When was the last time you offered something at a Holy Mass? What was it? Like most people, you probably offered an amount of money. Have you ever considered offering something unique or special? And did you do it?
This afternoon, I concelebrated at a Mass in which a broom, a dustpan, and a dictionary, among other things, were presented as offerings. The main celebrant was Archbishop Carmelo Morelos of the Zamboanga archdiocese and the occasion was the Pinoy Family Festival held at the Fatima Shrine in Rome, Italy. The offertory was such a moving rite that many churchgoers were brought to tears.
The offertorium song was not sung. Instead the organist played a soft melodious tune and, while two women marched solemnly to the altar holding a broom, a plastic dustpan, and an Italian-English dictionary, a middle-aged Filipina went to the lectern to read the following words:
Panginoon, naririto ang ilan sa mga instrumento na ginagamit namin sa pang-araw-araw naming gawain. Ang dictionary ang tumutulong sa amin na maunawaan ang mga salitang banyaga na di naming maintindihan. Sa aming paglilinis sa mga tahanan ng pamilyang pinaglilingkuran, ang walis at dustpan ang kadalasan ay siya naming kasangkapan sa paglilinis ng bahay at paligid. Panginoon, ipagkaloob mong ang karanasang ito ay maging daan ng aming paglapit sa Iyo na ang kababaang loob ay manatili sa aming mga puso na kahit kami bumalik sa sariling bayan, hindi kami magiging mga bagong panginoon na mang-aalipin sa aming mga kababayan.
Almost everyone in the assembly was a Filipino domestic helper working and residing in the Eternal City. And you can understand why these everyday things made them unreservedly emotional. The broom, the dustpan, and the dictionary symbolized their everyday struggle and sacrifices, their source of income, their joys and pains – their very life.
If you were a maid, the broom and the dustpan would be like extensions of your hand. Much of your time will be spent on cleaning the different corners of your master’s house. And if you’ve never been to Italy, it might be hard for you to imagine how long and how hard it is to clean an Italian casa. And if you’ve never tried to learn a new language, it might be also difficult for you to understand how long and how hard it is to speak a foreign tongue without being misunderstood or misinterpreted. An Italian-English Dictionary is a Filipino’s best friend here in the bel paese.
Life as a maid or nanny here in Italy is no bella vita. It is such a sad reality that while countless Filipinos tend to the comfort and convenience of the children of their Italian employers, they leave their own children and families in the care of others at home. Family separation and the eventual weakening of family relationships have been caused by forced migration. “Forced” in the sense that the unstable economic and political situation in the Philippines, lack of substantive employment, and pure poverty have left many Filipinos with no better choice but to leave their family and homeland to search for a better life.
Come to think of it, what choice do the migrant workers have? During my three-year stay here in Italy I have met many Filipino migrant workers who told me that if they stayed in the Philippines, yes, they would be close to their families but they would have no food on their table or couldn’t pay for their children’s schooling. At least here they can earn a decent salary which they can send home to put food on their table and send their children to school, and hope to save enough money so they could go home someday and make up for the lost time with their family.
Although the Philippine government hails the migrant workers as “modern day heroes”, it cannot be denied that it is one of the causes of the problems. Instead of providing them job opportunities in the Philippines, the government encourages Filipinos to work overseas for the much-needed dollar remittances. Uplifting the Philippine economy by “forcing” more Filipinos to work abroad is catastrophic because it leaves more and more families broken. Some migrant workers have been asking if all their sacrifices have been worth it.
There is no easy solution to such complicated problems as family separation, poverty and unemployment. Yet, like every Filipino migrant, I look forward to the day when migrating to a foreign land to work will simply be a choice but staying in the Philippines with loved ones will remain the best option.
The plight of Filipino/a migrant workers in Italy are no less different than in any other countries in Europe and all over the world.Filipinos/nas are known to be everywhere in every corner of the world:workers or otherwise.To know, that most of the Filipino migrant workers in Italy are “degree holders” and ended up working as housekeepers is really demotivating.But it’s a common phenomena in all over Europe & even in the USA.Think about all those certified doctors/nurses working as apple pickers/care takers in US, or those masters degree holders ended up working as au pairs in Europe or even those who are caught in the web of people smugglers and ended up as prostitutes.Very sad,very sad indeed.And all these humiliations and sacrifices for one and only one reason alone…economic pogress.
It’s really very depressing that (our) Filipino government has not(yet) been able to lessen/culminate the massive stream of Filipino workers who wanted to work abroad.But could we really point our fingers to our government alone? and blame them for what is happening? or it is so, that we, Filipinos, have acquired that “western mentality” where economic progress is the center of human improvement and economic progress is measured in the number of modern facilities we have at home:how bigger & how modern, the better? Of course,there are those who has no option but to leave their own family to take care of other family for the money they would receive intended for the economic uplift of his/her own family.It is a vicious economic circle and very complicated to break.
I would dare to say, our country needs a revolutionary make over : politically, economically and socially. I don’t how but I believe it would happen,it will take time…maybe a very long time.But for what is worth,we Filipinos are strong believer.Our faith in God is so deep-rooted,that wherever we go,each of us carry our faith in God in our hearts.Our Faith in Him make us strong and resilient in all adversities we encounter as migrants or otherwise and I believe that with this Faith we will find our way back to the Philippines and UNITE AS ONE despite personal differences to make our country great again.
BLESSED is that day,when most /if not all migrant Filipinos workers or otherwise would stream back home not only for the yearly vacation but TO STAY.
Ang silhig,dustpan ug english-italian dictionary kauban ra sa gloves, wipes ug pericare spray. Nursing aide ko dinhi sa Amerika, Padre ug kanhi public information officer sa Philippine Information Agency usa ka attached agency sa Office of the Press Secretary.Usa ka probinsiya ang coverage sa akong trabaho isip information center manager apan karon ania nagtrabaho sa usa ka healthcare facility sa Montana,USA.
Mi-agi sa taas nga proseso ang akong pag-sugot sa hangyo sa akong asawa nga molalin kami uban sa akong pamilya dinhi sa Amerika. Nagsabot kami nga kon mo-abroad man gani kinahanglan mo-abroad tanan kuyog ang pamilya.Tungod sa nagkalugitom nga ekonomiya sa atong nasud ug sa oportunidad sa akong asawa nga makatrabaho isip nurse nakahukom ako nga mo-migrate kami dinhi. Dili ko gusto nga tungod sa kalisod sa ekonomiya mangurakot ako sa gobyerno aron lang ibuhi sa akong pamilya.
Angay nga pamalandongan nganong nahitabo ang “diaspora” sa mga Pilipino. Tingali isip nasud wala kita makatuman sa atong mga kaakohan. Ang pagtuo sa Dios ubanan unta sa mga maayong buhat diha sa pamilya ug katilingban isip bana o asawa, ginikanan o mga anak, botante, lungsoranon, kawani o opisyal sa gobyerno o pribadong kompaniya lakip na ang pagkasakop sa simbahan.
Kon walay maayong buhat magpadayon ang pangurakot sa gobyerno nga maoy nag-unang hinungdan nga nagpadayon ang kawad-on sa kinabag-an ug kahayahay sa pipila lamang. Ang dakung kang-a tali sa kabus ug adunahan tulayan unta kini sa usa ka mahigugmaong relasyon sumala sa imong giingon sa podcast Starwars and the Holy Trinity.
How Filipinos experience emigration now, other countries have been through before. Am Italian born, my wife is Filipina, we now live in Canada. To my acknowledge, population of Italian origin, half in the country and half abroad. When my fellow citizens left the country, they started uphill struggles, in fact over the years they were sent to turn the Brazilian forest and Argentine pampas into fertile farmland. Another wave went to USA and because of not being Anglo-Saxon origin, they were paid half. After WWII, those gone to Australia were employed in sugar cane fields and those bound to Canada found employment in logging camps. mining and construction.
It is known emigration takes its toll in the family’s relationship. In my reality, I remember my father for the first time when I was six years old. In my family, we have relatives spread in many foreign countries and with some of them we lost contact and may not hear from them again.
The question to be asked is whether emigration is good or bad for the country. It is bad because it breaks a lifestyle, but it may be good if this, after all the sacrifices, allows the country to move ahead. As I can see now, the Philippines have not many chances to rise from ground, but with help from OFW this may happen. To be realistic, the country would be better off to count on its own strength than foreign help, particularly from USA. It is sad though that this task is borne mostly by women.
I would like to reassure that sacrifices done now by OFW will be rewarded.
However many holy words you read,However many you speak,What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?