Accents
Ang Mga Bagong Bayani in MS Noordam (2)
MGA BAGONG BAYANI! Former Pres. Cory Aquino was the first to hail them--the OFWs, Overseas Filipino Workers whose monthly remittances to the Philippines prop up the country's economy. Take away the over $10 billion they remit annually, and the result would be flailing arms for a government inundated by a huge foreign debt.
The 200 or so OFWs in MS Noordam, the cruise ship we took to Alaska, May 13-19, count among our top exports. No, they aren't raw materials bound for use of industries abroad. Nor do we align them with factory products bearing the "Made in the Philippines" trademark displayed in foreign malls. They are our precious migrant workers that make up 20% of Philippine exports. For instance, my husband Rudy and I have a close friend in Dubai, a nephew in the Royal Caribbean crew, and several nurse acquaintances in London and the States. With due respect and admiration, they have been called the "Global Filipinos."
Relaxed intermission for us was engaging in conversation some of these Global Filipinos in MS Noordam. Always there was the warmth of being in the company of a kababayan, somehow mollifying the longing for homeland-sweet-homeland. Very personable Angelo Ruben of Bulacan graciously poured red wine for the male company on our table. She's married to a Pampanggena, Trixie, who is Assistant Beverage Manager. Still childless, they consider themselves lucky to be working in the same boat. It's different with Annabelle, Beverage Attendant at the Lido open bar, whose husband Eric is said to be a ship away. Eric is employed at Zuiderdam, one of Holland America's cruise line. Left in the Philippines is their four-year old kid who is taken care of by the grandmother.
The social cost of being separated from loved ones is worst in the case of Roger and Haydee Ignacio. They have a two-year old kid and a baby two-months old that Roger hasn't seen as yet. He and his wife are computer science graduates, but the lack of job opportunities in the country, drove him to apply for a job abroad. For isn't that the main reason why families are torn apart? Always the driving force is economic in nature.
Roger is from Bacolod and we felt so at home conversing with him in crisp Ilonggo. Roger is eagerly looking forward to his vacation and be with the family even if it's only for two months, unless extended. So with Alvin Antonino of Roxas City who has been two years on sea and on his way to realizing a house for the enjoyment of the family of three kids--a four-year old twins and a two-year old. On checking out of Noordam at the end of the cruise, Alvin dutifully pushed the wheelchair for Rudy whose arthritic legs gave way to long walks in the Alaskan towns of Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan.
Natives of Batangas and Las Pinas City are Ramon Bautista and his wife Isabel, the latter very much a homebody for their brood of three. A wine attendant, Ramon dotingly wrote down the names of his wife and children: Julia, Joshua, and Joseph aged 7, 4, and 2, respectively. The longing for Isabel and his kids we could feel; its depth we couldn't fathom.
The abovementioned Filipino crew of MS Noordam is but a drop in the bucket of 8 million OFWs scattered in about 150 countries. Those working in cruise ships are luckier than the million other unskilled workers in menial jobs who suffer various forms of abuse and exploitation. Talk of the extreme case of Sarah Balabagan and Flor Contemplacion.
Statistics show that more than 2,000 Filipinos, leave the country daily for employment abroad. Driven by joblessness and desperation, most of them are high school graduates or college dropouts. It is fitting to salute them for their heroic efforts to brave separation from their loved ones and send those hard-earned remittances that sustain their families' survival and buttress the country's dollar reserves. Rafael A. Pulmano in his home page says it best: "Saang sulok ng daigdig ka man naroon, Kabayan, BAYANI kang ituturing ng iyong Inang Bayan." Yes, wherever you may be, my countryman, you are a hero to the Motherland. Next week: A slice of Alaska and Canada
(Comments to lagoc@hargray.com)