The Yaya Sisterhood
Sheila S. Coronel

By the World's Bedside
Chit Estella

A Yearning for Rice
Candy Quimpo Gourlay

The One who Stayed
Danilova Molintas

Trained to Care
Avie Olarte

Out of the (Balikbayan) Box
Luz Rimban

Special Delivery
Photos by Luis Liwanag

Digital Filipinos
Jose Torres Jr.

Men as Mothers
Alecks P. Pabico

Educating Melanie
Vinia M. Datinguinoo

Physicians of the People
Yvonne T. Chua

The Philippines is in the Heart
Susan F. Quimpo

My Arabian Nights
Jose Torres Jr.

Necessary Journeys
Cecile C.A. Balgos

iFacts

DOLORES FERRER

GOOD DAY!!!

This is with regards on the article entitled "A Nation of Nannies" i think being nannies or yaya in our native tongue has nothing to do with race. Maybe Filipinos is popularly associated with this because it means we are highly recommended on such responsibility. I don't find it wrong that educated or non-educated Filipinos become nannies, atleast it means that these people are working hard in an honest way. Unlike with this people who are in the position who abuse there powers to get what they wanted to have. It is just a matter of surviving, infact i highly recognized this people because they have sacrifice their education, family and love ones to explore a very different and far away countries.

The patience, hardwork, dedication, and tears that they have invested on such work is very devastiting actually. Imagine, the shift of somebody working in the office as a manager then here comes the opportunity to go abroad to be a nanny wherein the work would be too domestic. For sure, the adjustment period is quite difficult. And what make me say this because i am a living proof of such experience.

ASTRID NEAL

THERE ARE many issues the Philippines are facing before the "yaya" mentality erase from the minds of the people be it from home or overseas. Unless the Philippines government concentrate their effort on improving the system of education, filipinos will remain the workers and not the enterpreneurs. When the time comes and 100% of the filipino are educated, they can wisely choose their political leaders, who can lead the country to political and financial stability. That would be a good start.

At the moment, the majority of the educated people are overseas, busily chasing every dollar to support their family and the ones that are left are the "yayas" to choose the future leaders of the country in every election. They are the ones left in the country whose votes can be bought, or gullible enough to believe the promises of political candidates. Filipinos will not go overseas to work if they can find work at home.

Japan became very successful economically because of their government leaders . Korea is following the footsteps of Japan, and now China is doing the same. In every successful European and Asian country, wherever the economy is low, the citizens always blame their government leader. The secret to success in any country, is vibrant honest leadership.

Filipino overseas workers and government leaders should start waking up to the fact that education is the answer in creating employment. An educated and law abiding population will attract investment and business opportunities from all corners of the world. The Phillippines can use the same set of circumstances as China to attract investors. The Philippines situation includes a low wage workforce that already enjoys a fine reputation for quality, especially in the electronic field. But a further advantage for investors can be found in communication, as the business language, namely English, is common everywhere.

A further situation is now developing where investors are becoming disenchanted with the Chinese attitude towards patent rights and intellectual property rights. America in particular is frustrated over this situation. If the business community in the Philippines could gain the reputation of honest adherance to business ethics offering security of property rights it might encourage those investors to consider the Philippines rather than India as a second choice or even a replacement for China. What a valuable breakthrough for the Philippines this would be. The diplomat in charge of Philippine foreign investment should be given every facility to promote the advantages of Philippine manufacturers. A policy should be developed that ensures every item manufactured in the Philippines will be considerd to be of the very best quality. A manufacturer should not receive an export license unless this quality policy is met. This is essential as there is no room in the market place for cheap goods. China has already flooded the world with throw away items. The market will always support quality.

There is no hope for countries like the Philippines until they accept the challenge of innovation with quality.

GEO CASTAÑEDA

GREETINGS!

First of all I thank your publication for the exposure that you have given Philippines.com.au. At the risk of being pedantic, one iota of correction please is that the character "TruBlu" that Ms Coronel referred to in her article is not a female but the writer herewith.

I appreciate that in web forums such as Philippines.com.au ascertaining matters such as gender of the members is difficult what with the use of aliases or web handles that members prefer to maintain anonymity.

This would have been avoided had Ms Coronel, as an investigative journalist and in establishing her "bona fides" contacted the Administrator/Owner (Mr Homer Bassig) of the forum and sought permission to quote from his property. After which us who she intended to directly quote be informed, asked for consent and hence be given an opportunity to clarify amongst other things, gender.

If only for that I am disappointed at the way this was done, however if Ms Coronel did seek and was given consent by the forum Administrator then I apologise for this and you have a good day. However from where I stand I fail to see any of that having been undertaken by Ms Coronel prior to the article's publishing certainly I was never contacted inspite of the fact that members of the aforementioned forum can be contacted by e-mail through the Administrator. Could you clarify this matter for me please, where I await your reply.

The article is "sensational" but its efficacy to drive the point through is lost through some of the perceived oversights by the author and by your publication.

LYRA PORRAS GARZON

THIS IS a reaction to the piece written by Shiela Coronel entitled "A Nation of Nannies" that appeared on the PCIJ website this December. The author has made interesting points but the issues mentioned merely echoed what I have already read and heard before. The responses the article stirred was primarily on the reputability of being a nanny by Filipino WOMEN and limited the analysis of the issue into a monolithic construct. The economic and political variables that influence the migration of Filipino women abroad to pursue a career in the service industry [either as a nanny, nurse or caregiver] has been established years ago. The same goes for the effects of such migration as the author has mentioned in her article and by others as well, i.e., the redefinition of the nuclear family into a male-centric environment with the man playing the traditionally prescribed gender role of motherhood, the emotional and psychological toll for the family members in terms of separation, the monetary benefits, et al. What we are missing in the discussion, however, are two vital contentions. First, the gender justice issue and second, the marginalisation and stereotyping prescribed to Filipinos from within and outside their community that has produced barriers in addition to pre-existing ones that has made it difficult for Filipinos opting for a "different" path to exert an identity different from the normative. Let me elaborate.

In relation to the gender justice issue, I applaud the fact the Filipinos have, in our own way, redefined the traditional family. By allowing women to play the role of providers of the family and the men to be responsible for the domestic sphere, we have "liberated" the women from the pressures and limits of either being a stay-at-home wife and/or being a working mother AND yet pressured to perform domestic duties at the end of the day. By centering the responsibilities of child-rearing, running a household and many other familial duties to the men, women have pursued the agency for their own empowerment in terms of mobility, finances and career. On the other hand, although these strides are laudable, it is also interesting to note that it is the women who are forced to go abroad and perform domestic-based jobs that reinforce the prescribed gender roles. Only this time, the women are being paid for it and in foreign money as well [dollars or pounds]. The migration of women to pursue this career option has not alleviated the problem but only served to shift the discourse from a national to a global one.

In terms of the second issue, which actually touches on other social justice issues as well which I will not pursue as of this writing, the question should not be solely "why do educated Filipinos choose to be nannies?" but also "what is the effect for other educated FIlipinos who choose NOT to be nannies?" To bring some personal account into this piece, the first time I went to Hong Kong I was standing in a bus stop trying to figure out which bus number to take. Incidentally, there was another woman waiting as well whose features I discerned to be Filipino and so I asked her for directions. First thing she told me was, "Ang bait naman ng amo mo, pinayagan kang mag day-off." Not knowing anything about me but judging solely on my ethnicity, she has made an assumption, and an incorrect one, that simply because I was a Filipino, a woman, and in Hong Kong, I was a domestic help. This experience, of course, was not my last encounter with that kind of stereotyping coming from WITHIN my group. There were other occasions as well and in varying degrees to which I do not have the time to include here. As for discrimination and marginalization from OUTSIDE my community, to put it in the quickest of terms, I have encountered that in almost every city I have lived in, whether somewhere in Asia, the Middle East, Europe or North America. In Asia or the Middle East, I am stereotyped as a domestic help. In Europe or North America, I am either a caregiver or a nurse. These false assumptions create barriers to my mobility and has inspired a strong resolve to reinvent the Filipino image into one that is Ivy-league educated, interested in global politics and issues of culture, media, and human rights. There are others such as myself who have made it our mandate to paint a different Filipino to the global audience. But it is a battle that was, is and will not be easily fought or won. The discourse on the Filipino's place in a rapidly modernizing and globalizing era is not clearly defined but the battle for the liberation of the mind of the global audience has begun.

ORA

GOOD DAY and season's greetings to all staff & family. Thanks for this article. It is like.... one with my mind. I couldn't ask for more as it has spoken out what I'm currently in the situation now. More power PCIJ!