A nation of servants, part II

So the HK Magazine column of Chip Tsao has received more hate mails than appreciative comments that both the publishers and Mr. Tsao has actually apologized to the Filipinos it has incensed over the racial slur on the article "War at Home".

Tsao and the publishers had said that in reality, the article was meant to be a satire as there are many interpretations to the English language. For the information of Mr. Tsao and the HK publishers who probably do not know how to use appropriately the English language because they are Chinese trying to utilize the English vernacular in their dreams, a magazine or on-line publication is NO PLACE to print a satire. It does get misinterpreted and is a sad and pathetic excuse for publishing racial and politically incorrect opinions, which leave room for retractions, as an after the fact excuse.

Moving on, have you then noticed that in the Bulletin Today, a newspaper published in the Philippines that the headline emblazooned the "250,000 JOBS IN DUBAI, QATAR".
And of course the article written showed how much the government, particularly Ate Glue had worked so hard at looking for jobs for the Filipinos in other countries like the Middle East.

I could not help but recall that the original traveling salesman president, FVR, used to hop on a plane almost every month to go to other countries in order to invite and encourage foreign investors to come to the Philippines to create jobs and invest in the country.

His successor, Erap, was forgettable. He was busy staying in the Philippines counting the moolah he was getting from jueteng. He didn't last long in office and Ate Glue eventually replaced him. Her first years were not traveling stints, but eventually, Ate Glue got the traveling bug and started hopping on an off an airplane in order to take her cabinet and the privileged few congressmen to junket trips.

Yup, she did try to pitch a sale, but instead of encouraging people to see the Philippines as an investment, she was more of what we can call a "recruiter". The mother of all recruiters!!! Ate Glue is proud that she has found jobs (isn't that odd) for Pinoys in the Middle East or elsewhere around the globe so that Pinoys can all work overseas and send dollars home. You see, it is better to send them out of the country because in working as construction workers in the Philippines at minimum wage, means that they don't pay taxes to the government. BUT, if you work as OFW, then that means that the government gets to use your remittance and the remittance fee. "Ang saya saya noh!"

You gotta hand it to her...she is very intelligent...send out every Filipino, including their kids...and you have less of these "servants" escaping the fact that they don't pay taxes because they are minimum wage earners.

So can you fault the people like Tsao who look upon the Pinoys as a "nation of servants"? Our very own president markets human resources in the country as such.

A nation of servants

I am posting this news from the Philippine Star newspaper today.

MANILA, Philippines - A congresswoman yesterday called on a Hong Kong magazine to apologize to the Philippine government for offensive and defamatory comments on Filipinos in an article on the country’s claim over the Spratly islands which China also claims.

Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros voiced strong protest over the article of Chinese writer Chip Tsao published in the HK Magazine of the Asia City Publishing Group, where he called the Philippines a “nation of servants.”

In his article, Tsao protested the Philippine claim over the Spratlys, urging his compatriots not to bow to the Philippines because there are “more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong.”

“As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter,” Tsao said in his article.

He also mentioned that he employs a Filipina domestic helper named Louisa and warned her that should a war erupt, “I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day.”

“With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings,” Tsao added.

“I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China,” Tsao wrote.

The Chinese writer likewise said the Philippines should stop threatening China.

“The Philippines may have a Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout ‘China, Madam/Sir’ loudly whenever they hear the word ‘Spratly.’ They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout ‘Long Live Chairman Mao,’ at the sight of portrait (sic) of our Great leader during the Cultural Revolution,” Tsang said in his article.

Hontiveros took strong offense at this and said the magazine should apologize immediately.

“This disgusting, derogatory, and vile remark can only come from dim-witted and mediocre writing. The magazine should apologize straightaway. The article reflects the kind of attitude that promotes abuses against Filipina workers,” Hontiveros said.

She said Tsao’s story should not have been published, owing to its defamatory nature characterized by racial discrimination against Filipinos in general, and domestic helpers in particular.

“Chip Tsao should find another profession. He should leave the Spratlys issue to the diplomats and writing to real writers because clearly he has neither competence nor talent in foreign affairs and in writing,” Hontiveros added.

“When you make fun of a particular group, you expose them to abuses. Wittingly or unwittingly, you end up supporting acts of intolerance and abuses,” she added.

“Filipina domestic workers should hold a one-day strike to tell the likes of Chip Tsao who’s the real master of the HK economy. If all Filipino workers in HK would strike, the HK economy would grind to a halt without us having to invade the territory,” she said.

She said Filipinos are not asking for political correctness, just professional treatment.

“Domestic work is a decent job. It’s not just done by hired Filipina domestic workers, it has also been the function of mothers of all nationality, in Hong Kong and China and elsewhere. It should be treated with respect,” she said, adding that by insulting Filipina domestic workers Tsao has also insulted his own mother.


I was slighted by the article. Now I will bash Tsao. This f*ck*g chinese pig must be hanged by his balls at the bashing he has done to Filipinos. What gives the as*hol* the right to make defamatory remarks about Filipinas. Then he can go hire his own FCKN mother to clean his toilet for him. Dang! FCKN idiot. All the Filipinos should keep their dignity by not being employed by the FCKR Tsao. Let his wife and kids clean their sh*t. And Congresswoman Hontiveros is right, leave the foreign affairs to those with brains. Tsao the idiot should shut up and keep his slavery attitude to the dungeons of China. He should look at his own backyard before he bashes the Filipinas who sell their dignity in order to feed the Republic of the Philippines.

Then again, the almost 150,000 Filipina maids in Hong Kong do not speak well of the kind of human resources we send out to the tiny Special Administrative Region of China. But the Philippine government is left with no choice because the local economy depends highly on dollar remittances from OFWs. Without the latter, the Philippines would probably be the poorest country in Asia, next to Bangladesh and Pakistan. And that's the pathetic side, that while Tsao has no right to go bashing and defaming the Filipino "servants", our government has got to clean up the human resources we send out to foreign land, which is tarnishing our image as Filipinos. In our own backyard, our lawmakers steal the very money that we earn, only to send more Pinoys to foreign land to be used, and abused. And those who are lucky just watch from the sidelines.

You see, we mirror what we give. Perhaps it is time that we take back what is ours. Even if it means having the head of Chip Tsao on a silver platter!

Chip Tsao is a best-selling author and columnist. A former reporter for the BBC, his columns have also appeared in Apple Daily, Next Magazine and CUP Magazine, among others.

The road less traveled

Prediction has it that this year, the worldwide economic meltdown is going to take a toll on the developing countries.

The pinch has not seemed to hit the Filipino in the Philippines - yet.

The government is banking on the OFWs as we brace for the effect of the global financial crisis in the Philippines.

The last Christmas holidays saw a lot of Balikbayans. Many were not only here for the cheaper holiday escapade, but many balikbayans were actually scouring for opportunities in the Philippines.

They say that a crisis brings out the humility in human beings.

When the Filipino decides to become an OFW, or decides to migrate to a land of opportunity, he must leave pride behind. I have seen a lot of friends leave stable well paying jobs in Manila, only to start with less paying odd jobs in the US or Canada or the Middle East. The reason is - for family.

Now that the global financial crisis has hit the industrialized countries first, these are the same people that have looked to coming home. Time to swallow and leave pride behind once more.

Life indeed comes full circle. One day you're way up there. The next day it's all gone. Life's choices are made by us. While many follow the Exodus, some of us take the road less traveled. The latter is more difficult and filled with challenges. Many of the success stories of great men are those that have taken the road less traveled.

Whichever road we take, whatever decisions we make, right or wrong, the challenges and consequences should not make us regret the decisions we started off with.

Exodus

This week alone, three of my close friends are migrating. One to the US, the other two to Canada.

These are not people who are from the D and E class of society. They are middle managers in their respective field of endeavor. They earn more than P1M a year. And they are part of the new batch of Filipino citizens that are queuing to the lane called "EXODUS".

I will not venture to ask them why, but wish them good luck.

I understand why they did what they had to. At the turn of events in our country today, all the politics is hurting the economy of this country and the turn towards a financially unstable future in the light of the very high inflation rate of 9.8% is hurting every Juan de la Cruz.

Over two decades ago, the OFWs (overseas foreign workers) were mainly comprised of the poorer sectors of society. They were teachers who gave up teaching in public schools so that they can earn HongKong or Singaporean dollars. They were skilled laborers who traveled to the Middle East so that they can earn US Dollars for their families in the Philippines. Both parties made the ultimate sacrifice - parent(s) working abroad while the children are in the Philippines. Some have seen some of their dreams fulfilled. Others are still migrants of the world, finding their dreams in the midst of nightmares.

About 4 or 5 years ago, I had given a lecture during the annual convention of the Philippine College of Physicians and provided initial data of doctors shifting careers as nurses. While some in the audience agreed, the others scoffed at the numbers. Today, it has become the pride of the Philippines to ship out our graduate doctors who have shifted to a nursing course. And those taking nursing and pharmacy are a growing number, simply because of the enormous employment opportunities.

The inflation rate in the country has swollen to almost 10% from a 3.4% inflation rate same time last year. For the average worker who brings home a net income of P10,000 a month (with nothing saved), where does he get the extra P1,000 to circumvent the hardening economic times? The P20 increase of Gloria is a pittance because that would simply mean an added P440 a month in take home pay. He still lacks P560. And with the escalating cost of basic commodities, he will need to tighten his belt more. And health service will definitely be at the top of the list.

While the markets have locally grown compared to the same month last year, this is not because the market has become more bullish. There have been many players in the various markets. In the pharmaceutical sector for example, the deluge of generic bit players have grown in leaps and bounds, and with due cause. Consider the parameters of food, clothing, shelter, education and health care. Health care will definitely always be at the bottom of the list. And with the escalating cost of almost everything, belt tightening will begin with health.

These are difficult times. Even for those who have a little more, these are trying times. There are not much employment options in the country. And the queue to the international airport and out of the country is biting every working sector in the country. As the middle class takes the exodus now, the gap between the rich and the poor has become smaller and smaller. The middle class after all, serves as buffer to the extremes in social class. The middle class takes the brunt of the taxation scheme of this country. The rich have accountants that can shave off the billions of pesos they should be paying. The poor, well, the poor don't pay taxes anyway. So what's the use of including them in the discourse?

The government must be more palpable during these times. Mendicancy through doleouts by Gloria must be stopped. "Give a man fish and he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish and he eats a lifetime." It is with this saying that the government is trapped in a status where they cannot provide more job opportunities, nor decent livelihood programs, or programs where the government cuts down spending so that more funds can be appropriated to its citizens. It then results in inculcating a culture of mendicancy among its people.

The only light we see at the end of the tunnel, is the fact that Gloria's term is about to end. But the way politics is in the Philippines, it has become a way of life, a business venture, and yes, the reason for the exodus.