It is 3 A.M. I am about to turn off my computer when I just decided to check on inquirer.net and update myself on the typhoon now about to slam Catanduanes Province (cheerfully taking note of where the surf's up and how surfers are all over the eastern side of the country now). Suddenly, one single line at the bottom of the page captured my attention "Sci Fi Novelist Dares Filipino Writers To Dream." In the same article, he was quoted to have said "what separates men from boys and women from girls is the determination to finish those which they have started. Aspiring writers can have hundreds of ideas in their minds but unless they learn how to end it, these brilliant ideas will just be put to waste."
How could Neil Gaiman inspire and admonish me all at the same time? Capture my thoughts exactly, put it into words, and leave me with a bitter after taste?
Final exams are due in about a week's time. But, I sit here in my room at this time of the day facing my computer, wandering aimlessly in the net, listening to Bob Marley and everything is a blur. I don't know how to feel or what to do. Piles of books, reading materials, problem sets, notes are by my side waiting to be read. It has been a week since our reading week started. It's Saturday now and I have not even gone past the first chapter of my first module (of which I have four).
This all started with a dream - to change society, to improve the lot of the common people. I felt that a master's degree is what I need to fully serve what I thought was my mission in life. But, like those who dared to dream, I am now caught in the struggle of getting there, of actually making it happen as Gaiman so honestly pointed out. Part of that everyday existence is, of course, passing exams, reading books.
But, how to end this, eludes me. How to finish it remains to be a challenge and the key. Maybe it's just the sheer magnitude of it all.
Regardless, I better get some sleep now. Time to make things happen.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Where There's Hope
Interesting message. Proof that change is something that is in the mind of Filipinos.
Mabuhay ka Ophelia! I'm proud of you.
Mabuhay ka Ophelia! I'm proud of you.
VALEDICTORY ADDRESS
Ms. Ophelia A. Belo[1]
Excellencies, Ambassadors Lecaros and Brillantes, Mrs. Lecaros, Labatt JBJ and Mrs. Jimenez, Faculty Advisers, Embassy Officials, Filcom Leaders, Malaysian Nationals, Princess Becky, Datu Lim Sun Hoe and Datu Sunny Lim, Honorees, Guests, Fellow Students and Graduates, Friends Countrymen and Visitors, Good Afternoon,
I thank God for this honor and I express gratitude to my country and government for this opportunity. I accept this distinction with both joy and sadness. There is joy in my heart right now because once again I have proven that there is a reward for hardwork, dedication, and excellence. But I am sad right at these moment, I am sad for our country and for our people. I am sad for you fellow graduates. And I am sad for myself.
I am sad that the Philippines, the homeland of brilliant, highly skilled and very articulate people, is now becoming the number one supplier of cheap labor including domestic helper into the booming world of global markets. We can kid ourselves by saying there's nothing wrong in being a domestic helper. Oh come on! I am a domestic helper myself and I'm not ashamed to be so. But then, what?
I am looking at the big picture and I am looking at our country and I am disappointed that there is not much hope if we remain there. I am regretful that every single day, no less than 3,200 Filipinos are leaving the Philippines, many of them for good, in the hope of finding jobs that can send our children to school, buy medicines for our sick, repair our dilapidated shanties or pay for all our
indebtedness.
What happened to the Philippines?
Our country is supposed to be the Pearl of the Orient Seas. In 1961, many Malaysians used to envy the Filipinos. They dreamt to study in UP, La Salle or Ateneo. Today, Malaysians are the employers of Filipino domestic helpers. They have sent an astronaut into space, while the Filipinos are still quarrelling about government contracts and alleged rigging of elections.
We, the OFWs must begin the process of the renewal for our country. The FWRC is our center of excellence to be able to compete globally and turn around our country.
The global labor markets are unforgiving. The avalanche of rising demands for quality comes rushing every single moment and the standards of excellence keep on rising without pause. Only those who
never stop learning will survive in this crazy and mind-boggling competition for skills.
Filipino engineers and technicians in IT who surf the cyberspaces for emerging opportunities find themselves competing with highly competent Indian computer wizards. Indians are also emerging as our OFW's top competitors in the global labor markets.
Our oil and gas engineers are still preferred by Malaysian employers because the local chemical and mechanical engineers prefer to work in UK and in the Middle East. This is the result of globalization of human capital.
Our domestic helpers from the Philippines are still the preferred ones by Malaysian royalty, high government officials and top businessmen. But the Filipino domestics represent only a miniscule 2% of the entire DH market in Malaysia, Indonesia commands more than 90% of the 500,000 household service providers in this country. But the Philippine government is aiming for QUALITY employment. We frown upon QUANTITY or high volume of 5 D's: the jobs that are DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS, DEMEANING and DECEPTIVE.
Even if the Filipina DHs are only few, they enjoy superior benefits. They enjoy Sunday day-offs every week or at least every another week with the two Sundays paid for when they are not allowed to go. They have much higher pay and better terms and conditions of employment. They are allowed to study in the FWRC Skills Training Program.
The Filipino household service workers, along with other OFWs do study in FWRC. They learn word processing, spreadsheet, internet, illustrator, photoshop, autocad and multiple computer applications. They study Commercial Baking, Advanced Cake Decorating, Western Food Cooking, Basic Nursing, Reflexology and Arts and Crafts. They even learn the Art of Communication, Composition and Correspondences, Business and Social Correspondences, Financial Management, Business Development and Entrepreneurship.
The Labor Attache and top Embassy Officials teach BLAWSFIL (Basic Labor Laws for Filipino, a subject created by Labat JBJ as a means for empowerment, to arm the OFWs with fundamental knowledge of the labor and family laws, immigration and even contract laws and criminal statutes. The migrant workers from the Philippines are aware of their rights as well as obligations to employers and host government. They have less chances of being arrested and detained and they are more
confident when confronted with legal issues.
OFWs from Malaysia who are now venturing to UK like Lyn dela Rama and Gene Sarmiento, both outstanding FWRC alumnae, have better chances of survival and even excellence in more challenging work environments. Former FWRC resource persons like Dang Penarubia who migrated to Canada have better probability of success than others who went without FWRC KASH (Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits)
Today, the 21st of October, here in the Grand Ballroom of Crown Princess Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, few shall graduate those among the 490 who enrolled in January, survived the grueling holistic training in FWRC. Today, the word GRADUATION should be understood as a process, not an end, a process of enhancing elevating, improving and developing the KASH positions of the OFW who made the correct decision to study in FWRC.
Today, also is a COMMENCEMENT, a starting point, a beginning, a point of embarkation to a higher level of consciousness, to a better perspective in life, a much improved point of view and a stronger,
higher quality of qualification, a better state of readiness, an empowered new beginning of the rest of our lifetime journey.
The quest for excellence, the drive to win the global labor markets, the hunger for bigger challenges, the thirst for learning – an insatiable yearning to learn more -- these are the hallmarks of men
and women who are geared and programmed for success in life.
The next motto of FWRC is "ON TO THE MARCH FOR EXCELLENCE," both in skills and in Character. Both committed and competent. Thus, today is indeed a day for celebration. But after the celebration, we need to do something for our country.
And so today, ladies and gentlemen, what are we going to do to create a meaningful difference in the future of our country? Evil triumphs because good men do nothing. Let us all do something, no matter how small.
FIRST, let us not remit everything that we earn here. Let us save at least 50% through the Samahang Impok Bayan and keep it until we go home for good.
SECOND, let us all take courses in the FWRC that will help us in our reintegration like Business Management, Entrepreneurship Accounting, Basic Laws and other relevant courses. Indeed it is only bring EXCELLENCE THAT WE CAN TO THE GLOBAL WORLD.
THIRD, let us all write to our congressmen, let us write to our newspaper, let us e-mail jour opinions and let us be active in denouncing the abuses of our political leaders.
FOURTH, let us rally behind honest and hardworking officials and staff in government but let us denounce and expose and charge all those who violate their oaths as public servants.
FIFTH, let us help in the FWRC. Whatever honor we receive today should provide us an inspiration to share our knowledge to other OFWs.
SIXTH, let us discipline our families at home. They should learn to value our remittances and not squander them in luxuries. Let us let them learn that we worked hard for the money and we should not tolerate extravagances.
SEVENTH, let us all be aware of all the economic, social and political developments in our country. Let us monitor what are the trends and programs of our country's future. And let us share our thoughts with those who spend our remittances.
AND lastly number EIGHT, let us all be aware that all that were, all that are and all that will be in the Philippines are driven by economic realities, high population growth, labor excess economy, cheap labor, globalization without safety nets, insufficient social services. All these are exacerbating the pains and sufferings of our people.
These are the reasons why the joy of my success today is eclipsed by the sadness in our situation as a nation and as a people.
We've got to feel the pain so that we will do something about it. We cannot continue deluding ourselves. We have to face realities and bite the bullet.
According to a great social scientist: THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE DISCONTENTED. The Filipinos should start to be discontented with our situation and tell our leaders of our discontentment.
According to a Chinese Philosopher: IT IS CRAZY TO EXPECT DIFFERENT RESULTS IF WE CONTINUE TO REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES. The Filipinos should accept that there are for too many mistakes and we have to correct them.
And according to Dr. Jose Rizal in his NOLI ME TANGERE, recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer of so malignant a character that the least touch irritates it.
Since the time of Rizal until now more than a century after, the cancer is still here -- a SOCIAL CANCER, AN ECONOMIC MALADY.
The only difference is that we can do something about it. Yes we can. And we should. No matter how strait the gate and how charged with punishment the scroll, we are the masters of our fate. We are the captain of our souls, to borrow from Invictus.
Kaya mga kababayan, dapat umpisahan na ang pagbabago, umpisahan sa ating sarili. Kung hindi ngayon, kaylan pa? Kung hindi tayo and mag umpisa, sino pa? Bahala tayo sa ating kinabukasan at bahala tayo sa kinabukasan ng ating bansa Pakaisipin ninyo ito. Huwag kayong masyadong magsaya. Dapat magkaroon din kayo ng lungkot, upang magsikap kayong magbago. Dahil ang mga problema ay hindi nakakatuwa.
(So, fellow countrymen, change must ensue and it must start within us. For if not now, when? If we are not going to start it, then, who will? We are responsible for our future and that of our country, as well. Let us ponder upon this thought. Let us not rejoice too much. We should experience loneliness so that we may endeavour to work for change. Problems are no laughing matter.)
Marami pong salamat. (Thank you)
[1] She is the valedictorian for batch 2007 of the Filipino Workers' Resource Center - Skills Training Program (FWRC-STP) in Kuala Lumpur. She delivered this speech during the graduation ceremonies recently. She's a quiet, efficient, unassuming and smart lady. She works as a domestic helper in KL. (by: Myrna Ordonez)
Of Being a Filipino Abroad and Mariannet's Death
A classmate of mine forwarded an email to all the Filipinos in our class (there are four of us). It contained a link to a news story of Mariannet's death. He said he was devastated and wanted to know how such a horrible thing could happen in a country like the Philippines. I was disappointed to know that my fear had materialized - that of my classmates knowing of Mariannet's death.
This is not the first time that I have been put in a difficult situation ever since I started my graduate studies because of some news back home or of some story of how not to do it, Philippine-style. It didn't help that our first case to be analyzed in our Public Administration in Theory and Practice class was about the equally famous Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Of course, everything paled in comparison to the biggest embarrassment of all - the story of the incumbent President pardoning another who is as equally disgusting as the other. Our classmates who come from all over the world would always be baffled by these stories because they think Filipinos are bright, articulate, lively people.
My usual reaction to their quandary and to their queries and questions is one of hope and one of a bright future. I do no fail to give them a perspective of the situation in the Philippines, why such things do actually happen and how things are going to be better sometime.
Mariannet's death, however, is different because it dealt with something that is close to my heart; something that I know and feel strongly about. Philippine realities have a way of catching up to you even when you are miles away.
Poverty (& the things that make it possible) is something that was (and is) a matter of interest to me. And uplifting people from poverty is something of a passion. The course that I took back in College and eventually, the work that I had after graduation were all about uplifting and liberating people from the bondage of poverty. The idea of change and the liberation of the common Filipino continue to drive and motivate me.
Prior to having my graduate studies here, I was with a NGO for seven years working along rural farmers and farmworkers in their quest for land and justice. A substantial time of my NGO life I have spent in Mindanao where 5 of the 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines are located. (This is an irony because Mindanao is rich in natural resources and is touted to be the food basket of the Philippines.)
Truth be told, Mariannets' death did not shock me. I had too much of such stories in the Philippines. How different is this from the mother who killed herself holding on to a Sweepstakes ticket hoping that her death would move God to mercy and grant her the jackpot prize so that her kids may live to see another day? On the lands, coasts and mountains and among the people of Mindanao, I had the chance to see and feel how it is to be poor, to be destitute, to be without choice, to be without hope. To be one with people in the margins has taught me lessons in poverty.
I have learned that in situations of poverty, it is the children who suffer most as demonstrated by Mariannet. And if the children bear the brunt, what will happen to our country's future. Was it Rizal who said that the youth is our nation's future? But, where are our youths now? Recent surveys show that 9 Million Filipinos (most of them young) have experienced extreme hunger in the past months and those that are able to barely eat sustain on sardinas and pancit canton. No wonder our education is going down the drain and the performance of our students are steadily going down. Intelligence is primarily a function of nutrition. Filipino children are dying in ways worse than self-strangulation.
I have also learned the fact that poverty is multi-faceted, debilitating and oppressive. And it is a trap. Once you are caught in its cycle, the chances of you getting out are dim. Statements such as "kasalanan kasi ng mga magulang, anak ng anak, irresponsable, walang paki" may seem reasonable at first glance but hardly do they give justice to people in conditions of abject poverty. It is a case of blaming the victim. Kaya anak ng anak kasi walang alam sa contraception, kasi walang pera pambili ng contraceptives, kasi tinuruan ng simbahan na kasalanan sa Diyos. Sometimes, you become institutionalized to this condition.
Sure, there are those who get out of the proverbial trap but they are the exception rather than the rule - a mere .1 percent in the 87 million Filipinos.
I have also learned of the pernicious effect of mainstream Philippine media. It is not far-fetched to say that mainstream media have exacerbated and sustained poverty. In a damning demonstration of media's influence, Mariannet left a letter for Wish Ko Lang asking that her parents be given decent jobs. She also asked for bicycle, allowance, what-have-you. This is exactly the kind of escapism that media provide - telling the poor that solutions to poverty can be had by writing a letter to Wish Ko Lang or joining Willie Revillame's pa contest. These escapist idea are also present in soap operas and primetime news.
These lessons and Mariannet's death are even more painfully striking for me as I study here because Asia is supposed to be on the rise. In my class, we study and always talk about the rise of Asia - how the world is changing and our part of the world is on the forefront and how Asians are looking more excitedly towards the future. Asia's rise is shown, for example, in the debates surrounding the representation of Asian countries in the decision-making processes of the IMF-WB. This is unprecedented in history. Another example is that permanent UN Security Council membership for China and India is being considered. The neighbors of the Philippines are taking advantage of this rise and they are growing by leaps and bounds.
They say foreign lands create nostalgia and disbelief. I stand in the midst of this bustling metropolis with the news of Mariannet's death and I feel the divide and it is unbelievably unbelievable. I feel like giving up my country and walking away. At the same time, being here gives you a different perspective. You hear good things about your people. And you begin to rethink and revisit your assumptions on where the f*#k did it all go wrong.
And in all these reflections, I think one thing still remains certain and that is that governments play a very important role in poverty alleviation or even in poverty creation. It's really good governance that sets other Asian countries apart (at least those that were able to make it as newly industrializing economy). Their governments also learn from their mistakes. An intelligent government so to speak.
But, there's hope. There's redemption. I'm not sure where or how, but, there must be. There should be. For Mariannet, and for my own sanity and dignity. It's increasingly becoming difficult to be a Filipino.
This is not the first time that I have been put in a difficult situation ever since I started my graduate studies because of some news back home or of some story of how not to do it, Philippine-style. It didn't help that our first case to be analyzed in our Public Administration in Theory and Practice class was about the equally famous Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Of course, everything paled in comparison to the biggest embarrassment of all - the story of the incumbent President pardoning another who is as equally disgusting as the other. Our classmates who come from all over the world would always be baffled by these stories because they think Filipinos are bright, articulate, lively people.
My usual reaction to their quandary and to their queries and questions is one of hope and one of a bright future. I do no fail to give them a perspective of the situation in the Philippines, why such things do actually happen and how things are going to be better sometime.
Mariannet's death, however, is different because it dealt with something that is close to my heart; something that I know and feel strongly about. Philippine realities have a way of catching up to you even when you are miles away.
Poverty (& the things that make it possible) is something that was (and is) a matter of interest to me. And uplifting people from poverty is something of a passion. The course that I took back in College and eventually, the work that I had after graduation were all about uplifting and liberating people from the bondage of poverty. The idea of change and the liberation of the common Filipino continue to drive and motivate me.
Prior to having my graduate studies here, I was with a NGO for seven years working along rural farmers and farmworkers in their quest for land and justice. A substantial time of my NGO life I have spent in Mindanao where 5 of the 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines are located. (This is an irony because Mindanao is rich in natural resources and is touted to be the food basket of the Philippines.)
Truth be told, Mariannets' death did not shock me. I had too much of such stories in the Philippines. How different is this from the mother who killed herself holding on to a Sweepstakes ticket hoping that her death would move God to mercy and grant her the jackpot prize so that her kids may live to see another day? On the lands, coasts and mountains and among the people of Mindanao, I had the chance to see and feel how it is to be poor, to be destitute, to be without choice, to be without hope. To be one with people in the margins has taught me lessons in poverty.
I have learned that in situations of poverty, it is the children who suffer most as demonstrated by Mariannet. And if the children bear the brunt, what will happen to our country's future. Was it Rizal who said that the youth is our nation's future? But, where are our youths now? Recent surveys show that 9 Million Filipinos (most of them young) have experienced extreme hunger in the past months and those that are able to barely eat sustain on sardinas and pancit canton. No wonder our education is going down the drain and the performance of our students are steadily going down. Intelligence is primarily a function of nutrition. Filipino children are dying in ways worse than self-strangulation.
I have also learned the fact that poverty is multi-faceted, debilitating and oppressive. And it is a trap. Once you are caught in its cycle, the chances of you getting out are dim. Statements such as "kasalanan kasi ng mga magulang, anak ng anak, irresponsable, walang paki" may seem reasonable at first glance but hardly do they give justice to people in conditions of abject poverty. It is a case of blaming the victim. Kaya anak ng anak kasi walang alam sa contraception, kasi walang pera pambili ng contraceptives, kasi tinuruan ng simbahan na kasalanan sa Diyos. Sometimes, you become institutionalized to this condition.
Sure, there are those who get out of the proverbial trap but they are the exception rather than the rule - a mere .1 percent in the 87 million Filipinos.
I have also learned of the pernicious effect of mainstream Philippine media. It is not far-fetched to say that mainstream media have exacerbated and sustained poverty. In a damning demonstration of media's influence, Mariannet left a letter for Wish Ko Lang asking that her parents be given decent jobs. She also asked for bicycle, allowance, what-have-you. This is exactly the kind of escapism that media provide - telling the poor that solutions to poverty can be had by writing a letter to Wish Ko Lang or joining Willie Revillame's pa contest. These escapist idea are also present in soap operas and primetime news.
These lessons and Mariannet's death are even more painfully striking for me as I study here because Asia is supposed to be on the rise. In my class, we study and always talk about the rise of Asia - how the world is changing and our part of the world is on the forefront and how Asians are looking more excitedly towards the future. Asia's rise is shown, for example, in the debates surrounding the representation of Asian countries in the decision-making processes of the IMF-WB. This is unprecedented in history. Another example is that permanent UN Security Council membership for China and India is being considered. The neighbors of the Philippines are taking advantage of this rise and they are growing by leaps and bounds.
They say foreign lands create nostalgia and disbelief. I stand in the midst of this bustling metropolis with the news of Mariannet's death and I feel the divide and it is unbelievably unbelievable. I feel like giving up my country and walking away. At the same time, being here gives you a different perspective. You hear good things about your people. And you begin to rethink and revisit your assumptions on where the f*#k did it all go wrong.
And in all these reflections, I think one thing still remains certain and that is that governments play a very important role in poverty alleviation or even in poverty creation. It's really good governance that sets other Asian countries apart (at least those that were able to make it as newly industrializing economy). Their governments also learn from their mistakes. An intelligent government so to speak.
But, there's hope. There's redemption. I'm not sure where or how, but, there must be. There should be. For Mariannet, and for my own sanity and dignity. It's increasingly becoming difficult to be a Filipino.
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