Studies show that we Filipinas edged our male counterparts in the education and training sectors from primary (87%), secondary (76%) and tertiary education (56%). There is also a significant increase in the number of female executives (97,000 women managers added in 2007 compared to only 16,000 men).

Read the rest of the post at www.catswalks.com

Purchasing home and building supplies could be strenuous for some women and demanding for others specially when unable to prioritize and identify exactly what needs to be bought, from where and why. The world today is facing a danger no man thought would be ever happen- Global warming. How do we help lessen this danger through our purchases and the choices we make in purchasing home and building supplies?

Two things:

1. Buy local products and support local businesses- Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution. Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms — continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community. Supporting local businesses creates jobs locally, encourages local prosperity and above all putting the local people’s taxes to good use.

2. Buy green organic products- By definition, organic products are free from pesticides, herbicides, and other potentially harmful substances that can damage your health. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from pesticides has been linked to cancer, immune system suppression, nervous system disorders, reproductive damage, and hormone disruption. Many products that are made from conventionally grown crops show pesticide and herbicide residues. Our bodies can get rid of a certain number of toxins that we come in contact with; in fact, our bodies are designed to eliminate toxins. However, the problem we are facing today is that we have many more exposures to chemical toxins than, say 50 years ago. These chemicals come from our food, air, water, body care and cleaning products, home remodeling products and more. Many of us are consequently facing a toxic overload, and our bodies therefore cannot get rid of all the toxins we are taking in. Organic products are sustainable.

Using organic products will help to lessen this toxic load. Organic foods also tend to taste better and contain more vitamins and minerals than conventionally grown food. Some organic products are still difficult to find, and a stretch for many of our budgets. However, any switch we can make to organic will be helpful. You don’t have to start buying everything organic overnight, in fact, you would probably find that impossible. However, as there is more demand for organic products, the selection will increase and prices will probably decrease. Using organic products is useful and helpful to babies, children and those who have compromised health issues. Babies and children tend to be more vulnerable because their immune systems are immature and they eat more food per pound of body weight than do adults. Those with chronic illness or whose bodies are weakened for any reason are also more at risk. In addition, farm workers are at risk for illnesses caused by pesticide exposure.Lastly, using organic products is best for the environment. Conventional farming practices have caused many problems in our environment. They adversely affect birds and wildlife as well as fragile ecosystems. It has been estimated that pesticides kill at least 67 million birds in the US each year. In many cases, pesticides applied to fields have led to major ecosystem imbalances that resulted in failed crops. Minor pests can turn into major pests when pesticides eliminate the beneficial insects that keep these pests in check. Drinking water supplies get polluted. Crop dusting has led to “drift” of pesticides from fields to residential neighborhoods and even schools and caused illness. Organic and sustainable farming methods avoid these and many more problems. Eating, drinking and using organic products on a more frequent basis, from food to baby care to clothes, will make all of us healthier. This is especially true for babies, children and those with compromised immune systems. Increasing our consumption of organic products will also have a positive impact on the environment, and the more demand for organic goods, the better the selection and the lower the cost.

I believe that there is a place to help save the earth in every woman’s heart. To find healthy, organic and green home and building supplies, I listed a few online sites you can visit.

You can visit Your Green Home- Your home for healthy home and building supplies

or the following :

1. Business link- http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/links/sustainable_building_supplies.htm

2. Organic store locator- http://www.organicstorelocator.com/

3. Low impact living- http://www.lowimpactliving.com/products

What is the role of a 21st century Filipina in the injuring and failing environment, in the midst of global warming, economic failure(s), wars and other extreme privation ? How can a Filipina, as a woman, help save the world through right spending.  A Filipina, as a woman, can make a difference in building a better environment/world through her purse- her spending.

I am a Filipina, and I have been in the US for more than eight months now. I consider my every experience in this country as vital in pursuing my American dream. In the pursue of that dream, I think about my own country, the Philippines and our weakening environment and what I can do to be an advocate to helping save our mother earth.

A few months ago, my husband gifted me a book that I thought had some great content to it. Its cover, I thought was eye catching. It portrays a woman carrying a green purse. Diane MacEachern in her book ‘BIG GREEN PURSE’ revolutionized the role of a woman in the 21st century through their spending power. As I started reading it, I realized that ‘a rebirth’ in my personal life is about to happen- a vital transition from the woman, spender and shopper that I was before reading the book to the woman that I will become after reading it. In her book, she talks about women using their spending power to create a cleaner and greener world. The writer argues that the best way to fight the industries that pollute the planet, thereby changing the marketplace, is to mobilize the most powerful consumer force in the world-women. She believes that if women harness the power of their purse and intentionally shift their spending money into commodities
that have the greatest environmental benefit, they can create a cleaner, safer and greener environment. This book;

•targets
twenty commodities-cars, cosmetics, coffee, food, paper products,
appliances, cleansers, and more-where women’s dollars can make a
dramatic difference;

•provides
easy-to-follow guidelines and lists so women can choose the greenest option regardless of what they’re buying, along with recommended companies they should support;

•encourages
women to spend wisely by explaining what’s worth the premium price some green products cost, what’s not, and when they shouldn’t spend money at all; and

•differentiates between products that are actually “green” and those that are simply marketed as “ecofriendly.”

Whether readers want to start with small changes or are ready to devote the
majority of their budget to green products, MacEachern offers concrete and immediate ways that women all over the world can take action and make a difference.

Empowering and enlightening, Big Green Purse will become the “green shopping bible” for women everywhere who are asking, “What can I do?”

In Diane MacEachern’s website (http://www.dianesbiggreenpurse.com) she wrote;

Why my green purse?

Because I believe…

· the fastest, most effective way to stop polluters is by pressuring them in the marketplace

· women
can be the world’s most powerful economic and environmental force if we intentionally shift our spending to the best green products and services

· women
have the power right now to solve many of our most serious environmental problems by using our green purses to make a difference

· women must act – intentionally, collectively, and with the full force of our purse power behind us – if we hope to leave our children and grandchildren a better world.

As a woman and a Filipina living in the US, I personally find this book very interesting and helpful in my daily spending. I strongly believe that this book is going to be my shopping bible for whatever needs I will have. I remember my husband writing me a note with the book that says ‘after you read this book you can buy whatever you want for as long as we have the $$’. I smiled as I read his note without simply knowing why he said it. As I read through the pages of the book, it informs of the Seven Big Green Purse Shopping Principles that made me understand my husband’s statement. These principles are the following:

1. Buy less
2. Read the      label
3. Support      sustainable standards
4. Look for      third party verification
5. Choose      fewer ingredients
6. Pick less      packaging
7. Buy local

I thank my husband for the gift of opportunity to be that new woman in his life- a woman who buys less, knows how to reject what is unnecessary, reads the label of a product before buying it, supports sustainable standards, looks for third party verification, chooses fewer ingredients, picks less packaging and above all, a woman who supports buying local products to support local economy.

As I continue to read this book, I want to learn more information and details about why cleaning is much better than sterilizing, why fragrances, phthalates, parabens and triclosan in cosmetics and personal care products should be avoided and why buying sustainable seafood with MSC is important and why buying smaller fish like trout is better than buying the larger predator fish like tuna and seabass. I would also want to know the types of plastics that can be easily recycled. Not all plastics can be recycled and Diane suggests that in buying products made from plastic it is important to buy those that can easily be recycled. Since I love gardening and planting, I want to discover why Diane said in the book that eco-lawn planting is much more important and fart better than traditional lawn planting. It certainly amuses me how she can be so specific about the necessity to plant trees at a certain side of a yard. She said that if you plant three trees on the west side of your home you can trim your air-conditioning bill by up to 30% due to the shade they create. All these new facts seriously challenges and amuses me. I have never yet learned any information in my whole life as factual and healthy as the information stated in the book.

In summary, I want my rebirth to a better and newer me to begin through understanding what the book says about the power of my green purse in changing the world into a better and healthier place to live in and eventually applying my green girl/woman power to advocate that beautiful change. Although the book is geared through women power, my husband and I believe that both men and women will find the book interesting and therefore have the equal opportunity to become an advocate to a greener, healthier and safer world. To all the Filipina women who want to spend for the right reason, this book is for you.

Today, with our permission, Teresa and I are reprinting our e-mail responses to each other at the Filipina Images advocacy blog and news portal and her Offerings Publications website to introduce our readers to each other, especially the worldwide Filipina women networks within our midst.

Welcome to Filipina Images, Teresa! We look forward to your contributions in helping us live our lives with purpose and passion.

THE E-MAIL THAT STARTED IT ALL

On 10/27/08 7:40 PM, Teresa Dosdos Ruelas’s friend wrote:

Dear friends,

Election in the USA is very crucial let us pray that McCain will win who is a pro-life advocator. My husband (name deleted), yesterday attended an archdiocesan meeting at the archbishop (residence) requesting for us all who have friends and relatives in the states not to vote for Obama who approves abortion and encourages gay relationship to be taught in schools. A bishop from the States have asked Cardinal (name deleted) to inform us all of the threat to our Catholic faith after the US election wherein our own families may be future victims of the downgrade of moral values. Take care and God bless!

(name of Teresa Dosdos Ruelas’s friend deleted)

REPLY FROM TERESA DOSDOS RUELAS

From: Teresa Ruelas
Date: Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 7:50 AM
Subject: Re: election in the US

Dear (names deleted),

I have been wondering about the sentiments of the Filipinos in the US and at home during these elections. So, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I can see how you would ‘vote’ and pray the way you would. And I hope you have it in your hearts to listen to a different point of view; that this is a forum for diversity of perspective and for stretching what we know and believe to be true.

I want to say here – with heartfelt respect to you and to the Catholic Church in the Philippines (I say “in the Philippines” as this is not necessarily the exact stand in other countries including the US) - that, whether you believe in pro-choice or pro-life, electing McCain is not your answer. There are people who hold both beliefs in both parties. It is more complex than that…and throwing “moral values” as the difference to vote for McCain is false….pro-choicers are not against the value of life no matter how others like to think it…. I know it makes the argument clean and easy to look to others who do not think like us and assume we know their values. The difference in this longtime and very touchy argument is in the understanding and belief of when life starts, and what we believe about death, and whether the quality of life of a being is put into consideration. It is not a difference of values.

As to gay rights, again, it is not a simple issue….one that needs honest, open-hearted conversation and collective reflection. Do please at the very least check your facts about “encouraging gay relationship to be taught in schools”. This is false. Be careful where you are getting your information from…as these are indeed crucial times with important decisions to make…and we need to make them based on truth, not hyperbole or downright falsehoods. You may be listening to channels built on lies and negativism just to win their case. Did you not see the debate in which Obama said in public that he himself is not for gay marriage? What Obama does stand for is the right of people with different religions (yes, we are not all Christians in this country and world…a good thing because, guess what, “they” are moral people, too, who do care about life and people and the planet) to choose and be protected in their choice.

Choosing McCain based on this real difference of thinking is also avoiding other real issues that are going on. There are other life-crucial issues that also impact how we value life — hard issues like seeing war as the answer to conflict – at the risk and loss of millions MILLIONS of innocent lives of women and children – even if they are based on false data (WHERE are the weapons of mass destruction?!!), greed, arrogance in their superiority, lies to prove their cause, false negativism, not wanting to talk, only looking out for individual self-interest and not concerned about the other countries in the world. These are life-destructive, too….and it is widespread and going unchecked.

The biggest threat to all our lives is the close-mindedness, the hate and the fear that McCain and Palin are building their campaign and politics upon. The unwillingness to have conversations and truly partner across the differences. The intolerance for diverse peoples and opinions. The stirring up of hateful comments such as “Kill Obama!” in their audiences without a word from either McCain or Palin to denounce such behavior. The prejudice against people of a different color. Denying women’s rights for equal pay. These are the real and ongoing life-killing issues.

I might suggest we pray for more open-minded, open-hearted and peaceful listening, dialogue and a greater truth that is good for the whole and pray that the person and collective who can help us journey there wins.

While on this topic, if there is one thing we can do for ourselves and for our country and world is to check ourselves for our prejudices – against non-Catholics and against blacks (as one of my Titas wisely said, “murag sad ta ug puti!”), etc. [Lorna's translation: "As if we're white people, too!"] See if there is room in our hearts to listen again, with compassion, and to have real and open and reflective dialogue in which we are willing to challenge our “certainty about what we know” with more room to be changed and to grow in wisdom and in a greater love. In such a conversation, I will join you there.

Finally, speaking of more forums for open conversations, there is a blog in our website on Women & Politics: A New Conversation. Here we reveal to ourselves how we think — not to prove we are right or to defend — but to offer it up for us to have a chance to learn more, be more enlightened, be more compassionate, more evolved so we reach a more peaceful, compassionate, and a greater collective wisdom. Here we ask the questions of our lives. Join us. www.offeringspublications.com/blogs I am also co-hosting in a blogtalkradio show called The Conversation Campaign to explore and have conversations as if our lives depended on them. If you’re interested in listening in and in sharing your thoughts and questions - with a willingness for new insight, learning and greater compassion – we can find together the new collective wisdom that serves the greater good. Go to www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Light-Show. You can listen to what’s going on “anonymously”, but if you want to say something or ask a question, you’ll need to sign up (for free and you can use a different “display name” if you feel uncomfortable using your real name) to get into the Chat Room and share your thoughts. We welcome all points of view, if offered with openness of mind and heart, and a willingness to be touched, moved, thinking anew….and unlike the TV stations, you will not be attacked or made to feel small or wrong….and you will be challenged and stretched. We are on every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-6pm PST.

With love and respect,
Teresa (Dosdos) Ruelas

REPLY FROM LORNA DIETZ

From: Lorna Lardizabal-Dietz
Date: Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 9:36 AM
Subject: Re: election in the US
To: Teresa Ruelas

Dearest Teresa:

I commend you on opening up a sensitive topic re: the elections next week. You have respectfully and truthfully opened a space for people to look into this matter more closely, more inquisitively, and to keep questioning…

Two weeks ago, I was visiting my sister in a city in the East Bay — where I attended a mass in the next city. Inside the church’s newsletter, I noticed that the Knights of Columbus had aggressively campaigned for “YES on Proposition 8″ (in common language, disallowing gay marriage) in California. I asked one of the proponents after the mass how the Catholic Church could get away with campaigning within church walls when there is supposed to be a separation of church and state when it comes to political matters — and as far as I’m aware of, politicians and community advocates for all issues cannot use the Catholic Church as a promotional venue. The priest, during his sermon, didn’t say “Vote YES on Prop 8!” but had counselled the churchgoers to vote wisely. Anyway, the proponent explained to me that as long as it was a community group that propagated its truth, not the church, they were ok. I was chagrined because I am an advocate of “NO to Prop 8!” — understanding that this issue wasn’t taken lightly in the legislative process.

Marriage, if we look back into the Roman Empire’s history, was most likely instituted to bring about order in a chaotic melange of polygamous liaisons, with the men not knowing which children they sired. Whether bringing a man and a woman together was a spiritual union or not, this really wasn’t what marriage was all about. It all had to do with estate planning. Of course, this is one perspective that I’ve learned through the years.

Never in the my lifetime has the election fever hit many of the American citizens with passion and determination. It is a good thing. Civic engagement, not apathy, is the “high” many people in my sphere of influence experience. In my own capacity as a regional officer for a political empowerment organization for Filipinos in America (non-partisan), I have participated in and contributed to a “consciousness building” process among our Fil-Am Communities (and now, Europe). Perhaps I would never have opened my eyes to all perspectives and possibilities if it weren’t for my meditation guide’s life-changing interactions with me (yes, a Filipino American who studied with His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s spiritual teachers in Dharamsala, India, for over five years) many years ago. In other words, as Krishnamurti (the great Indian thought leader), would say:

“We choose our leaders, political or spiritual, out of our own confusion, and so they also are confused. We demand to be coaxed and comforted, to be encouraged and gratified, so we choose a teacher who will give us what we crave for. We do not search out reality, but go after gratification and sensation.”

I realize that this is a very provocative quote that I chose — but I ask you to keep questioning and questioning whatever goes on around you — and not take everything people say as THE WORD.

Teresa’s invitation for all of us to be more inclusive — when we talk about people — needs to be taken seriously. Racism and gender inequality suck! While many of our brothers and sisters in the Philippines believe in the Judeo-Christian teachings, I perceive that many of them think that THEY are the only ones who are entitled to happiness on this earth. The example of the “split” between Couples for Christ and the social movement, Gawad Kalinga, is something one needs to examine. GK seems more inclusive — that is — it is action-oriented in terms of bringing a sense of belonging and happiness to people through “building homes” — and it’s about propagating the faith in a more inclusive level.

I have carefully listened to all the pros and cons about who will make the better president in the US. Whoever I feel will bring about peace and positive change without excluding anyone who is NON-Christian is going to be someone I will vote for.

And my community service work continues — and really, it is work wherein I don’t get to be the superstar or celebrity but rather, a facilitator of conversations just like Teresa. I am very busy trying to get my friends get elected. So, if by chance, you feel the same way as I do, help these friends of mine get elected. They have worked so hard in building and rebuilding their communities that they deserve to be on that decision-making table. It’s not only about who becomes the next president of the US. It’s also about making sure that the leadership funnel is continually being filled up so that leadership succession is ensured.

Just my two cents! I can’t wait to listen in to Teresa’s blog in her website, OfferingsPublications.com/blogs, about Women and Politics: A New Conversation.

One day, I shared with my sister (who is a politician) my definition of POLITICS: “It’s about people seeking to improve human relations.”

And so it is.

May you have your best week ever in light and love,

Lorna
www.RadiantView.com

On October 2, 2008, Natalie Coughlin (pronounced “cog-lin”), a Filipina American Olympic swimmer who had won six medals in the Beijing Olympics, including a gold and two silvers (yes, being a quarter-Filipina makes one an American of Filipina ancestry!) was honored with the Achievement Award for Sports and Entertainment during the prestigious 11th Filipinas Magazine Achievement Awards at the South San Francisco Conference Center, South San Francisco, California. The award was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch Companies and presented by Jim Cho, Senior Manager, Community Relations.

Although I regret not being able to join my sister, Noemi Dado, in her Missouri countryside adventures since, as a member of the Filipinas Magazine family, I had to be present at this awards event, meeting Natalie Coughlin for the first time made up for the loss of cherished family time.

My assignment was simple: pin a corsage on every awardee. However, when Natalie arrived from the ABS-CBNi studios where she had done a TV interview, if you look at the pretty silk blouse she was wearing, there was no way I could pin a corsage without destroying the fabric. If you haven’t met her yet, let me assure you that Natalie Coughlin is VERY tall! Just like any celebrity, Natalie had her fair share of fans during that night. I gave up trying to have a souvenir photo with her although she posed with us for the Filipinas Magazine staffers’ annual group picture.

There were some friends who told me that they had never heard Natalie Coughlin talk about her Filipina heritage during her interviews. What I replied was, “Whether Natalie felt that mentioning her Filipina heritage was appropriate or not, that is her call. We need to respect her decision. After all, if you listen closely to her, Natalie chooses to talk about her passion: swimming. What is important is that she acknowledged her Filipino heritage by showing up at the awards event. Her presence indicates that she does accept the Filipina in her. Maybe this is the right time for Natalie to rediscover some of her ancestral roots, where her grandmother came from.”

Here is the Balitang America segment Natalie Coughlin appeared in that afternoon on October 2, 2008.

I found another video of Natalie Coughlin being interviewed by late night talk show host, Jay Leno.

Rachael Ray chats with Olympic Swimmer Natalie Coughlin

Natalie also wants to help all of us stay physically fit, and is offering free downloads for her iTrain workout programs (that’s a pool workout).

Swimming with iTrainH2O iSwim Demo1

We look forward to seeing Natalie Coughlin in action again in 2012. London, here we come!

The bad news is FilipinaImages.com is now number 6 but the good news is we are still in page 1. The first five links are all dating sites. Let’s not allow FilipinaImages.com rank way below page 1.

Update- from USA google search engine results show us at Number 3.

We at Filipinaimages.com enjoin you to sustain our Filipina Online Campaign by writing about the Filipina in your blogs and continue to link the “Filipina” in your entries.

Aside from blog entries, we also need immediate help from you and your blogger friends.

How?

In your sidebar or footer, place this link. [Don't just write the word, "Filipina." Instead, insert the link. The highlighted, linkable keyword, "Filipina," will be the published result.]

<a href="http://filipina.eu.com/">Filipina</a>

If you have a large community of readers in your site, start a similar sitewide links campaign and use this Filipina link:

<a href="http://filipinaimages.com">Filipina</a>

or simply add Filipinaimages.com with anchor text “Filipina” to your blogroll.

It’s that simple. Male and Female bloggers, spread the word.

We have the power to shape the future of The Filipina Woman’s Image Online.

That’s The Filipina! A collaborative effort to shape the future of the Filipina

Read more details on why we have a Filipina Image Online Campaign.

Friend,

Getting more curious about the Real Estate investing/ entrepreneurial experience?

Or you simply want a buddy along the way?

Visit my blog at http://www.ThinkRichPINAY.com as I share with you my past and present Think Rich Pinoy Real Estate Entrepreneurial journey!

Maybe you can learn something from me or I can learn something from you too!

In this exciting and challenging entrepreneurial journey (especially, if it’s a first-time), it would be great to have a friend!

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RichPinay

These are how people the world over have come to know us, Filipinos. And sometimes, I can’t blame them. For though it’s not completely true that these are what constitute us as a people, it’s not completely false either.

Our main export product is our people. A big chunk of our population — roughly ten percent — are Overseas Filipino Contract Workers (OFWs), many of whom are working abroad either as domestic helpers, construction or factory workers, nannies, and health workers, among others. The government calls our OFWs “the modern-day heroes,” because they have saved the country’s economy many times over through their remittances. Without our OFWs, our economy would have long gone under.

We also have mail-order brides — women who have become wives of foreign nationals through dating sites. I do not think this phenomenon is true only among Filipinos, or South East Asian women for that matter, but our case seems to be out of proportion. Just type in the word “Filipina” in the search engine, and you’d see sites advertising Filipinas as if we were commodities.

Being a Filipina, this situation affects me greatly, more so because I cannot claim that the conception that Filipinas are mail-order-brides is entirely false. Many Filipinas have actually taken the easy road to financial security — by marrying a foreign national they met only through the internet and who they have never met before tying the knot, and someone they don’t — or at least, didn’t at first — love.

And so that’s what our women have come to be known — not just mail-order brides, but brides for sale.

When I was a sophomore student in the university, one of my professors, a tall, young, and light-skinned mestiza-looking woman once related to class one of her experiences in an Asian country during a get-to-know party among international scholars. A friend jokingly introduced her as a European, and everybody believed him. Then this friend introduced her as Chinese, and again, everyone believed him. Then Latin American. Again, everybody believed him. Until this professor told her friend to cut the game out, to tell everyone the truth: that she was a Filipina. So he did; but this time, no one believed him. They thought he was joking. No, it wasn’t because she didn’t look like a Filipina, but because they couldn’t believe there’s a Filipina who would be intelligent enough to be part of that group. They thought Filipinas were only either nannies or prostitutes.

Just recently, a friend of mine who works as a marketing assistant in Qatar told me that if only she had a job to come back to in the country, if she weren’t thinking about how difficult their financial situation back home was, she would have quitted her job. “It’s different here, Sis,” she told me. “They have very poor opinion about Filipinos. They would tell you face to face that Filipinos are stupid, and loose. It’s degrading. But you know what? Sometimes, you couldn’t blame them. There are really quite a number of Filipinas here who are… uhmm… misbehaving.”

There are many other related stories about discrimination and misconceptions about our country’s womenfolk; all disheartening. Mary’s sin is not necessarily Ann’s, but for some reason, their common denomination — nationality — make other nationals think they are the same. Logically speaking, this thinking is fallacious, but perception is not the domain of logic. Right or wrong, logical or not, this perception remains, and we shall be viewed through the lens of that perception, whether we like it or not.

I wouldn’t deny that there is a tinge of truth to other nationals’ misconceptions about us. We do have mail-order brides. We do have women who have become victims of the sex trade. We also have countrymen who have falsified their documents to gain entry to other countries. There are also those who do fishy business. We have women who shamelessly ask (demand?) financial support from their foreigner boyfriends. We have bar girls who do dirty tricks on their costumers. But still, I can’t help but wish that when others look at us as a people, they would look deeper than the skin color, beyond the one-word entry in the passport that reads ‘Filipino.’ Because while it is true that a number of our people had made mistakes in the past, and are committing the same mistake now, it doesn’t mean we are all the same. We share many things, but every person’s actions reflect the choices he or she made alone, not the choices his or her comrades made, are making, or shall make.

That we export labor is a sad thing. But I don’t think it should make me hang my face in shame. And no matter how “lowly” the jobs Filipinos hold abroad, I don’t think we should be ashamed of them. OFWs have gone to work overseas to do the things their employers hate doing, or can’t do. They care for their employer’s elders. They fix their mess. These jobs, though seemingly lowly and menial, are respectable. They care for their employers’ children, while inside they are hurting… hurting that their own children back home whom they left long before they were old enough to memorize their parents’ faces, are left uncared for. And the OFWs wonder, and hope, and pray, that the money they send their kids would be enough to pay for their absences (though knowing full well it won’t be), that the material comfort their remittances could buy their children would be enough to nurture them until they go back home to care for them, never to leave them again.

It’s true, there are thousands of OFW success stories, but for every thousand happy endings, is another thousand wrecked homes and children gone wild. Very sad, indeed. But sadder still is the fact that our government is doing nothing to solve the problem. Instead of creating jobs right at home, our government encourages its people to leave and find work abroad, and of course, send remittances. The saddest part of it all is the lack of realistic government programs to support our OFWs who, instead of finding success, meet up with failure abroad.

Yes, we Filipinos are up for sale. And we’re a bargain, with our medical specialists who work as nurses abroad, lawyers who work as hotel janitors, and professionals who work as nannies. But what can we do? For most of our countrymen, not having the guts to leave the country in the face of scarcity of employment opportunities back home is tantamount to succumbing to failure. For most of us, working abroad has become a matter of survival.

Ah, if only our government would wake up from its drunken stupor, if only it would finally learn to put its act together, it would cease being the hearse that leads the nation to its cavernous pit.

//SEBenosa; 03 August 2008
_____________________________
Please post your comments/join the discussion about this post HERE.

Here is a youtube video of that scene. (View clearer video)

In fact, the Philippines is demanding an apology from BBC.

All right! All right! Calm down, calm down” was always enough to placate the constantly bickering Scousers on Harry Enfield’s 1990s TV show. But it may not resolve the diplomatic row the comedian sparked yesterday after the Philippine ambassador in London accused him of racism and making light of sexual exploitation.

In a letter to the BBC, Edgardo B Espiritu demanded an apology for a skit in the Harry & Paul show in which a posh southern character tries to get his “pet northerner” to mate with his Filipino housemaid.

“Such portrayal and stereotyping of Filipino women as domestic workers and sex playthings is not only egregiously insulting to the Filipino community in the UK, it is also very malicious and is a blatant display of racial prejudice,” wrote Espiritu in the letter to Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of the BBC Trust.

The Philippine government also protested about the sketch, which was screened on BBC1 on September 26.

Congresswoman Risa Hontiveros demanded the BBC publicly apologise and called on the Philippines department of foreign affairs to file a formal complaint to the British government.

Foreign secretary Alberto Romulo summoned British ambassador Peter Beckingham to discuss the matter. But Beckingham said that any apology should not come from government officials but from the network and the show’s producers.

Yesterday Tiger Aspect Productions, which makes the show, said: “Harry & Paul is a post-watershed comedy sketch series and as such tackles many situations in a comedic way. Set in this context, the sketch is so far beyond the realms of reality as to be absurd - and in no way is intended to demean or upset any viewer.”

But a spokeswoman at the Philippine embassy said: “If Tiger Aspect intended the episode to be a joke, we were definitely not amused. Neither did the Filipino community in the UK find it amusing. The UK is a country that is big on human rights issues as well as issues concerning women and racial equality. To stereotype Filipino women … is not only malicious but is also a blatant display of racial prejudice.”

She added: “And just for the record, Filipino domestic workers in the UK command one of the highest if not the highest salary among their counterparts. They are highly regarded by their employers because of their work ethics and their trustworthiness.” An online petition, attributed to the Philippine Foundation, condemning the “disgraceful” skit, had 685 signatures by 5pm yesterday.

A BBC spokeswoman said that the corporation had not yet received the letter from the Philippine ambassador, but that by 3pm yesterday, 54 members of the public had complained to the BBC about the negative stereotyping of Filipinas.

She said that no one had so far objected to the portrayal of northerners in Harry & Paul, but that last month 41 people had objected to a sketch in which a kitten was stamped on..

The following is an account made by the Philippine Foundation on October 5 of the episode.

“On 26 September 2008 at 9 p.m., BBC 1 aired the comedy series Harry and Paul starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. The opening scene showed Paul seated on a chair on his front lawn, while still in his pajamas. A young Asian-looking female was shown gyrating in front of him in a lascivious manner. The postman arrived to ask Harry, Paul’s friend, what was going on. Harry told him that he is trying to see if his ‘Filipina maid’ can seduce Paul who obviously looks depressed.

Harry then continued to shout instructions to the young girl and to Paul to ‘hump’ the Filipino maid. He remained unmoved while the girl even played with his hair. On further instructions from Harry, she continued to gyrate sexually in front of Paul. Harry then instructed the maid to ‘present her rear’ which she did while wiggling her bottom in a seductive manner. The maid did not succeed in seducing Paul as he got up from his chair to go to his house. Harry shouted at the girl in an angry voice to leave as she was useless in doing her job. The girl walked towards the pavement looking upset. While walking on the pavement, the postman looked at her in a leering way and followed her. After catching up with her, he was shown to be whispering in her right ear and the girl then walked off with the postman.”

The result is indigation and an Online petition launched vs BBC on ‘anti-Pinay’ comedy skit.

Called Dignity and Respect for the Filipino Worker Campaign, the online petition stated that “the Filipino community in the United Kingdom hereby condemns the BBC and the Harry and Paul Show for their tactless and insensitive behavior and for inciting stereo-typed racial discrimination, vulgarity and violation of the maid’s human rights. The show demeaned the dignity of honest labor while promoting the sex industry, domestic abuse and maltreatment of the blue-collar worker that effectively sustains this economy.”

Though meant to be funny, I didn’t find it funny at all.

Edit- October 25,2008

BBC formally apologizes to RP

MANILA, Philippines — The British Broadcasting Co. (BBC) has formally apologized for a comedy skit that stirred outrage for portraying a Filipina domestic helper gyrating in front of her British employers, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

The apology is contained in a letter dated October 10, 2008 from BBC Director General Mark Thompson to Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s Edgardo Espiritu.

The episode of the comedy Harry and Paul, initially shown on September 26 and replayed on BBC 2 on September 29 had members of the 200,000-strong Filipino community in the United Kingdom protesting the “insulting reference to Filipino women, typifying them in a dual role as domestic workers and sex toys of their British employers.”

“Please accept my sincere apologies, on behalf of the BBC, for the offence that this program caused you,” said the letter from Thompson, which the Philippine Embassy received only on October 20.”

The BBC apology was written a week before Andrew Zane, chief executive of Harry and Paul producer Tiger Aspect Productions apologized to Filipino protesters who picketed the BBC office in White City, just outside central London, and Tiger Aspect in Soho in central London on October 17.

“We’re sorry to anyone who was in any way offended by the program. This certainly was not our intention,” Zane told the protesters.

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I don’t want to survive, I want to live. wall-e