I remember having a very weird and awkward conversation with a fellow Filipina who was based in Manila. She was in Dubai for a few days to accompany her husband, who was tasked to conduct a workshop for Filipino students in the emirate.
She asked me the usual OFW questions - how long have you been living in Dubai, do you get to go home and see your family, is it hard being away from them, what do you do here. We had a few more minutes to kill, so she decided to ask more questions. How is the business environment here? Is there a demand for software services here? I suppose so, small and medium companies are sprouting every day and they get support from the government. And before I could take a sip of my coffee, she said, "I suppose I could set up a business here. I'm in IT. It's going to be easy running an IT business here." I nodded encouragingly, which I deeply regretted when she blurted out, "But I can't do it. I guess I just really, really love the Philippines." At that point, my tongue froze and my milky coffee seemed to turn into her blood. I was too stunned to respond, so I walked away and didn't give myself a chance to respond. And that is why I have a blog...
"But I can't do it. I guess I just really, really love the Philippines." There is something very, very wrong with that statement. I understand that as newlyweds, she and her husband had already achieved remarkable success at such a young age, and that's great. They had stayed home, paid their taxes, supported the retail and real estate industry, and made a decision to live a conventionally Filipino family life. Awesome.
But there are many other Filipinos who have made different choices and sought success in other places, but never failed to show their love and support for our home country. And they help run the Philippine economy. And the government and global financial authorities have always acknowledged that. Last year the World Bank predicted that in 2012, remittances from overseas Filipinos would hit $24 million. And in recent years, this money has not only been utilized to pay rent, but purchase houses and plots of land and condominium units across the country. Remittances are a huge chunk of our economy, that an official from the National Economic and Development Authority told www.rappler.com that the country couldn't do without remittances from kababayans all over the world. Not yet. Suze Orman even warned OFW families not to be too dependent on remittances, and must learn to earn money on their own, and learn how to save it. (I totally agree with her on that, and I think many families are starting to realize that.)
What I'm getting at is, we help the country despite our physical absence. Consciously, willingly, lovingly. I could have put my money somewhere else, but instead chose to invest in the Philippines. I make sure that I spend at least one holiday there ever year, and do most of my shopping there. I use Milcu instead of Dove. I ditch H&M to spend a whole day in Divisoria. And my best friend Fifi and I make sure that we do our bit to help fellow OFWs. Every single day, I do something great for my country.
Because I love my country. And even though I'm not there 340 days a year, I show my love for it in many, many ways. I've recommended it to many foreigners and actually encouraged some of them to pay it a visit. I'm a walking DOT booth. And with my new job, I will be serving the Filipino community in the UAE.
So Mrs. IT, stop thinking that we are different. It's not always black and white. I'm sure that you also have relatives abroad, and I'm sure you see how excited they are every time they come home or even talk about our country. And if you just broaden your understanding of patriotism, especially against the backdrop of globalization that makes it possible for other countries to utilize their resources for our benefit, you just might get it: We both really, really love the Philippines.
She asked me the usual OFW questions - how long have you been living in Dubai, do you get to go home and see your family, is it hard being away from them, what do you do here. We had a few more minutes to kill, so she decided to ask more questions. How is the business environment here? Is there a demand for software services here? I suppose so, small and medium companies are sprouting every day and they get support from the government. And before I could take a sip of my coffee, she said, "I suppose I could set up a business here. I'm in IT. It's going to be easy running an IT business here." I nodded encouragingly, which I deeply regretted when she blurted out, "But I can't do it. I guess I just really, really love the Philippines." At that point, my tongue froze and my milky coffee seemed to turn into her blood. I was too stunned to respond, so I walked away and didn't give myself a chance to respond. And that is why I have a blog...
"But I can't do it. I guess I just really, really love the Philippines." There is something very, very wrong with that statement. I understand that as newlyweds, she and her husband had already achieved remarkable success at such a young age, and that's great. They had stayed home, paid their taxes, supported the retail and real estate industry, and made a decision to live a conventionally Filipino family life. Awesome.
But there are many other Filipinos who have made different choices and sought success in other places, but never failed to show their love and support for our home country. And they help run the Philippine economy. And the government and global financial authorities have always acknowledged that. Last year the World Bank predicted that in 2012, remittances from overseas Filipinos would hit $24 million. And in recent years, this money has not only been utilized to pay rent, but purchase houses and plots of land and condominium units across the country. Remittances are a huge chunk of our economy, that an official from the National Economic and Development Authority told www.rappler.com that the country couldn't do without remittances from kababayans all over the world. Not yet. Suze Orman even warned OFW families not to be too dependent on remittances, and must learn to earn money on their own, and learn how to save it. (I totally agree with her on that, and I think many families are starting to realize that.)
What I'm getting at is, we help the country despite our physical absence. Consciously, willingly, lovingly. I could have put my money somewhere else, but instead chose to invest in the Philippines. I make sure that I spend at least one holiday there ever year, and do most of my shopping there. I use Milcu instead of Dove. I ditch H&M to spend a whole day in Divisoria. And my best friend Fifi and I make sure that we do our bit to help fellow OFWs. Every single day, I do something great for my country.
Because I love my country. And even though I'm not there 340 days a year, I show my love for it in many, many ways. I've recommended it to many foreigners and actually encouraged some of them to pay it a visit. I'm a walking DOT booth. And with my new job, I will be serving the Filipino community in the UAE.
So Mrs. IT, stop thinking that we are different. It's not always black and white. I'm sure that you also have relatives abroad, and I'm sure you see how excited they are every time they come home or even talk about our country. And if you just broaden your understanding of patriotism, especially against the backdrop of globalization that makes it possible for other countries to utilize their resources for our benefit, you just might get it: We both really, really love the Philippines.
No comments:
Post a Comment