Migrants bring with them ideas and experiences that shape their encounters with their host societies. These ideas and experiences strongly influence who and what they are exposed to and interact with in the countries where they settle. These circumstances then affect the social remittances they send back through various channels, including New Media, or any content available on-demand through the Internet that are accessible on any digital device, such as online newspapers and magazines, company websites, e-books, and social media.
Mga bayani sa Éire: A digital platform to showcase Filipino heroes in Ireland
Jayson and Vising are two Filipino migrants in Ireland whose attitudes and mind-sets were challenged while living in Ireland. I believe that sharing that positive shift in their convictions through ENFiD-Ireland’s digital platform called “Mga Bayani sa Éire,” which we are launching in a few weeks, can help inspire Philippine culture and society. We are hoping that, through New Media – like Gene’s Juan EU Konek on TFC online, Online Magazines like The Filipino Expat, The Spark of Aimee, and Roots and Wings of Rachel, we can uplift the image of Filipinos abroad and present world-class expatriates who are making a difference in their adopted countries.
Jayson is one hero that I may never have met until he came across the Facebook invite I posted for our ENFiD Information Day in October 2. I did not anticipate having quite an emotional journey with him as he recalled his trials and accomplishments in Ireland. I silently joined him shed a tear or two as he shared his remarkable story.
A frustrated politician from the province of Pajo Alfonso, in Cavite, Jayson is currently an undocumented migrant in Ireland. He first came as a tourist who was not granted a work permit he was promised, and therefore became an undocumented worker with irregular status.
Jayson made history by declaring his illegal status in front of hundreds of people at the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty in Dublin in October 17, 2010. He also put his name on Government Record to the Justice Committee on February 25, 2015 to fight for the legalisation of undocumented migrants in the country. He has since been the founding member of Justice for the Undocumented (JFU) which the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) established for the growing numbers of undocumented persons. JFU now has 1400 members and is supported by over 40 organisations across civil society and the business sector and is campaigning a regularisation scheme which would allow over 20,000 undocumented migrants – majority of which are Filipinos (33%) – the chance to come forward and amend their situation. A poll conducted in June 2015 showed that the majority or 67% of the Irish public is in favour of allowing undocumented migrants the right to live and work legally or of providing irregular workers a route back into the system. Jayson was awarded the Justice Gala Activism Award on November 14, 2015 for his exemplary work as the spokesperson for JFU.
Some people will say that Jayson is one of the many who disobeyed immigration laws, and that he became undocumented through his own conscious actions or omissions. With the recent attacks in Paris, immigration laws are under scrutiny once again, hindering his chance to go home with confidence, or without the fears and woes of a travelling law offender. Did Jayson compromise the reputation of Filipino immigrants abroad?
His decision to move to Ireland was a social remittance that contributed to a “culture of migration” that makes moving almost inevitable because people are no longer satisfied by the economic and social opportunities their homelands offer.
Jayson may be one statistic in reports that point to undocumented migrants’ difficulties and vulnerability in terms of their dignity and human rights. He may often live in the shadows under tremendous stress and constant fear of deportation and encounter significant problems in accessing basic and essential services, such as health and education. He may have worked for 6 years in maintenance cleaning and painting which he aptly described as “a 3D job – dirty, difficult and dangerous.” He may have missed his father’s funeral, plus countless other birthdays, celebrations and milestones while being away from his family. He may long for that one legal document that would put an end to the pains of a so-called illegal worker. He told me that can never forget the time he marched in front of Parliament and his heart stopped when a guard called him over. He reluctantly obliged thinking he was in trouble, but instead of a barrage of telling-off words and cold cuffs on his wrists, the Garda gave him a big warm hug and greeted him a hefty “Happy Christmas!” Jayson was sobbing (as was I) as he recounts that the genuine love he felt from such an intimidating man of power truly brought him to tears. Yes, this may be his 11th Christmas away. But he has not allowed himself to be swallowed by depression, nor has he lost hope. He has risen and armored himself with faith and determination to be help and be useful to society. To let the world know that he and many others have committed an administrative infringement rather than a criminal offence and should be accepted and respected by the Irish community.
When asked for his advice to Ireland-bound Filipinos, he says “Everyone has his or her own story, so I have no right to say what is best for Filipinos coming to Ireland. But for me, life is not easy here. My advice is, if you are happy in the Philippines, stay where you are and be with your family. But if you really think Ireland is the place for you, remember that the rules and regulations are different and you must abide by them. Be strong, be humble, and don’t cause any trouble. Always show respect to your host country.”
Jayson attended numerous events, vigils, marches, newspaper and radio interviews, and conferences, all of which I found in the internet. His remarkable story is in 10 company websites, and 5 online newspapers. He was heard in 2 radio stations, seen in 1 TV network and in countless You Tube videos, tweets, and Facebook pages. Clearly, he is a perfect portrayal that centuries-old habits of moving abroad for a better life can sometimes be misleading. That happiness and contentment is what you make of it, whether it be in the Philippines or abroad. Every Filipino migrant should build on that inner strength and use it as an anchor to develop the right attitude, behavior and mind-set, because how you behave and present yourself abroad will be reflected to your families and friends back home and your host country, because somewhere in the digital world, your story is there. Whether or not Jayson’s wish to be home this Christmas will be granted, he has found his own self-constructed peace as the voice of undocumented migrants, a voice that family and friends can be proud of as they witness his good work anytime, anywhere – with a touch of a button.
Another hero whom I have only met in the digital world of emails, is Vicenta Benavidez-Kennedy. Vising, as she is fondly called, has been living in Ireland for the last 38 years. She is co-founder of the first Filipino-Irish Association in Ireland formed in 1980 which she chaired five times in its lifetime of twenty-two years. She was a religious sister for ten years but left the institution and later married James Kennedy, a former Columban Irish priest. An accomplished journalist, she is now retired and she lives with her husband in Lucan, Co. Dublin.
What makes Vising extra special is she is in the process of finishing her book entitled “A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY, From Philippines to Ireland.” I am currently editing it and I will be helping her publish it early next year, both in printed and digital format – or an ebook. Here is a glimpse of one inspirational book that would bring a new light to the challenges of integration among Filipinos overseas.
“Who are you?”
“Where is the Philippines?”
“Do Filipinos speak English?”
“Why do you carry Spanish names?”
“Where did all those nurses come from?”
These were a few of several questions people asked me during my early days in Ireland. While I was happy that people were curious about me, I couldn’t but stammer and struggle with my answers. I was embarrassed to discover that I didn’t have much to say about myself, my country and my people. I thought I have to forget my Filipino hood in order to integrate in Ireland. How wrong I was!
As I went through culture shock and struggled to know the Irish, I was confronted with a never-ending process of self-discovery. I realized that if I should integrate and be confident in another country, I must not only know the other; I must first and foremost know myself!
Describing one’s own culture is difficult. It is a bit like asking a fish in water what it is like to swim in the water. Washed up on the shore, the fish quickly recognizes the difference but may not be able to describe it. Its immediate objective is to get back into the water.
Indeed, we are so unlike our fellow Asians in the mainland. The Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Cambodian, and Vietnamese clearly establish their uniqueness with their own language, custom and religion. Such Asians make no bones about their alien nature; but Filipinos mislead with a western veneer, create impressions and lull not only strangers but even themselves into false premises and postures.”
Filipino culture faces a never-ending change amidst speed of mobility and constant exposure to different cultures as experienced by many overseas Filipino workers. “Ang di marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay di makararating sa paroroonan.” In the context of cultural integration, it means, unless I know myself and my own culture (where I come from) I will find it difficult to see the signposts to where I’m going.
We only begin to perceive our culture when we are out of it confronted by another. And so it came to be that in my 38 years living in Ireland, I went into a journey of self-discovery –first, on my own as the only Filipino in Lucan, Dublin in 1977 and 23 years later amidst an Ireland bustling with some 70,000 immigrants among whom are my fellow compatriots of about 12,000 Filipinos.
The Purpose of this Book
Often the realization of the power of culture comes only in retrospect. Many of those who survived, and those who did not, can take this opportunity to reflect on their experience, to crystallize the learning so that it can be passed on to others. This book is my way of sharing and passing on to the next generation of Filipino-Irish my 38 years of living in this island.
Voyage is based on my writings published in Metro Eirean and Filipino Forum- two newspapers set up to help immigrants adjust and integrate in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger years (1998 to 2010). The economic boom during this decade transformed Ireland from a net emigration to a net immigration country. Almost overnight Ireland became a multicultural society with 167 languages being spoken. The country’s inexperience in hosting immigrants had led to Government policies that were constantly evolving and discomfiting to immigrants and their dependents.
This period saw the most rapid and sudden deployment of nurses, workers, and other professionals from non-EEA countries to Ireland. Where workers thought they would only deal with the Irish, they realized they will now have to blend and adjust with several other cultures in the workplace. Never before did I discover the need for cultural integration and the need to dig into my identity, to grasp and explain it, so I would be understood.
Prof Jeffrey Alexander, an American sociologist, spoke of the need for immigrants to be visible. For migrant groups to win a place in society he maintains that the main culture has to come to “admire” the other culture and possibly “change”. He said change has to be a kind of “mutual seduction” and immigrants have to “write novels that are best-sellers”. “There has to be a kind of “dramatic moments that tell stories” to allow people in the center of society to identify with them.”
Who would make this ‘mutual seduction’ possible? Who can make us visible in Ireland? The challenge is on us. With hope and trembling, I wish this humble book would serve as an aperitif towards that end. Given time, we will discover that cultural differences are not threats to be overcome but a challenge to be enjoyed.
Vising is has contributed a lot to the Filipino and Irish community, and “a perfect portrayal of a migrant who has evolved from a “culture-less” Filipino to an enlightened individual with an undefinable level of clarity of who she is through her remarkable journey of self-discovery. “A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY, From Philippines to Ireland,” a very inspiring book to look forward to. Coincidentally, her Irish husband, James Kennedy, is also an avid writer, who wrote Fat God, Thin God a reverse chronicle of his seven years stay in the Philippines which shares his difficulties coming to grips with the culture of the Philippines, and of the loneliness and frustration he and his fellow Columbans felt as they worked with their parishioners in a place so far from home.
Jayson and Vising are examples of Filipino migrants becoming better individuals by developing positive social remittances as they faced the harsh challenges of integration. With that, I end with this: Whether emigrating was a choice or a necessity, embarking on maximising digital means across all channels can generate the greatest value for the Filipino brand. Our unique and intangible ideas, know-how, practices, and skills can help our country’s future in an increasingly globalized, competitive and fluid world. Let us continue to guide our fellow migrants on this mission, to be positive members of society like Jayson and Vising whose attitudes shifted from utter confusion to slowly discovering themselves and now finally having an incredible clarity and determination to be heard in a foreign land and beyond, through the digital world – all with a touch of a button.
“Mga Bayani sa Eire” will be launched in various Social Media channels in the coming months. It will also be integrated in the first updated online handbook called “Getting Started in Eire: An Reference for Ireland-bound Filipinos.” The handbook will have a printed booklet version, which will be given to hundreds of nurses coming in Ireland from January 2016. ENFiD-Ireland is also currently in the process of becoming registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee, and is going to participate in the Easter Uprising Centenary Celebration on April 23, 2016. We are also in the process of developing a proposal for funding a Paaralang Pinoy.