We were on Sucat Road in Parañaque on our way to Padre Faura Street in Manila, and traffic moved lethargically. So, I observed, just as I used to. Only this time I was observing with new eyes, ones that had been away for several years. There were street vendors selling peanuts to bored passengers, people getting on and off crowded jeepneys, others randomly crossing the street, zigzagging honking cars and totally ignoring the pedestrian overpasses built by their generous city councilor or mayor (prudently announced with big and bold letters painted on them.) There were also children playing games on the sidewalk, joyful and unmindful of the holiday rush and smoke of vehicles just a few meters away from them. Everything looked oddly familiar; nothing much seemed to have changed.

Traffic ebbed and flowed and suddenly we found ourselves just behind the CCP, in that cultural complex built by a woman with a once-famous edifice complex. I was getting more and more nervous as we neared Padre Faura Street. Ten minutes more and we were finally walking towards Solidaridad Bookshop, where I was to have an interview with a truly inspiring Filipino thinker-lover-critic, a prolific writer I deeply admired— Francisco Sionil Jose.

http://www.clickthecity.com/metro/?p=1419

After profuse apologies, I was kindly taken up to the office of Mr. Jose- Manong Frankie to many. I was warmly welcomed by the publishing house staff, Manong Frankie’s wife, and later, Manong Frankie himself. He asked me to sit down, and with very little introductions, I began my interview. What ensued in the next hour was in fact more like a friendly conversation, given the ease with which Manong Frankie generously shared his thoughts and feelings to this ‘balikbayan’ in search of some answers.

The writer with Manong Frankie and a copy of his novel Viajero.

***

Of course, the very first thing I wanted to hear from the author of Viajero, a brilliant book about the physical and moral journey of the Filipino people throughout history, was his very thoughts on the Filipino Diaspora…

“It should never have happened!”

“It started when Marcos took over and he was faced with this problem of so many Filipinos educated and unemployed…all dressed up and nowhere to go…They saw to it that the Diaspora would be encouraged.”

“Kaya galit ako sa Ilocanong iyan, eh. (That’s why I’m angry at that Ilocano) He wasted two decades, which would’ve enabled us to progress like Korea, Taiwan, even more so than Singapore…What should’ve happened was, he should’ve hastened the development of this country, industrial development. Just like Park Chung Hee. And for sure, we would’ve absorbed all these Filipinos who went abroad in innovative export industries…because we’re a very talented people. As you can see, when they leave the country they are very industrious, very enterprising, because they get out of their old comfort zone…they know they have to. They work hard. You know, the immigrant culture.”

He spoke of this in his book— the immigrant culture, ours.  Also, in Viajero, he suggested that we’ve had this long history of leaving. I wondered, is it really in our blood?

“Traditionally, yes… well, because we’re an archipelago, we’re a seafaring people… And that’s another thing, we’re a maritime people but we didn’t build up a maritime industry. So we end up working as captains, stewardesses, sailors, but we are not building our own ships.”

Hay naku hija, I get very angry when I think of all the opportunities that we missed because of lousy leadership…Nagagalit ako, I get so angry and frustrated. Matanda na ‘ko…”

“One time I was talking to Nanding Roces, a contemporary of mine. He would’ve been 87 last July…We were talking 2 or 3 years ago, he told me— Frankie, isn’t it sad, we are living in a country in far worse shape than when we arrived. Which is true… very, very true. Ten years ago nobody was sleeping in front of our bookshop, now occasionally there’s a family there. Some people…many people now eat only once a day. There’s hunger in Manila, even in Manila there is hunger.”

“I grew up in a village. Now, when I was young, the poorest farmer there ate twice a day during what we call the Gawat. These are the months of June, July, and August, the planting season. It is in these months when there was still no harvest, because the first harvest comes in September. These 3 months were the most difficult for the farmers because they only ate twice a day— at 10 in the morning and at 4 in the afternoon. Now, many people, both in farms and cities, eat only once a day… do you know what it’s called? ALTANGHAP- Almusal, Tanghalian, Hapunan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). That word has been used for almost 10 years now…In other words, for the last 10 years people have been eating only once a day!”

“And then this Diaspora…you must’ve been told about the many social problems this Diaspora has created… dysfunctional families… it’s been worsening. Earlier I was given a report, results of a survey… It’s worsened, it’s worsened…”

“Yes, they keep the country afloat. But then what is happening? The money sent here is not spent wisely.  They want to come back… but how can they come back here if they don’t have money? They don’t have jobs here. Eventually, the solutions must be here not abroad.”

What will happen to all these uprooted Filipinos scattered all over the world? Will Filipinos just keep leaving the country?

“I think so…but you know, it’s not so much the Diaspora I’m worried about. I wrote about it the other Sunday…I’m worried about the specter of an implosion, hija… it will collapse, not explode…but it will implode. And one morning we will wake up to find that we no longer have a country, because it has imploded. All the institutions have been destroyed…anarchy, murder, rape, robberies… these will be commonplace, because we have become a failed state…like Somalia and these African countries that were first destroyed by corruption, then dictatorships. That’s the fate of so many of these countries in Africa…and the symptoms are here. The widespread anarchy, the absence of confidence in the police, the moral malaise…”

I remembered all the Occupy movements in the West, the beginnings of which were not very far away from my current home. Barcelona, Madrid- Los Indignados…then there’s the Arab Spring. People are fed up, people are tired and speaking up and will not let such darkness take over…What about us Filipinos?

“I wish there were more social unrest because that means people care…that they are fighting.”

“But it’s apathy… And when that’s what is happening, that’s it, it will collapse…and people will know how to adjust to it because they know that if you act morally or according to the rules, nothing will happen to you. So people act and adapt to the conditions…”

“Reading the letters of the exiles, particularly del Pilar’s, he recognized their anguish, the stringent pull of memory that Buddy himself felt for those fractured images of his early boyhood. How he wished that del Pilar had kept some journal…” ** MEMORY… is this unique to the Exile? Does one need to be away to remember?

“No, we all need memory- it’s memory that bonds a nation together. Racial memory. To keep this memory, to rejuvenate it, that’s the function of writers and teachers…”

“Memory is very important! It’s important for all Filipinos, whether you are here or abroad…because your nationality is where your heart is.

I’ve met Chinese who go to China thinking they are Chinese, and then they discover they are really Filipino after all…they get homesick for the Philippines, for wherever they come from. One time in the 60s I attended a conference, there was a Chinese writer, I kidded him saying that his loyalties were to the mainland and not to Malaysia. He corrected me, he told me- you know when I’m homesick I don’t think of China, I think of the palm trees of Penang, Sate Babe, the beaches where I swam as a boy… no, I don’t think about China… I speak Chinese, but you know…”

“This is a true story, ha… in Hong Kong when we were living there in 1960, there was a Chinese girl named April Velasco, who was staff artist of the magazine I edited. It turned out she grew up in Binondo…She was a Binondo Chinese. We talked in Tagalog. She told me, when the communist took over China, she returned to help in rebuilding the homeland…She thought she was Chinese. So she went. Then of course the communists were there, and she had to work in a commune. She said life was very difficult. She said—‘you know Frankie, I was so homesick for Binondo…So, I took a trip to Manila, then when I got to Manila, I climbed to the tallest part of the ship… up to the very top. And I looked over to Intramuros and Binondo. But I didn’t go down, because if I went down I’d be arrested as a communist. So after that I went back to Hong Kong. I just wanted to see Binondo…’ sabi niya. ‘I speak Chinese I look Chinese, pero hindi na ‘ko Intsik, Frankie, I’m Filipina!’ So, things like these…”

“…at least these are people who can still identify with this country, because many Filipinos cannot. And that’s why we’re like this. The Zobel-Ayalas, do you think they’re Filipinos? NO, they are Spaniards. Some of these Chinese who send their money to China, they are not Filipinos they are Chinese. And Marcos, he wasn’t Filipino, he sent his money abroad…They are here but they are like the old imperialists. What is the logic of imperialism? You exploit the country and send the loot to the mother country. That’s the logic of imperialism. So in a sense, that’s why we’re like this…We are colonized by our own people, by our own leaders. And the reason is first, we don’t recognize this form of colonialism, and second, we don’t have the patriotism to love this country as we should.”

Speaking of patriots, aren’t all OFWs the best of them all? The new heroes of our time? The BAGONG BAYANI?

“The overseas workers are not bayanis, they are just poor people trying to make a living, you know…That’s consuelo de bobo (a fool’s consolation). They are just ordinary Filipinos.”

“But this I tell them, ok— when Sun Yat Sen mounted the first revolution in China in 1911, the greatest help came from the overseas Chinese… they gave the money.”

“But what I would like to see is that the overseas Filipinos get ORGANIZED… really get organized, to pressure this government, to see to it that the money they remit home is used properly, for infrastructure, and not to buy the luxuries of the rich. And that can be done through proper organization… through political clout! Because the rich Filipinos, our leaders, will not move unless they are forced…that is the common attitude of people in power. People in power- they won’t move, they are enjoying it…unless they are criticized or pushed…So if overseas Filipinos are organized and they have a strong voice in government, they can make a difference…”

“But that’s the problem. Filipinos tend to divide. Too much ego…ego, hija, ego…in San Francisco there are about 300 Filipino organizations. I suppose you can say the same thing in Spain.”

“In San Francisco, out of these 300 Filipino organizations, from my hometown of Rosales there are 2 organizations. I told them- our town is so small why can’t you just work together…No answer. I told them they were too arrogant.”

“So, now, that illustrates the diversity in this country. That’s OK, but there should be issues wherein this diversification should be avoided.”

“Why are Filipinos united when Pacquiao fights?”

“So, maybe those who are in charge of organization should look for the commonalities that would bind people together rather than emphasize the diversities. Because those diversities will not disappear…They are ingrained in society… but it’s possible. EDSA 1 is an example of diversities uniting together…”

“It’s a difficult problem because it’s ingrained in Filipino culture. But like I said, these are issues that people like you should look carefully into. What are the issues that unite us rather than divide us?”

Questions, questions…all of Manong Frankie’s questions reminded me of his writing, the ideas found in his eloquent prose that had kept me company in my own share of loneliness abroad. “…the epic diaspora needed to be recorded if only to show how the Filipino had become the proletariat of the world.”**  What more did he have to say to Filipinos abroad?

“Huwag nilang kalilimutan ang malungkot na bayan nila. (Don’t forget your lonely country.)”

“But usually they don’t, eh. And many of them realize how Filipino they are when they are abroad than when they are here. So you feed on that, that hungering for identity, which grows among the loneliest of people. This is where a sense of community will help very much.”

Manong Frankie, the writer Kay Abaño, and her mother Barbara Abaño.

We said our goodbyes, and after buying some books from the bookshop – like rations for the next few years abroad – my patiently waiting mother and I made our way back to where we’d parked our car. Walking down Padre Faura Street and through Robinsons Galleria mall, I silently observed my fellow Filipinos. Manong Frankie’s words echoed in my thoughts.

Getting out of that part of Manila had always been quite a task. The streets were full of people and jeepneys, equal owners of the narrow road! But we slowly found our way out, crossing Taft Avenue and going up Leon Guinto Street, then making a turn at Vito Cruz which, after a few more narrow turns, finally led to the South Luzon Expressway. It all started coming back to me, this route I used to take.

I began to remember. I could remember it all.

***

F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José (born December 3, 1924) is one of the most widely-read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. José’s works – written in English – have been translated into 22 languages, including Korean, Indonesian, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch.

His many awards include the Pablo Neruda Centennial Award, Chile, 2004; (Kun Santo Zuiho Sho) The Order of Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, Japan, 2001; and the National Artist for Literature, Philippines, 2001. (Lifted from Wikipedia)

F. Sionil Jose signing copies of Viajero for Ang Bagong Filipino

** Quoted text from Viajero, a Filipino Novel by F.Sionil Jose (link: http://www.fsioniljose.tk/)

** Interview was held last December 21, 2011 at the Solidaridad Bookshop in 531 Padre Faura Street, Ermita, Manila.

** Solidaridad Bookshop Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Solidaridad-Bookshop/245546608820458?sk=wall

Akbayan Party-list Cong. Walden Bello and Ilocos Norte Cong. Imelda Marcos

Akbayan found itself in a bizarre alliance with the wife of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on January 31st as they urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to maintain the Philippine post in Barcelona.

According to Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello he was “surprised” when Imelda Marcos, representative of the 2nd District of Ilocos Norte, supported his position to keep the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona operational after the DFA announced its closure along with several other posts.

“Barcelona, Spain is home to one of the strongest-organized Filipino communities abroad, and it is also a hub for Filipino seafarers. I was explaining to the committee that we needed a functioning consulate to see to the needs of our migrant kababayan in the region. And here comes Imelda Marcos openly agreeing with me, citing the geo-political importance of having a post in Barcelona,” Bello explained.

Bello also pointed out that it was precisely the OFWs in Barcelona that lobbied for the creation of the Barcelona consulate, making its closure clearly against the interest of Filipinos in the region.

“So I moved for the Committee to make a recommendation to the executive for the maintenance of the Barcelona post, and Mrs. Marcos seconded it. As we speak, the Committee Report is being prepared for submission to President Aquino as a plea for reconsideration,” Bello added.

According to Bello, Mrs. Marcos explained that she frequented Barcelona previously and experienced firsthand how it is the most important port in the Mediterranean given its close proximity to Africa.

“Perhaps Barcelona is also very important to Mrs. Marcos because of its close proximity to Libya, where her good friend, the late dictator, Muammar Gaddafi hails from,” Bello added.

Bello, who is closely associated with civil society in the effort to make the Marcoses accountable for the grave abuses committed during the time of the dictatorship, aired his willingness to work with the Marcoses on legislation that is very important to the Filipino people.

“I really didn’t imagine that Mrs. Marcos could agree with me on any significant issue. I am happy to know that we have similar priorities, such as quality service and assistance for migrant Filipino workers,” Bello concluded. “Perhaps this may facilitate more openness between the Marcoses and Akbayan, and eventually lead to Mrs. Marcos’ support for the compensation for victims of human rights violation during the dictatorship.”

Bello figured prominently in the anti-Marcos dictatorship movement, and among the highlights of his activism was his satirical portrayal of the Marcos couple as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy in protest actions against the World Bank’s support for the late dictator; he also orchestrated radical demonstrations to disrupt socio-cultural events in the U.S. organized in honor of Mrs. Marcos. This 15th Congress, Bello authored a resolution declaring Ferdinand Marcos an “enemy of democracy.” He is also a main force behind the legislation that seeks compensation for Marcos’ victims of human rights violation using the sequestered wealth of the Marcoses.###

This is the number of Filipinos that comprises a group in Facebook, which opposes the closure of the Philippine Consulate in Barcelona.

The group called “NO to Closure of Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona. YES to Pubic Service!“ was created last Monday, 23 January, and within just a week  more than 3000 members have already joined.

The social media has been used by the Filipino community in Spain as a democratic platform where they can express their reactions towards the decision of the government to close down the four-year-old Consulate.

Aquí no (Translated literally in English: Not here). Courtesy of Barcelona Exposure Club.

Many members of the group unanimously express the need for a full time Consulate in Barcelona especially now that the population in the areas of Catalonia and Balearic Islands have been continuously increasing given the privilege the Philippines has over family reunification in Spain.  Barcelona and Tarragona also have important ports where most ships manned by Filipino seafarers dock. Ibiza in the Balearic Islands and the nearby principality of Andorra are also home to large Filipino communities. All in all, there are more than 20,000 Filipinos who will be affected by the closure of the Philippine Consulate.

Some members of the group cannot contain their disappointment and despair over the decision. One asked: “don’t abandon us in the middle of the (Spanish economic) crisis…we will be strayed like orphans.”

Another member claims this decision as “injustice since we fought to have it established and there no was no consultation whatsoever (with the Filipino community)”

“Why not cut cost, instead of closing it down?”, another member suggested and enumerated ways to cut costs such as doing away with the Mercedez Benz (used by the Consulate) and first class trips and cut on per diem expenses among others. One added that cost cutting should not start with services rendered by simple hardworking staff but it should start with public officials.

One member suggested that the Filipino community could invite public officials from the Philippines to come to Barcelona to see for themselves how the Filipino migrants live and how much workload of the consular staff have here.  “It’s so easy to give mandate without experiencing the real situation…”

More than 1000 signatures in one day

The big Filipino community in Barcelona has enthusiastically participated in the first day of the signature campaign against the closure of the Philippine Consulate in Barcelona. Photo by Karen Joy Salvador of Barcelona Exposure Club.

The group’s enthusiasm to let the Philippine government know their opposition has resulted to an overwhelming response to the first day of signature campaign held in the Parroquia de San Lorenzo Ruiz Church, a Roman Catholic Church especially dedicated to Filipino residents in Barcelona.

More than 1000 signatures in just one day have been gathered supporting the retention of the Consulate. In Ibiza, according to Parish Migration Desk of Ibiza, Filipinos have already started with the collection of signatures.

The message is clear. Photo by Albert Ian RP of Barcelona Exposure Club.

Four remittance centers and even Pinoy restaurants have also volunteered to be signature gathering centers.

More than 20 Filipino organizations say NO

In Barcelona, more than 20 Filipino organizations composed of various religious, civic and socio-cultural groups have expressed their dismay and disapproval over the government’s decision.  Organizations such as Barcelona Exposure Club, Northern Star, Samahang Kabagis, Timpuyog ti-Ilocano, and Unified Bicolanos in Barcelona have taken their signature campaigns and lobbying initiatives to express their support for the retention of the Consulate.

Meanwhile, Kapulungan ng mga Lider Pinoy sa Barcelona (KALIPI), a federation of Filipino associations in Barcelona together with the support of other organizations, has sent a letter of appeal to the Chairpersons of the House Committees on Overseas Workers Affairs and Foreign Affairs namely Congressman Walden Bello of Akbayan Party List and Congressman Al Francis DC Bichara of Albay.

In its petition letter, it pointed out that “an Honorary Consulate cannot effectively respond to the growing number of Filipinos in Barcelona, nor can a provisional consular service from Madrid, located 600 km away, attend to the urgencies of our Filipino seafarers.”

The letter also cited that the strong relationship between the Barcelona city government, the Philippine Consulate and the Filipino community has already produced significant political, economic and cultural achievements in just short span of time and these will all be put into waste and will incur larger social cost if the full Consulate will be closed.  One of major political parties in Barcelona, Partido de los Socialistas en Cataluña already expressed their support for the retention of the Philippine Consulate.

The Filipino community feels that this decision will send a wrong signal to the people that the government is abandoning them and that the migrants’ good reputation and patriotism are not important for them.

“How can we encourage political participation (Absentee Voting) now if the Consulate is to be closed? The government’s apathy will breed its people’s apathy… The first Absentee Voting held in Barcelona got one of the highest voter’s turnouts in Europe where the current (Philippine) president got the most number of votes,” the letter added.

Over the budgetary reason for closing the Consulate, the letter states that “we do not wish to be considered as simple figures and economic peons. We reject the title ‘Bagong Bayani’ if it is mere lip service. We are more than our remittances, and we are hoping that they…see us as hardworking people who merit their commitment and full service.” Daniel Infante Tuaño, Kay S. Abaño

The young migrants also oppose the government’s decision. Photo by Albert Ian R P of Barcelona Exposure Club.

Ang Consulado po ay nakakatanggap ng mga tanong mula sa employer na naghahanap ng Filipino na magtrabaho para sa kanila.  Basahin lamang po ang mga email sa ibaba.

Baka po meron kayong kakilala na kababayan natin, kamag-anak, kaibigan o miyembro ng inyong asosasyon/grupo na naghahanap ng trabaho at gustong mag-apply, mangyari po lamang na makipag-ugnayan ng diretso sa mga employer sa baba.

Mangyari din po lamang na sabihan natin ang ating mga kababayan na suriing mabuti ang mga employer na ito bago pumasok sa trabaho upang mapangalagaan ang karapatan at benepisyo ng ating mga manggagawang Filipino.

Maraming salamat po.

Arman Racho Talbo

Philippine Consulate General Barcelona, Spain

Ipinanganak at nakatira sa Valencia, Spain, si Mary Joy ang kauna-unahang Spanish na may dugong Pinay na nakapasok sa sikat na reality TV show na Big Brother sa Spain. Sa Spain, ang pangalan ng show ay Gran Hermano. Siya ay Biology student at nagpapart-time bilang waitress sa isang Thai restaurant. Siya raw ay masipag at matiyaga. Ibinahagi niya ang isang kasabihang Pinoy: ang sikreto ng kaligayahan ay gawin palagi ang hindi gusto. Kung may tiyaga, may nilaga baga. Sumali siya sa contest na ito upang magkaroon ng bagong karanasan at matulungan ang kaniyang pamilya.

Magiging maligaya kaya si Joy sa loob ng bahay ni Kuya? Panoorin ang kanyang video: http://www.telecinco.es/granhermano/gh_12mas1/concursantes/mary_joy/

Ipinapaliwanag ni Ambassador Carlos Salinas, sa gitna, ang napipintong pagsasara ng Konsulado ng Pilipinas sa Barcelona. Kasama sa larawan sina Konsul Heneral Catalino Dillem, sa kaliwa, at si Gng. Isabelita Salinas, sa kanan.

HANGGANG Hulyo 2012 na lang ang Konsulado ng Pilipinas sa Barcelona.

Ito ang ipinahatid ni Ambassador Carlos Salinas, kasalukuyang embahador ng Pilipinas sa España, sa isang pagpupulong ng mga asosasyon at negosyong Pilipino sa Barcelona, Spain noong ika-20 ng Enero.

Ayon kay Ambassador Salinas, ang desisyong ito ay dulot ng mga ‘fiscal issues’ na kinakaharap ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas. Ito ay masusing pinag-aralan, at ang Konsulado sa Barcelona ay isa lamang sa mga konsulado at embahada sa buong mundo na ipasasara, dagdag pa niya.

Sinigurado naman ni Ambassador Salinas na patuloy pa ring makatatanggap ng serbisyong konsular ang mga taga-Barcelona. Ayon sa kanya, ang mga staff ng Philippine Embassy sa Madrid ay bibisita at maglilingkod sa kanila nang hindi bababa sa isang beses sa isang buwan. Maaari ring magkaroon muli ng honorary consul dito.

Reaksyon mula sa mga Pilipino

Gulat, pagkalungkot at pangamba ang naging reaksyon ng mga dumalo.

Nangangamba ang ilan na tumagal muli at mas maging magastos ang proseso ng pagrerenew ng passport at pagkuha ng certification at iba pang dokumento.

Nadismaya naman ang iba. Ang pagbawas sa serbisyo raw ba ang sukling ibibigay ng pamahalaan sa naging kontribusyon sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ng milyun-milyong Pilipino na tinagurian nilang Bagong Bayani? Wala man lang daw pagkokonsultang isinagawa ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas sa mga Pilipinong nasa Barcelona bago sila maglabas ng ganitong desisyon.

Nabanggit din ng ilan na ang desisyong ito ay ‘backward’ ngayon pang dumarami ang mga Pinoy rito, marami ang nagsisimulang magnegosyo, nag-iinvest sa pagbili ng bahay at ari-arian sa Pilipinas, at kung kailan mas nangangailangan ng tulong ng gobyerno ang ilan sa mga kababayan dulot ng krisis sa España.

Sa kabilang banda naman ay pinuri ng ilan sa mga dumalo ang naging magandang serbisyo ng mga konsul at staff ng Konsulado sa Barcelona. Magiging malaking kawalan ito para sa mga Pilipinong nakatira sa mga rehiyong Cataluña, Baleares at Andorra. Hiniling din nila na sana ay maging kasing inam din ang serbisyong ibibigay ng mga manggagaling sa Embahada ng Pilipinas sa Madrid.

May mga nagmungkahi rin na gumawa ng petisyon upang ipahayag ang kanilang pagtutol sa pagsasara ng Konsulado at ipadala ito sa pamahalaan sa Pilipinas.

Matatandaang ang Konsulado ng Pilipinas sa Barcelona ay siyang bunga ng kahilingan at pagpupursigi ng iba’t ibang grupo ng mga Pilipino sa Barcelona apat na taon na ang nakararaan. Daniel Infante Tuaño

Tampok ang Filipino community sa programang Babel ng Television Española (TVE2) ngayong Linggo, ika-15 ng Enero, alas 12 ng tanghali. Ayon sa website ng Babel, ang  mga Filipino ay kabilang sa mga imigranteng matagal nang naninirahan sa España. Ngunit kahit pa matagal na sila rito ay marami pa rin ang hindi nakakakilala sa kanila.

Ang mga batang nasa larawan ay mga mag-aaral ng Iskwelang Pinoy, isang programa ng Centro Filipino para sa mga batang ipinanganak sa España (Barcelona) na naglalayong turuan sila ng Kasaysayan at Kultura ng Pilipinas, Ingles, Tagalog, Christian Values at iba pa. Bisitahin ang website ng Babel para sa karagdagang impormasyon: http://www.rtve.es/television/babel/

Sa kabilang channel naman, sa Antenna 3 ay muling sasabak sa isang singing competition EL NUMERO UNO ang kababayan nating si MARIZ MOLINA.

Nangangailangan si MARIZ ng boto para magpatuloy siya sa competition. Ang top 5 na makakakuha ng pinakamaraming boto, shares at views ay makakapasok sa competition. Kailangang mag-register para makaboto at makapag-share. Hanggang ngayong Linggo lang, ika-15 ng Enero, alas 12 ang botohan. I-click ang link para bumoto at makita ang video ni MARIZ MOLINA: http://www.antena3.com/programas/numero-uno/casting/barcelona-dia-1/

Maraming salamat kina G. Gerry Ortega at Bb. Jhess Lozano sa pagbibigay sa amin ng impormasyon.

Philippines-Japan NGO Partnership (PJP)

Image lifted from: http://rei-kinomoto.deviantart.com/art/Land-of-the-Rising-Sun-176162068?offset=10

JAPAN offers lots of memories —good and bad— to Filipinos, not just its rising sun that is an economic magnet for Filipinos to go there.

There’s former overseas performing artist Maricris Sioson who, exactly 20 years ago, was mysteriously killed by alleged Yakuza elements five months after arriving in Tokyo.

Sioson’s mysterious death never stopped a wave of migration by Filipinas doing the same kind of work which, to advocates for migrant workers, is tantamount to trafficking and to putting these women’s homeland into shame.

That kind of migrant worker deployment even had processes and documents to be acquired, as well as a large-scale recruitment business which the Philippine government regulated. The tide changed in 2005, when Japanese immigration law changed and tightened the entry requirements of those wanting to work as OPAs. The amendment included provisions that anyone seeking such a visa must prove that he or she has education or experience as an entertainer. Certification from another government is no longer enough.

This resulted in a steep drop in the number of entertainers being sent by the Philippines from about 80,000 in 2004 to about 38,000 in 2005. In 2010, the number of Filipino women deployed to Japan as entertainers was only about a thousand.

There is now an increase in the number Filipinas marrying Japanese, that being a means to escape poverty (as some departing young Filipina spouses married to elderly Japanese admitted).

Japan-Philippine relations surrounding overseas migration also evolved.

The bilateral relationship became economic, resulting in an economic partnership agreement that has, among its terms, deploying Filipino nurses to Japan. Only two of over-200 deployed nurses passed the Nihongo-laced nurses licensure examination in Japan, and currently the nurses deployment provision of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement is being evaluated.

While distant from a matter that concerns Filipinos’ migration to Japan, the relationship between the two countries is beyond overseas migration.

Japan is among the Philippines’ major source countries of official development assistance, in which civil society groups hope that such development aid undergo transparent and accountable processes. Nevertheless, the aid from Japan led to bridges, light railway transit systems, and even emergency relief for people in Mindanao.

Japan-Philippine economic relations will not be complete without the Japanese companies heading to the country —from vehicles to electronic equipment, some of which became household names among Filipinos (e.g. Toyota, Sony, among others).

The relationship between the two nations even led to the reverse, i.e. of developing country Philippines helping Japan.

Images of the waves that splashed eastern Japan given an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami last March simply touched Filipinos’ hearts to help (for example, the Philippines-Japan NGO Partnership, a group of non-government groups here that has a partner NGO network in Japan, donated some money to Japanese NGOs providing disaster relief in tsunami-struck areas in Japan).

Even Filipinos affected by the quake and tsunami had to be helped. There are stories of cause-oriented groups coursing their donations to the Philippine embassy in Tokyo and to some Japanese NGOs directed at the Filipino families victimized by the quake and tsunami.

Still, Japanese maintained their resolve even in the midst of tragedy, and Filipinos learned from it. Says a Japanese taxi driver to a Filipino broadcast journalist who wondered why Japanese are patiently waiting a long line in Sendai to siphon fuel from vehicles wrecked by the tsunami: “If we do that, I wanted no part of it since he did not want to join us in hell.”

But Filipinos, thanks to the opportunity of being in Japan for work, study and permanent residency, extend themselves to help the Philippines through philanthropy. Filipino groups of all sorts in Japan—scholars in Japan, Filipinos based in Japanese communities, migrants’ rights associations, and many more— have been noted to be helping social development causes in the homeland.

Of some P2.5 billion of donations coursed through the Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino (LinKaPil) program of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), some P33.65 million came from Filipino and non-Filipino donors based in Japan.

These are on top of the remittances that Filipinos in Japan send back home: From 2001 to 2010, the US$5.349 billion is way, way ahead of Japanese development aid and foreign direct investment coming from Japan. Even in the last three years when the world faced a global economic crisis, Filipinos in Japan sent record-high amounts.

With these episodes surrounding Philippines-Japan relations and the Filipino migration to Japan that went with it, what future is in store?

Japan might need to continually depend on foreign labor given their declining birth rates. It might also compel Japanese authorities to be more open to the contributions of foreigners and, if possible, respect foreigners’ (and Filipinos’) rights.

For the Philippines, under a new chapter of citizens emigrating to Japan, it might mean that the episodes of forced migration to Japan —a la Sioson— should be over. Probably, helping more Filipinos in Japan and decrepit compatriots in the Philippines, as well as fostering better mutual relations between Japanese and Filipinos, may be the next steps.

But for both countries, Japanese and Filipino vigilance to collaborate and help address the welfare of Filipinos in Japan and in the Philippines is a logical next step. This is where, for example, the Philippines-Japan NGO Partnership (PJP) is working with the Japan-Philippines NGO Network (JPN, a network of Japanese NGOs with projects in the Philippines) is doing something about it. Or Philippine rural communities welcoming Japanese citizens and enjoying their company and friendship in areas with visible concentrations of Japanese.

The migration story concerning Filipinos heading to Japan is evolving, with development outcomes affecting both countries and their citizens. Opportunities abound from this evolution, and these can excite the Filipinos in Japan and the compatriots at home who are concerned about their welfare and of a homeland’s hopes for a better future.

Carmelita G. Nuqui and Jeremaiah M. Opiniano are executive directors of the Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) and the Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI), respectively. Both migrant-oriented nonprofits are members of the Philippines-Japan NGO Partnership.

Comments are welcome at: melnuqui@hotmail.com and president@ofwphilanthropy.org

“This is my first Christmas with my children in nine years na nandito ako sa Spain. “

7:07 a.m. Two hours before boarding. Terminal 1. El Prat Airport.Barcelona.  Tita Dorothy sips her coffee, looks at the people milling around the coffee bar  and  breaks into a smile. Even if she is coy about it, she can’t hide her excitement.  In almost 21 hours, she will be with her three sons.

“Hindi na ako nakatulog sa kakaempake at kakaayos ng tatlo kong maleta. Kalahati ng laman ng maleta ko, halos mga padala ng mga kaibigan.  Hindi naman ako makahindi. “

At Christmas, homesickness doubles. This is the time of year when our overseas kababayans are reminded of the distance between them and their families.  Christmas here in Spain is still different from how we celebrate the holidays back home.

As early as September, which is by the way the unofficial start of  Christmas season (September being the first of the BER months, months ending in ber), radio stations race among themselves who plays the first Christmas song of the year. Malls are already starting to gear up for the longest and much-awaited jolly season of all.

Christmas officially starts after All Saint’s day when Christmas trees and parols are proudly displayed in most of the households and offices. As the month of December approaches, everybody is busy buying gifts and cramming their schedules to fit every Christmas party there is. Crisis or no crisis.

Everybody behaves well during these days. It is like everyone is careful not to be blacklisted on Santa’s list. Good things seem to happen at Christmastime too: promotions are announced, enemies make peace, couples reconcile and so on. All in the spirit of Christmas.

The countdown towards Christmas Eve starts on the 16^th when dawn or early morning masses start until the 24^th of the month.  Churchgoers brave the cool December breeze and battle sleepiness just to complete the nine-day dawn masses in the hope that prayers and wishes will be answered. Outside the church, rich mouth-watering aroma of native delicacies wrap the air and at night children go house-hopping singing  Christmas carols hoping for some aguinaldos.

And these are just some of the many good things that our kababayans abroad dare not miss at Christmas in the Philippines. Some are lucky to be allowed by their employers to go home. Several are fortunate and can afford 1,200 to 1,500 euros of return ticket. But some are not. To those who don’t have the resources and can’t make it,  they contend themselves  to join their loved ones celebrating Christmas virtually.  I cannot blame why Tita Dorothy looks very excited.

“Iba pa rin ang Pasko sa atin.  The best.  Kasi palaging summer ako kung umuwi dahil sa trabaho. Kaya this year, ginawa ko talagang Pasko ang uwi ko. Magsisimba kaming lahat, kakain sa labas, mamamasyal!”

When she checked in her suitcases an hour ago, she exceeded three kilos.  Deterred, she was not.  She charmed, haggled a bit and “won”.  Her excuse: “It’s Christmas after all and I am a frequent flyer!”   The airline attendant was charmed and gave in not knowing that the long queue behind  Tita Dorothy will do the same: exceed,  charm and haggle; as thousands and thousands  of balikbayan boxes will flood  international airports around the world this month of December. The exodus begins.  Destination: Philippines.  According to Immigration officials at NAIA airport, around 200,000 balikbayans arrived home first week of December alone in 2010.

Tita Dorothy is flying Barcelona-Singapore-Cebu. She is arriving at two in the afternoon the following day.

“Mahabang biyahe ito.  Makapag-muni muni ako ng mabuti. My Christmas wish?  More  blessings from God, good health and pagmamahal sa pamilya ko. At sana next Christmas, makauwi uli.”

Indeed, nothing beats celebrating the yuletide season with our loved-ones.  Merry Christmas, Tita Dorothy!  And to all our kababayans all over the world, those who couldn’t make it and those who are now with their families  munching their sumptuous Noche Buena at home…

Maligayang Pasko po at Manigong Bagong Taon!

A Romanesque ’Belen’ in Plaça de Sant Jaume in Barcelona, Spain.

The classic Christmas installation pays tribute to the culture and tradition of Catalan art.

The custom of representing the birth of Jesus through figures during the Christmas period is a deeply rooted tradition in Catalonia. True to this tradition, a Christmas nativity scene is put up every year in Plaça de Sant Jaume, a big occasion in Barcelona.

This year, the culture and tradition of Catalan art, Romanesque art in particular, provide the main source of inspiration. This is hardly surprising, when you remember that MNAC has one of the best collections of Romanesque art in Europe.

This year’s nativity scene reproduces part of a Romanesque chapel in ruins, with its cloister set in a very Mediterranean landscape. You will find classical scenes such as the annunciation before the shepherds, the fishermen in their sea environment, the Three Wise Men and the birth of Jesus. Text lifted from the official website of the City Government of Barcelona: www.bcn.cat