phix7@yahoo.com
Nestor
Palugod Enriquez
portrayed in the
silver screens. People anywhere in the world go to the movies to escape
reality. What is seen on the screen is what is usually perceived. The Filipinos
are not exempted. Colonial mentality, or the idea that the other countries
have so much more to offer than their own, remained in the minds of the
majority of the population. This is not to imply that these seafaring Filipinos
are less patriotic than those who stayed. They have more valid reasons
to leave the country other than to see Disneyland, Hollywood, and snow.
More importantly, Filipinos immigrate to join families and to seek better
opportunities in which they are more likely to succeed and be rewarded
than to stay in the Philippines. The Philippines is often branded as the
only turtle in the school of fish. While the other countries in Southeast
Asia, like Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, are becoming shining stars of
the international market, foreign investors are still hesitant to establish
their business in the Islands. Despite the improvement on the Political
scenario and crime control (confiscated about 50,000 illegal firearms and
over all crime record is the lowest among most countries 13.8/month as
compared to 471.7/month in the US) the majority of the population still
long for the greener pastures. Even though there is a wide variety of places
where Filipinos venture to, the United States remains to be the favorite
and the final destination for most. In the early 1900's, agricultural workers
could make the astonishing sum of two dollars a day. At the time, the Philippines
was a US possession (an out come of the Spanish-American War) and Filipinos
could enter the US with few restrictions. There was also a high demand
for skilled agricultural workers in California. In this respect, the dynamics
for Filipino immigration have been little different from those that have
existed for the Chinese, Japanese, and the Mexicans. They came equipped
with skill, experience, and education. But why to the United States? There
are some special conditions that make the US a desirable destination for
Pinoys. The Philippines is second only to England in the size of its English
speaking population, a decided advantage for anyone coming to America.
Every Filipino is required to learn English. For the educated/professional
Pinoy that consisted of the "Third Wave" of immigration (1965-), coming
to the US is a lot easier than going elsewhere. Since the early twentieth
century, the Philippines has had a very close cultural, political, and
economical relation with the United States. Filipinos come from an education
system that was largely founded by the Americans. Under US "rule" the Americans
began a massive educational effort where they introduced the American education
system in the Philippines, including the induction of English as a national
language. With such strong American representation in the Philippines,
it seems only natural that they would want to come here. It is what seems
and feels most familiar and most close to home. Many Filipinos admire America
and want to be like Americans because of that influence. These things make
the shift much easier for Filipinos than for many other emigrants. Since
Filipino immigration to the US has been going on for some time and on a
large scale, despite the interruptions brought on by WWII and post-war
restrictions, Filipinos who come to the US can connect with established
Filipino communities, if not family members who have preceded them. They
have an established network. "It's like a viscous cycle; families come
to the States, and invariably they leave behind other members that hope
to someday come and join them stateside. When those family members come
to the US, they leave yet others that want to come. And so on. Family ties
tend to be strong in the Philippines, and in some cases, so strong that
members desire to stay a family, not only in blood but in location. Consider
my friend. His parents moved to a town in northern New Jersey in the early
stages of the "Third Wave". Now, a large part of his extended family lives
in that TOWN (not just the state!)."- Aris Esguerra Again, the promise
of more money, a better life, more opportunities. The US was founded on
that unique concept, which is the same reason Filipinos want to come here.
Here are a few responses from the Internet Survey: "Opportunity, better
living conditions, things you see on t.v. like Baywatch, the chance to
give your family a better life, to live the "American dream"-- Linde Lantion
"Economic opportunity, equal opportunity, I America if you have a profession
and willing to work hard you can be successful." -- Albert Santa Romana
"My parents came here in the late 1960s to get their master's degrees,
and they decided to stay because they wanted their children to have opportunities
they never had. A lot of people come here for that reason: it's the chance
at a better MATERIAL life. By material, I mean a better standard of living,
money to send home to the Philippines, opportunity for advancement in companies."
-- Aristotle Aure Esguerra Contrary to the old adage that Philippines is
"Juan Tamad (John the lazy one), they are very hardworking. They are the
few people who would volunteer to work double shifts and overtimes, keeping
in mind the welfare of the family back home and looking forward to the
next visit to the islands. Pasalubong , the Balikbayan Box, foreign exchange
and telephone bills are the most familiar words in a typical Filipino home.
The United States is still the famed land of milk and honey and melting
pot of the world. Opportunity is still big in this country. Meaning, hard
work and patience are still the key factors to better standard of living.
The funny thing is, the Filipinos in the Philippines think that "money
grows on trees in the States." Im not sure how true, but if it is, Filipinos
will be picking trees. For as long as the torch of Liberty glows and as
long as the American Dream live, the Filipinos will keep on coming. While
other countries serve as mere stepping stones, the States is the final
destination for majority of emigrating Filipino. Note: To the retiring
kababayans, the ultimate destination is going back home. This paper reflects
the personal opinion of the writer and the respondees of the survey and
not necessarily that of the general population of the Filipinos.
ANNE PAULIN, anne@pop.net
Before Anne came to the United States she was voted one of the most outstanging young leader in the Philippines. She reflected our current situation well. Our biggest export is human labor and in the process made our country the number 1 exporter of human resources in the world. Our gross national product (GNP) depends on this precious commodity that carried us throughout all the natural disaster that the country has suffered. The dollar flowing back to Manila from the overseas workers ... Nestor Palugod Enriquez
Anne Paulin has a website in tribute to her grandfather. I will post
the URL as soon as I verify.
phix7@yahoo.com
Nestor
Palugod Enriquez