News says that the Department of Foreign Affairs have no contingency plans to
assist any of these illegal OFW's. The burden of repatriating the thousands
of Malaysia's "halaws" was a bit of an easier load since our kababayans
were just ferried back to our shores. The Europe-based illegals are all a
different package. Airfare would cost the government at least $1,000 for
a one way ticket. Statistics gathered from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas and
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration shows that we have at least 203,249
undocumented Filipinos working in Europe. Australia as of June 2002
has 17,307 working illegally. In quoting Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas "Japanese immigration strictly
enforces that duly certified dancers and singers must perform," to avoid getting rounded-up.
The lady's effort to downplay the planned
deportation of the arrested pinoy entertainers who were caught working without
permits or were just sitting with their customers.
OFW's have been exalted with praise as the Philippines' new heroes.
When remittances reach the shores of our Philippine islands, OFWs are not classified
as legals or illegals; H/J visa holders or TNTs; iqama holders or takas;
nominated/sponsored or overstaying.
Point is, the dollars these kababayans of ours send, benefit not only their families but
our struggling government as well. With the dollar pegged at 52.30 and rising, who wouldn't be tempted to earn green bucks?
Pinoys are the pioneers in the idea of globalization. From the apple pickers of Americas to the seamen and laborers until the recent rise of domestic helpers, entertainers, medical professionals and the most recent manpower export- the educators. If there's anything I have learned from the many years I have been away from
my mother country and having the chance to see Pinoys in their alien domiciles is
that Pinoys are just too darn good in anything they put their heart on.
Be it in the Americas, Middle East, Singapore or Australia,
Pinoys have the edge over
their counterparts because we are basically equipped with a good command of English, a good amount
of patience, and a good fear of losing the moolah. Even in the Philippines, Pinoys persevere
amidst a flailing economy and manage to meet not only their needs but also their wants.
We are too good that we do anything and everything just to have a slice of the pie we
deserve on our plates, more often, even ILLEGALLY.
Rewind scenario: To get into the Americas,
with an ulterior motive of "buying" a working permit, aspirants transfer funds from
"benefactors" to their personal accounts just to support the claim of a well-funded travel.
To get into Europe and the down under, most subject themselves to being mailed or sold as brides.
To be an "entertainer" in Japan, the "lagay" system never fails in agencies,
specially for a "talent" who can belt like Vanessa del Bianco and dance like Martin Nievera.
Middle East is no exception, falsified birth documents do magic on minors wishing to
scrub petrol from a sponsor's bath tub.
Fast Forward: The Pinoy in America either ends up in sweat houses or sold to the INS.
The bride of Mr. Mounier is no longer blushing but bruising.
The Yakuza pimps the "talents" of Tokyo.
The sweet sixteener nanny of Abdulrahman's children hasn't been paid her salary for 9 months.
Bottomline is they all get deported sooner or later.
Some say the belt-tightening is all because of the repurcussions of September 11.
Doing away with illegal aliens is all for security reasons. What I see is that our poor nation
is reaping the fruits of what it had sown.
Easy come, easy go as they say. Tongues click at the news of our kababayans' ongoing and pending
deportation. Heads shake as the media capture the even more miserable fate of our "halaws" in
Tawi-Tawi. My heart fear for the usual apathy shown for such issues.
Filipinos got so used to shrugging off what is legal and cropping away the essentials just to get
to the part that is appealing. Now, I understand why Recto thrives.
Before, it was just for term and
thesis papers. Now, the aromatic street plys anything from GSM (Galing Sa Magnanak) cellphones to
the latest hi tech gadgets. Name it, Recto has it or should I say Recto WILL get it.
So where should Pinoys go from here?
Brings to mind Brendan Fraser and Liz Hurley's "Bedazzled", granted seven wishes just to bag the
girl of his dreams, "Elliot" (Brendan) transforms from a rich and powerful Columbian druglord, to
a well-endowed intellect and even as Abraham Lincoln but somehow ends up losing each and every wish.
Finally, a rude awakening which until now rings in my mind.
Elliot goes "It doesn't really matter how far you go in life, what matters is how you get there."
Time to wake up and smell the coffee and it's not coming from Starbucks, kabayan.
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