilipinas Young International and host of GMA Supershow)
see… dumadaan sila sa matinding discrimination and even ganun, buti na lang fighter sila o lahat tayong PInoy. ang may problema yung mga taong makikitid ang utak. boooh kayo mga alien… mabuhay PInay & Pinoy.
hitokirihoshi_kawaii’s last blog post..Feliz aniversario ka-Hoshilandia!
October 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
haba pala ng comment ko, pwede na blog. hahaha. pero soon gagawa rin ako ng ganitong topic. kopyahin ko na lang dito. hahaha!
hitokirihoshi_kawaii’s last blog post..Feliz aniversario ka-Hoshilandia!
October 9th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
BT is out of town and she’ll be surprised to see that I am capitalizing on this post: “OFW Phenomenon”. I just feel frustrated (and angry) when I saw that on-line news re: BBC’s Harry and Paul comedy show and how Malacanan is handling it.
What I don’t like right now is the ‘doble-cara’ policy of the Philippine government towards OFWs. The administration and its lazy agencies ENDORSE economic migration (instead of creating jobs suitable for our graduates; to quote the meaning of Vhincent’s line of reasoning). Yet they abandon them or make perfunctory efforts (just to save their faces) when an OFW or the Filipino people runs into trouble.
It’s perfect Hito. Post your comment in your blog and I hope your readers (who blog) will also do the same and create a wave of protest against this ugly stereotyping of the world against Filipinos. I don’t blog because I don’t really write well but I have my own little ways of helping our countrymen. I have my little triumphs and I sometimes also fail. I will be interviewed soon (again) regarding economic migrants by a well known foundation and hope to assert my own views for the best interest of the Filipino economic migrant worker.
Be on the lookout for the Global Economic Migration Forum. They may only use it as a job market instead of finding a workable solution to problems they intend to solve.
Oooops, my lasagne is burning hehehehe!
October 9th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Tom’s last blog post..Monogamy vs. Polyamory
October 9th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Sometimes I wonder if we Filipinos are too sensitive about this matter. as far as I know, we are not the only countries who are branded or stereotyped as “prostitutes, mail order brides and more”.
While we say we are discriminated (or what have you), in our very own country, we have this so much bigotry and abuses…
The sad thing is and I suppose our being bias, when foreigners say so we take it differently, when we do it to our own, okay lang (sa mga TV shows lang grabe ang mga panlalait sa mga mababang uring pinoy)…
myepinoy’s last blog post..Screwing the Screwed!
October 10th, 2008 at 2:26 am
this is very interesting subject for i experienced this the very year of my stay in america. i made a mental note of these people who make degrading remarks, they barely made out of high school so ididn’t pay much attention to them. i manage to steer away from them. sometimes
i have to tell them “me i remind you sir; that i’m not a person you can find in the sticks”
not only foriegners are guilty of these, some of our own does it too.
well education made us very tolerable and understanding so i stick to that…tugpal tanem.
October 11th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
At least we’re humans VF, and it shows. What about the British? Hard as they try, they’re just not people. They may be creatures but not humans.
Sonnetshaven’s last blog post..Still blogging, peeps!
October 13th, 2008 at 12:26 am
hi sherma,
what a very profound and thought provoking post. i find this very sad and it is a story that can attach itself to almost any culture in the world at one time or another - the irish, the italians, vietnamese, chinese, even american women. it seems that through history women have been viewed as possessions more than human beings, with a worth to be determined by whatever performance they can provide. i would say the only light in this tunnel is that history has also shown that the struggle eventually rights itself and the stigma of such things become a thing of the past. in my country i have had the opportunity to meet many people from many countries and of each i am able to learn about a different way of life, different views, different smiles. and i’ve had the pleasure of meeting many filipinas for whom i always felt affection - very sweet women, hard working who were trying to make a better life for themselves.
sarah
sarah flanigan’s last blog post..Pieces of you
October 15th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Hayyo, Hito! Been a long time, my friendster! Hahahah. Sige lang, kopyahin mo lang comment mo, ehehehhehe!
I so like your comment. Indeed, being strong is an important asset when you are a Filipino trying to do well abroad. Discrimination is everywhere, whether we choose to see it or not. Good thing Filipinos are known to be resilient.
But…. how about those who aren’t?
October 15th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Hayyo, Vhincent. So nice to see you back. Missed you! Kaloka. Musta na ang baby?
So true. Kids now think of going abroad right after graduation. But can we blame them? There’s nothing here to entice them to stay. And the government is pushing them to leave. In fact, have you noticed how our governement’s program on education is geared on equipping our students with English — so that they will be hired easier abroad or, if they stay at home, they can work in call centers!
That’s what the government dreams for us — either become OFWs or Call Center Agents.
Sad….
October 15th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Ah, VF! So true, my friend. Now that the economy of the Western world is tumbling, so are we. It’s scary. I’m scared for the millions of OFWs who might be affected.
This is one of the situations in which I wish we were wrong to think that encouraging our OFWs is a very wrong move. But it seems it’s now going to be revealed how weak and wrong the government has been. I hope too that it will have good programs for the OFWs who will lose their jobs abroad.
I am crossing my fingers….
October 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Hi Tom!
Amen, my friend. Well said, indeed!
——————————————————————
Hi myepinoy! You made a very good point.
There are situations where I think we are overly sensitive, but in general, I think it’s good that we speak up against this unfair practice. The fact that other nationals are also discrimated against does not mean that discrimination is okay, that we should tolerate it. In my opinion, it only means that discrimination does exist. Also, I am of the opinion that how other nationals choose to react to discrimination does not in any way define how we should react to how we are treated.
I so like what you said about our fellowmen discriminating against us as well. Filipino rich against Filipino poor, the powerful against the powerless, the educated vs the uneducated. Indeed, these things happen, my friend. Discrimination has taken different forms and color, and has afflicted lots of people. That is precisely why we have to speak up against it, to condemn it, to have our voices heard.
You have just inspired me to write more about the topic, this time, Filipinos against Filipinos.
Thank you…
October 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Heyyo, AP! How are you? Thank you for joining in and for sharing your experiences and observations.
Indeed, we have to steer away from people who cannot accept others as their equals, their brothers.
It’s when we think we are better than other people that we start looking down on them…. only to realize as we learn more that we have been wrong all along.
I hope that this post will be an eye-opener to everyone who reads it.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Hi Sarah! Thank you, friend!
I so like what you said. You’re so right. I’ve got nothing to add, except to say thank you.
———————————————-
Hayyo Sonnet! I have not watched the show but here’s my take… I think it’s alright to condemn the the racist scene but I don’t think we should condemn all the Brits. For all we know, there may be quite a number of them who have watched that particular flick who do not like it. Let us try not to do to them that which we already know to be unfair…
October 17th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
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October 19th, 2008 at 2:33 am
To the author, Well done. The message is clear. Even here in Europe I experienced silent prejudice. Why I say silent? It’s because your are not directly insulted or told that you are not accepted into the work you are applying for because you are Filipina but only your application letter will be returned and you will be told that the position is already filled up. It’s very sad to know that the next week the same company posted the same work ads.
But dear author, even if you make pananawagan sa lahat ng agencies sa Pinas to address the issue, nothing will be heard. Do you know why?
Many years ago a wise man summed up much of human experience when he said: “Man has dominated man to his injury.” Is this not true in our situation now a days? Even where ever you go, its not only us Pinoys who suffer all these unjust treatment, name calling and a lot of miseries. We have to admit the fact that over all the world different kind of unjust treatments are experienced. In Pinas alone, many presidents come and go. In other parts of the world, different kinds of government are tried because people are longing for a better world to live in where everybody is treated equally. But do we succeed?The ghastly record of human suffering proves that man is not capable of ruling himself. In fact, anarchy now prevails in many areas of the earth.
But still many believe that somehow man’s innate goodness will triumph over evil. And its very encouraging that many Filipina bloggers join this site to voice out for reform and changes to unjust treatments that we experienced worl wide.
Is that a realistic hope? Or is it simply a delusion that will lead to more disappointment? In his book Shorter History of the World, historian J. M. Roberts realistically wrote: “The world’s future could hardly be said to look assured. Nor is any end to human suffering now in sight, or any ground for believing it should be.”
So for all bloggers out there, do you think what I said here make sense to you? Glad to hear your comments… zonah2002@yahoo.com
October 19th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Hello, Zonah. Welcome aboard. And thank you for your thought-provoking comment.
I admit it would be very difficult to start change. And I agree too that inhumane treatment happens around the world, and even in our country.
But is it futile to make calls for change? To stand up and add your voice to calls for betterment?
I don’t think so. Let us remember that not so long ago, slavery was the way of life. Black people could be bought, had no rights, discriminated against, and treated so poorly… much so poorly than the kind of discrimination we see around us now. Then there was a movement. And everything changed. Now, the Whites who used to think Blacks were a fair game now treat the Blacks with the respect that they deserve. For all we know, the next most powerful man in the United States of America might even be Black in the person of Obama. How was this paradigm shift made possible? By the strong voices and collective actions of the enlightened. Were these voices already strong at the start? No. They started out small with their tiny, faltering voices. Do you think this paradigm shift would have happened if they, too, believed that they will never be able to make a difference?
Not so long ago, women were denied the liberty and the rights they now enjoy. They were treated as though they were second-class citizens. They were the subjects of the “stronger sex.” They were kept illiterate. They were not allowed to vote. They did not have a voice. Then feminism was born, and slowly, things changed.
What I am trying to say is that there is nothing so futile in life as long as there are those who want to make a difference, who are strong enough to add their voice to great causes, who have hearts in the right places, who are enlightened enough to visualize a better life and do concrete actions to make the kind of change that they envision.
Perhaps, in the grand scale of things, it would be much harder to see a difference. But as long as something is shifting towards the better in our selves and in our immediate surroundings, who knows how much better life would eventually be?
We may not be able to make a difference in the whole of humanity, but a good difference done to at least one person, or a small community will be great indeed. This simple post, and all the posts of other bloggers who are furthering the same cause, may not effect changes at the macro level. And our voices may not even be heard by those in power. But if, by any chance, our posts are read by those who are being subjected to prejudice and injustice, they can get empowered by the awareness that they do not deserve shabby treatment, that they can do something about it, that they can rise above it.
Let us not underestimate the power we have to make a difference. Because we can.
Difficult does not mean impossible. When we start believing that there’s nothing we can do to fight injustices and sufferings and effect change, that is when we know that we have truly failed… and died.
October 19th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Hello all. i been looking for some opinion.i given option to one philippine lady involve in prostitution , will she leave her job? i offer her whatever possible in my hand like place to stay , small job (she finish high school), allowance for continue study, etc
can she be change or forget her old way of working? i want her to go back to manila for xmax. she still dont give out answer. how i now her never go back to old job? how to know her honest.
pls help give out your opinion ! iam clueless and in love with her.
thank all
alex
October 19th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Hi, Alex. Welcome to my simple abode.
First, I’d like to point out that I am not an expert in this kind of thing. That said, please bear in mind that whatever I say in response to your questions are simply my opinion as a woman and should not be taken as an expert advise, nor does it reflect the opinion of the whole Filipina populace.
I think the answer to your question about her honesty lies in how much YOU know her. No one here knows her personally, and therefore, none of us can vouch for her. You are the one who can answer that: Do you think she is honest? Do you think she loves you? Do you think she would leave her job for you?
I don’t know of a woman who would seek prostitution as a profession. She could be a victim of sex trade or human trafficking. None of us knows. If she were a victim, then deep inside, she would want to get out of that profession.
But will it be easy?
I think, if I were you, I’d look at these things: Is there any kind of threat to her? Threats, in whatever form, could chain one to that thing he or she would love to leave.
Also, what kind of relationship do you have? And how does she feel for you? Most of us Filipinas put a high value on LOVE. We have to love someone very much before we jump off a cliff.
In the end, it’s only you — and her — who can answer your question. Goodluck.
May REAL love prevaile. God bless her.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
i totally agree with you. however for the other nationalities to change perceptions about your people, the heavy work should come from you. filipinos should do the change of attitude in order for us to respect you even more. while i understand how you filipinos feel whenever you get some insults, you must also understand that many foreigners don’t have much idea about filipinos & the best way we get to know you people is through CNN, BBC or by some filipinos we encounter here. honestly, i encounter numerous filipinos who are like that especially women who treat their boyfriends more like an ATM machine. so what would you expect from us to treat you with respect if we see some of your people doing an otherwise shameful thing.
let’s put it this way. try to put yourself in our shoes. for example, you don’t know much about the American people & it happened that you encounter some American people in your country who do some misbehaving things both on you & your government. After all the experience you had with these people & since you don’t know that much about Americans, what would you think about them now? Of course your perception about the American people will be that they are all rude even if you only encounter a handful of them.
i’m not trying to create a debate here. what i’m trying to say is that filipinos should do the change coz any of your actions will be used against you. remember that change should come first in you.
October 21st, 2008 at 12:07 am
Thank you for the comment, Miguela.
I think I understand where you are coming from. Negative stereotype plus a few encounters with situations that seem to validate that stereotype will most likely result in the conclusion that the stereotype is true all along.
But that is precisely one of the points of this post — to let other nationals realize that a handful do not necessarily represent the whole of the Filipina populace, and that even if we share the same race, we can only be responsible for our own actions, not those of our comrades.
You said that the change should come from us. Thank you for pointing that out. I am hoping too that our brothers/sisters who continue to shame us will think twice before doing whatever shameful things they might be thinking of doing because it affects others — even the honest ones; even those that don’t have anything to do with their crimes/offenses.
I really am advocating change. Although we also have to realize that there are aspects of the discussion that are beyond us, like the stereotypes and wrong perceptions others have of us. What I am saying is people also have to change how they process the perceptions that they have and instead try not to make hasty generalizations and to understand the intricate underlying reasons for peoples’ actions.
And that brings me to one crucial point I wish foreigners would understand about our culture. In the Philippines, family ties are so strong. Sons and daughters are expected to support their family (parents and their needy siblings) even if they are already married. Thus, if you plan to marry a Filipino, you have to understand that your spouse will need to send money back home. For him or her to be able to do that, then never ask him/her to give up his or her work. Otherwise, who will your spouse turn to when his or her family needs some financial help? Before long, you might start feeling like she is using you or is only after your money.
I am saying this not to reason out for my countrymen, but because I realize that it is one of the sensitive issues in marriages involving a Filipino and a foreigner. Also, this is one of possible reasons that some Filipinas (especially those unemployed or were displaced as a result of joining their partners abroad) tend to turn to their foreigner boyfriends for financial support.
Give her the chance to make her own money, is what I am saying.
And, for the foreigner boyfriends out there, I think the best way to handle their girlfriend who demands financial support for her family is not to give to make sure that the relationship is actually based on love, and not on the financial security and ‘bright’ future that the foreigner boyfriend represents. Of course, this is just a suggestion. It’s the boyfriend who knows best his and his girlfriend’s unique situation, her financial needs, his demands (is he requiring her to give up her work, or does her joining him on a date requires her to spend beyond her means?) and many other things.
Case in point:
In the Philippines, the typical monthly salary of an ordinary employee ranges from $160 to $400. Now, here comes a foreigner boyfriend who would dine at a $50/meal restaurant. Can he expect his Filipina girlfriend to be able to contribute? Unless the boyfriend is willing to subsist on a $1 meal, the girlfriend will most likely not be able to contribute; he will have to pay for the girlfriend’s meal as well if he wants that she be able to join him in the date.
This is also one of the things (among many others) we have to look at. How much she is making, and if she could cope with the boyfriend’s much more expensive lifestyle without his financial support.
Oftentimes, it’s also not right to simply jump at a conclusion without first looking at the reasons of things.
Let us give every person — regardless of race — a clean slate. That’s mainly what I am saying.
October 21st, 2008 at 11:24 am
Update:
BBC has apologized for the offensive episode on the Harry and Paul show.
Read the news report here:
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20081021-167580/BBC-show-exec-to-RP-protesters-Sorry
October 21st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
There is a legal jargon that says ignorance is no excuse to the law and those television giants can’t claim ignorance for their stereotyping; so as to people, race or creed.
“Filipinos should do the change coz any of your actions will be used against you…” says Miguela.
Now I ask: Would you have the guts to say that same line to the “pro-Semitism movement” –the protectors of the WWII victims of ethnic cleansing? Try that and you’ll get a barrage of world-wide government condemnation –at least the west will do that, I’m sure.
Should the Filipino people change? Should we change our being Filipino? Are we that bad?
Let’s make a quick review of history here:
According to Zaide, the famous textbook author of Philippine and Western history, the Filipinos are honest, hardworking, polite and thrifty and hospitable people, (1. basing from the early remarks of the Spanish conquistadores.) Neighboring countries like Japan, China etc can attest to that description since they were our trading partners long before the west arrived to impose their magic wand –the crucifix.
Then the Americans arrived after they got tired, or finished with their (American Indians) ethnic cleansing. They dragged us to two world wars and to their petty wars against Korea and Vietnam with perfunctory compensations and or reconstruction aids given, compared to other nations. Then their parasitic multinational companies continued their economic raids and stripped the Filipinos of their natural resources and religion and original Asian heritage.
We were made to embrace their ways of life and reduced us to servitude to promote democracy in that region of the world only to be typecast by the same people who introduced the principles of fairness and equality.
Now, what is there to change in the name of liberté, egalité & fraternité?
October 21st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
[...] Gaya ng aking pangako ko kina BT at VF na ibabahagi ko ang aking comment sa post ni BT na On the OFW Phenomenon, Mail-order Brides, Prostitutes, and More [...]
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:56 am
You said
“Ah, if only our government would wake up from its drunken stupor, if only it would finally learn to put its act together, it would cease being the hearse that leads the nation to its cavernous pit.”
There is the problem, right in front of you. While many of your neighboring countries are progressing well, the Philippines continues to be bogged down by corruption and failed leadership. This has been going on for so long it is ingrained in Filipino culture. You remove on corrupt leader and replace them with another corrupt leader. They are all corrupt because the political system is corrupt. You have the rich, the poor, and the very poor. There is no middle class to speak of in the Philippines.
I don’t blame all the OFW workers and ladies marrying foreigners. One has to survive and you cannot really survive in the Philippines unless you have connections or an advanced education. Even educated people cannot find jobs with a secure salary or health care.
I love the Filipino people, and I love to visit with my wife and children, but I have no seen much progress in the Philippines over the past 15 years. So much poverty, so much chaos, so much corruption. It is a shame things do not get better. Filipinos deserve better!
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:35 am
Hi there, VF, buddy! Thank you. Very much.
Indeed, the “viewers” of other peoples need to change their perspective, especially if they do not know much about the stereotyped party. It’s just not logical that we should judge a whole race based on the stereotypes that we know about them and some encounters with a handful of them that seemingly validate the stereotypes. And, relying on television to learn about a culture is not enough, and even unreliable, as the episodes in Desperate Housewives and Harry and Paul clearly demonstrate.
If we want to learn about a culture, the best way still is read reliable books about them, or better yet, live with them. News reports about a certain country, especially a developing one, are not even reliable as media networks tend to pick up only the negative things about the developing countries. Media portrayals are often so far removed from the reality.
No, it’s just not right to make generalizations about a whole race based on the qualities of a handful that we meet. To do that just shows our bigotry — and yes, ignorance.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 am
Hi Dave! Welcome aboard.
Honestly, I don’t want to blame the government, because I hate blaming others for my misfortune. But I can’t help it. Everything points to our government as our weakest link.
And I quite agree. The corruption in our government seems to be so ingrained that if I allow my pessimist self to look at it, it’d would say it’s beyond repair.
Indeed. We remove our corrupt leaders also with corrupt leaders. Same show, new actors, so they say.
But what can we do, I wonder? None of the honest people would want to plunge into politics. They’d rather leave. They cannot stomach the corruption is what I think.
Sometimes, I even think that in order to effect good change from all levels and aspects of governance, we should suspend democracy, remove everyone in the government and replace them with the honest ones. I am even willing to put there the young and the inexperience, those who do not have a history of politics in their family, because relevant political experience these days seem to mean to me
“corruption”.
Ah, my way of political thinking even scares me…
… that’s why I don’t talk politics.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I thought that was a very honest post, followed by thoughtful discussion. I often find that publically, a great number of successful Filipinos (here in the US) have no trouble dismissing the issues discussed as being necessary while at the same time distancing themselves by making drawing distinct lines in the sand, clearly separating those less fortunate from themselves.
So in a nutshell I applaud your candor for coupling your view with the facts you’ve presented.
Robert Aquino Dollesin’s last blog post..Fernando Sorrentino
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Hi Robert. First, let me welcome you to my blog. I hope you will stay around and exchange ideas/opinions with us.
Thank you so much. I am humbled by your comment. I believe that we can never truly discuss anything and arrive at any understanding unless we attack the issue as honestly as we can.
I heard stories about instances like you’ve mentioned here. It’s very disheartening, really.
Again, thank you, my friend. I’ll sure come visit your blog.
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
i am an ofw.. i already had a lot of acquaintances of filipinas working in a pub.. their job maybe is a lowly kind of all the jobs in the world could offer but almost all of them are just victims of this modern time..
when the rest of the world is building their economic stability, our own country seems to be doing nothing and even getting worst in dealing with poverty.. i happened to know this one filipina who bid goodbye to us as she will be going back to the country for good, we really think that we wouldn’t be seeing her again but only 2 months had passed and she’s back to where we first saw her, back to the pub that didn’t fail her to support her daughter back home.. even prostitutes have their own battles to win, beneath the skimpy clothes and pretty smiles, lies a deep sorrow and longings of a mother, a daughter, a sister and a wife.. they are all just finding their way to survive, they maybe not your type of friends but they might just be victims of this modern time..
karim’s last blog post..How to Handle a Hero
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
[...] Workers, I was able to stumble upon a particular post from bilingualpen dot com entitled “On the OFW Phenomenon, Mail-order Brides, Prostitutes, and More“. The author presented very well on how the term Filipina would mean to different [...]
November 6th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Welcome, Karim! Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts.
The society is judgmental. It is ironic that it should be the very first one to condemn its people who take the “wrong path,” when it is also the one that pushes them to go “astray.”
It’s sad, indeed.
It’s survival, I know. Help is what they need; not our condemning stares.
November 12th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
The part of London I live in is very diverse, filled with both political refugees and economic migrants - or “people”, as I like to call them. Like the people who have lived in this country for many generations, there are hard workers among them and slackers (although I’d venture to add, probably less slackers), there are honest people and thieves, there are clever people, not so clever people, people with business minds and those who want security, people who want to make a buck and those who just want to be with their family. Perhaps there are Phillipino mail order brides here and perhaps there are Phillipino prostitutes also, but then there are plenty of home grown sexworkers and native born Brits who marry for money too. I think people tend to want to put more unsavoury things outside of themselves, which is where negative racial stereotypes begin. We don’t want to admit to our own dirt, our own faults, our own wrongdoings, so we blame the “other”. Perhaps in your country a lot of women rely on their physical charm to get by in the world, but those women exist everywhere in every country, and always have done. What needs to be looked at is why they are being made to feel that this is their best choice for life, and also why we on the outside might perceive your people as a whole in those terms. Sorry if this is an incoherent rant, but your post here really means something to me, I’m just not sure I expressed it very well
Thank you friend for addressing such an important subject, it must have been a challenge to write.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Hello Bird!
You did make a very strong statement! I so like this:
“I think people tend to want to put more unsavoury things outside of themselves, which is where negative racial stereotypes begin. We don’t want to admit to our own dirt, our own faults, our own wrongdoings, so we blame the “other”. Perhaps in your country a lot of women rely on their physical charm to get by in the world, but those women exist everywhere in every country, and always have done. What needs to be looked at is why they are being made to feel that this is their best choice for life, and also why we on the outside might perceive your people as a whole in those terms.”
Thank you for sharing your views. It’s not at all incoherent. To the contrary, it makes lot of sense!
Indeed, the post was quite a challenge to write, but I am so overwhelmed by the sharing that come out of it. I learned from everyone who shared their views here, and I am learning still.
Thank you.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Hello iti kabsat a nagkomento iti daytoy a poste kadaytoy laeng January.
Gayyem, I am so sorry no saan a nagparang ti komentom ditoy. My laptop was attacked by a virus (it is still under threat until now). My internet connection was severely damaged that for days, I couldn’t browse. There was one time that I was able to… and I saw your comment. I tried to approve it… but I don’t know what happened. It did not show up, and well… diak metten mabirukan.
Pasensia, kabsat. Saan a naigagara. If you read this comment… sapay koma ta maawatam. Please accept my apologies and my invitation for you to re-post it.
Thank you and God bless.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
I read:
Please read and listen to some of the works of Martin Luther King. He preached that discrimination and slavery degrades the SLAVEOWNER as much as the SLAVE. We will not be free until every one of us is free.
American Black people came to a country that said that all men have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Except black people were not really men and women. They came up like gold in the crucible, being purified by struggle, and shamed the children of the slaveholders.
Just believe.