Sona and the Modern Day Heroes

When GMA proudly announced during her State of the Nation Address the arrival of 200 Filipino overseas workers from war torn Lebanon, she was given a warm applause by her eager supporters. What GMA did not tell those present at the Batasan, and the millions of Filipinos watching her on TV, is that out of those 200 ‘modern day heroes’, 78 were victims of rape and maltreatment, while 36 others faced various immigration problems.

‘Modern day heroes’, is indeed a fitting tribute to those 78 Filipinas who left their homes, and face the uncertainties of life in a foreign land, in search of a better source of income which their government cannot provide. Their adventures are indeed heroic, and one can not imagine the trauma which one of those ‘heroes’ had experienced when she was raped by her employer’s son on the first night of her arrival in Lebanon, followed by more rapes by both father and son. While GMA delivers her SONA to the untiring applauses of her supporters, this modern day heroine, who is five months pregnant, arrives at Villamor airbase.

Back at Batasan, GMA said to his detractors, ‘… what a waste of time’. And her audience gave her another round of applause. What a waste of time, indeed. But what could she have said to those 78 ‘modern day heroines’ if she had learned before hand that they were victims of rape and maltreatment; that they could not have freed themselves from their abductors had it not been for the war? What a waste of life? Yes, what a waste of life, indeed!

To contain the negative impact of the snail-paced evacuation of overseas Filipinos in Lebanon on the colorful picture painted by her future of the nation’s address, GMA and her handlers promised that her administration will do everything to keep all Filipinos in the area from harms way. But that, to say the least, was reactive - for harm was already done on at least 40% of the first 200 evacuees.

In the first place, is it not one of the mandates of government to ensure that its nationals are kept from harms way where ever they may be? Is that not one of the responsibilities of our heads of missions, our labor attaches, our welfare officers, and other embassy officials? How did it happen then that nothing was heard of about the sufferings of those 78 Filipinas (and many more of them, perhaps) before the evacuation begun? Were all those embassy officials sleeping on their posts? If the GMA administration is sincere in its promise to keep the overseas Filipinos from harms way, it should immediately recall all those embassy officials in Lebanon. The recall should be followed by an investigation to determine why the mission was not able to do its job.

To quote one of the victims, ‘thanks to the war’. For if not for the ongoing crisis, we would not have known the kind of sacrifices our mothers, sisters, and daughters were giving away in exchange for the extra comfort that they are able to provide to their families.

Again this put in the lime light the long questioned wisdom of the government’s policy on the deployment of overseas Filipinas as domestic helpers, especially in countries where this type of employment is not protected by labor or other laws.

How many more Filipinas should be raped and maltreated in a foreign land, before GMA finally decides to put a stop in the deployment of domestic helpers? There will perhaps be a hundred or thousands more – because if you are an overseas Filipino, being raped and maltreated by your employer is an act of heroism.

Simple Thoughts

It took me some time to write this piece, and do justice to this blog which was created by my son. Not that I do not have any idea on what to write, but I just can not find time to start the ball rolling. I hope then that after this first piece, I will be able to continue writing regularly.

Last night my friend read to me a text message from his wife, back in the Philippines. My friend's wife was relating how happy the birthday celebration of their daughter was. For a moment I asked myself: How many birthdays and such other occasions have I missed since I started working in a land so far away from home? I can not count them by my fingers anymore.

But missing birthdays and such other celebrations is not the only price overseas Filipinos pay in return for the better future they are able to provide to their families. For me the highest price is that of not witnessing my children grow; not being there to coach them in their math and science subjects, or to guide them through their teen years.

As I look back to the years gone, the more I realize how much valuable time I have lost; precious time which I could have shared with my family. And so I asked myself: If I have to go back in time, will I still opt to leave the Philippines, and my family, to work in a foreign land? I am very much tempted to say, 'no way'. Yet look at those young graduates who leave the Philippines everyday.

Yesterday we assisted in the registration of overseas absentee voters inside a medical housing complex. At about 5 in the afternoon, three ladies entered the registration room to ask for the forms they have to fill up. I thought one of the three is a daughter of one of the older nurses because she look so young and would easily fit the height of a high school student. When we went out of the hall, I was surprised to see this young girl filling up the registration form. So I went to the table where they are seated, and asked: 'Nurse ka ba talaga?' The young girl just looked at me with a smile, as if wanting to say, 'Naligaw lang po.'

My youngest daughter will in a few months time be a nurse, too. Will I tell her not to follow in my footsteps and stay home?