Global Protests: We Want Filipinos!

An email I received from a friend of mine:

"Kiko, nakita ko kanina itong survey by ABS-CBN about the insult daw.

ABS CBN Poll

How should Filipinos react if RP is described as a 'nation of servants'?

Learn to accept it as a fact 21% (374 votes)

Strongly protest the insult, boycott HK products 18% (316 votes)

Accept the apology offered by the HK magazine 6% (112 votes)

Work hard toward attaining national progress 55% (973 votes)

Nanalo itong nasa baba, work hard, and if I may add, wag mawawala yung dignidad bilang tao. if i have my way, lahat ng DH sa hongkong pauuwiin ko na e. You are lucky, teacher ka, pagdating dyan, private tutor ka. e karamihan sa mga kababayan natin, Teacher dito, tapos nagchichimoy lang. Walang masama sa chimoy, kung yun lang ang kaya ng abilidad mo, walang masama sa security guard o janitor, kung wala ka namang natapos e.

Ang nakakalungkot, yung nag-aral ka pa, college graduate ka pa kuno, tapos pabababain mo sarili mo, pati lahi natin apektado, biro mo yung katulong ni Tsip e grad pala ng UM. aba e gaga sya, dapat iwan nya na yung intsik na ulol.

Yes, we are a nation of servants, muchachas and muchachos, pero sabi ko nga sa pamangkin ni sally na nursing student sa La Salle Dasma, wala namang masama kung katulong sa Italy ang nanay mo, kung naghuhugas sya ng puwit ng matanda nyang amo. ANG MASAMA, KUNG IKAW AY MAGIGING KATULONG DIN. DAPAT, MAG-ARAL KANG MABUTI, PARA MAGING PROFESSIONAL KA, AT PAGPUNTA MO SA ITALY, NURSE KA NA, HINDI GAYA NG NANAY MO NA TAGA-LINIS NG KUBETA AT TAGAHUGAS NG TAE NG ITALYANO. YAN ANG GANTI MO SA PAGTITIIS NG NANAY MO, YUNG MAKATAPOS KA.

Speaking of security guard, yung sekyu namin sa COMPANY NAME HERE, BTW naalis na sya sa COMPANY NAME HERE, komo agency, nasa ibang kumpanya na. 6 ang anak nya, at nung kasama ko pa sya, dinadala nya sa bahay yung anak nya, hanggang minsan 3 anak nya pinatuturuan nya sa akin. since paulo was 7, kasama ko na pag summer ang mga anak ng sikyu na ito sa Nat'l Age Group at sa Shell. yung apat, 2 boys and 2 girls, lagi naming kasama sa tournaments, most of the time, ako ang bumabayad ng reg fee nila, ano ba ang sahod ng guard dito? e yung eldest nyang babae, naka 1 year na sa NAME OF SCHOOL HERE, scholar, at yung isang babae, naka 1 year na rin sa high school. At yung kaedad ni pau, magta-tryout din sa NU high school team ngayon. Nagtyaga lang sya na dalhin ang mga anak nya sa akin, nagtyaga sila sa pagsama ng turnaments, alam nya may patutunguhang maganda e, o e di naka 2 scholar na sya. guard lang ito ah, walang natapos ito, pero nakinig sa diskarte ko.

Dre, hindi lang chess ang laro, may judo, taekwondo, weightlifting, track and field, at maraming pang iba, at pati school band at cheering squad, babae man o lalake, e scholar din. At kung wala kang talent na kahit ano(imposible ito), e di mag-student assistant ka, makakatapos ka din.

Kaya kung yung mga magulang na nagDH lang sa hongkong, e kung tinuruan na lang nila ang mga anak nila, may bonding na sila, magkakasama pa sila, makakatapos din ang mga anak nila. hindi pa sila naiinsulto ng mga intsik. Tapos pag dating dito, pupunta sa MOA, sa robinsons, e pinayayaman lalo ang mga intsik. sasakay sa PAL, lucio tan, e sinakop na nila tayo, samantalang nung bata pa ako, tindahan lang at bakery at taho ang negosyo nila. Yun ngang kaibigan kong intsik, nung bata daw sila naghahanap buhay na sila sa hardware ng tatay nila, taga-bilang ng pako, hirap daw. Ngayon, milyonaryo na silang magkakapatid hehehe, sangkatutak ang property, after years of hard work, dito sa pilipinas, tulong tulong.

In chess, as in life, nothing beats hard work. Kung natatalo man si NAME HERE, kulang pa sa trabaho. Aral pa!

NAME HERE"

Back in 2003, I got an "Offer of Employment" from the Los Angeles Unified School District. At 27, single and full of life ahead, I was one of the 68 Filipino Teachers who received the green light from Avenida Consultancy to go thru the hiring process and here are the steps I took:

1. Go thru the certification and credentialling from California Commission on Teacher Credentialling. I paid $ 300.00 and after 4 weeks, I received my equivalency papers and certification that says "Oh man, your education background is at par and very competitive here in the US of A. We will be glad to have you teach our kids, the future of America".

2. Attend the additional 30 Unit Professional Education Course tailored for would-be teachers of Uncle Sam. With the school districts' desire to see us ASAP in their homeland came the next step...

3. Visa Application. Denied twice and I abandoned my dreams of driving a 4x4 in Hollywood!

That brings us to another story.

Right now I am in Morocco, learning and earning thrice what I'm getting from my previous job. Plus the fact that I have my housing and food (yeah right!) provided free of charge, I couldn't ask for more. Also, a twice a year paid vacation with the round trip tickets to RP and Morocco, all I'd have to focus on is to teach my ward 3 hours a day.

Now where can I find a better deal like that?

Here in Morocco, the rich (oh the filthy rich!) love to have Filipinos in their fold as teachers and as nannies. They are willing and able to pay for your demands but of course one has to deliver the goods really well!

In almost all corners of the globe, there are Filipino professionals working and I wonder if one day, we all agree not to get out of our beds?

Hmmm!

The world will not move! The world will go bonkers I tell you.

Going back to my LAUSD would-have been teaching job, the standard offer was $ 3,700 with a monthly stipend of $ 800. Had I been given the US visa, God know's what I'd be driving now.

Some fortnight ago, I had a bad dream, a really terrible one. Someone offered me a teaching job in one of the Southeast Asian country. Of course not in the Philippines.

In my dream, I was offered thru email something like $ 500.00. I asked myself this "Does she know how much I was getting in the Philippines?" I almost fell off the chair (I was sitting in my dreams).

And to top it all, the offer came with a comparison between UK/US born teachers receiving $ 1,200 - $ 2,000 and Filipino's getting $ 405.00. Plus the statement "it depends on your background ..."

I said to myself, then why the hell did you take time to email me? Crazy ordeal!

Who is crazy enough to accept a $ 405.00 offer if one is getting more from his previous or current job? Do your research baby!

Bad dream indeed!

I woke up and the first thing I said "I better write this thing down over at Pinoy Sa Morocco blog"

Nurses, engineers, househelpers, teachers and other Filipino professionals working or currently seeking work overseas should take pride in what they do. Never settle for anything less.

The world needs you and they need you badly. These non-Filipino recruiters think Filipinos can easily be lured out of their comfort zone for a bargain. Hell no!

Well, I guess I'll be visiting that country by December with my wife and kids and I hope it is politically stable enough there to be visited. For now, I'd like to enjoy Moroccan tea here while I take photos of centuries-old city gates and medinas.