the new ones who are eagerly wanting to find a job and at the same time overly excited to have a sight-seeing and meet friends or vice-versa, those old ones who are stable and enjoying the times of their life. old ones who are also for a long time a breadwinner in the family and a financial provider, those present who have just successfully landed a job trying to adjust to the new and challenging environment and at the same time having to budget for a few months to pay and settle agency fees.
filipinos in singapore as defined by wikepedia: the free encyclopedia
Filipinos in Singapore consist of migrants from the Philippines and their descendants. as of 2007, an estimated 80,000 work as domestic helpers, with another 12,000 in the information technology industry.[1] This marks a slight rise from 1995, when roughly 75,000 domestic helpers from the Philippines were estimated to be working in Singapore.[2] In recent years they have seen professional diversification, with others working as nurses, bank clerks, sales assistants in department stores, or entertainers.[3][4] However, of those, only 27,000 were registered to vote in Filipino elections.[5]
clearly in the figures above, bulk of the filipinos in singapore are dominated by domestic helpers, the very reason that filipinos in singapore are stereotyped as such. who could forget the sensational case of flor contemplacion and delia maga in the pages of history of both singapore and the philippines, not to be missed is " Christine" a filipina maid who have inherited millions from her employer after a selfless and devoted service to her employers. three different individuals of completely opposite fates. it will be a long way to go before we can completely changed the existing scenario. professional diversification would be a tough feat.
like all other filipino foreign workers in the world, they get to look for things to do and ease their moments of boredom and moments of stress. facebook and all other forms of social media has always been a good companion over the years, the filipino channel and gma pinoy tv is also an option to be considered. for high end filipinos in singapore, photography and devoted time for the gym are also choices to note. but the best thing to really enjoy and release stress is when you get to be a part of birthday parties, baby showers, weddings and anniversaries. it is when you see friends, have a taste of filipino foods, drink till you get drunk a bit and a videoke sessions that follows, just make sure all the windows and doors are closed so as not to be opening the door for a police warning.
representation of faith of filipinos in singapore are very evident, not only of roman catholic faiths but of christian faith and a seeding community for our brothers and sisters in iglesia ni cristo. during sundays, catholic churches would be populated by filipinos with their friends, families and acquaintances and even just by themselves. hearing mass every sunday is a sure thing for them before a shopping or after a shopping. but sometimes its saddening that when filipinos are inside the church the solemnity and peacefulness are quite abrupt, we are yet to putting away repartees and colloquy while inside the house of god. kanya-kanyang bulungan, kanya- kanyang tsismisan hay...
in economics they have the the law of demand which states that: if the price of a commodity increase the demand decreases and if the price of a commodity decrease the demand increases..and filipinos in singapore adheres to this. if a warehouse sale is announced or advertised, sure enough it will spread viral through all forms of the social media overnight. crocs sale in expo has always been a sure hit, charles and keith footwear also makes noise whenever they have sale periods and just recently, converse shoes and apparel sale was well attended. and also not to be snob are the IT show at suntec. filipinos in singapore cannot dare to miss these things, they buy not because they need to but because it is on sale. ( photo courtesy of crisse apan )
singapore is an open country not only to filipinos but also for all individuals who has the capacity and the ability to do so from all around the world. and with all the strict government policies it is a blessing to be included in its foreign workforce. not all filipinos in singapore lands a job that is matching to their academic credentials, many are considered to be displaced workers. nursing graduates who are in the retail industry, teachers who are in administrative and clerical works, doctoral degree holders who are in food and beverage industry. they go for jobs that comes first and who will pass the scrutiny of the ministry of manpower. there are also stories of failure in finding a job in singapore, some of them after months of trying and losing opted to go back to the philippines and accept the fact that singapore is not for them.
while that it is true that the salary package in singapore is very much afar a worker is earning in the philippines, dapat ring isaalang-alang na malaki man ang sahod ay malaki rin ang mga gastusin at gugulin na dapat ibawas sa kita habang nasa ibang bansa. house rental, food, transportation going to work, electricty and water, these are just basic things that cuts the bulk of a foreign worker's salary. but not all the relatives of a foreign worker in the philippines, specially in the barrio do not have a complete grasp of what does it really takes and what does it really cost to be a foreign worker. they are just seeing the image and the glamour of being in " abrod" or "de abrod". christmas season that are missed, special occasions in the family that you are not around, hindi mo nakikita ang paglaki ng iyong anak, that little by little you become a stranger in the midst of your children at minsan dumarating pa sa mga pagkakataon na uuwi ka na lamang after so many years being in abroad upang makipaglibing at ihatid sa hukay ang sinumang pinakamamahal. nakakalungkot na tagpo at nakakadurog na katotohanan.
short distance to philippines from singapore is an advantage and many filipinos in singapore benefits to this favorable position. three or four consecutive off days would be a great time to have quick travel to the philippines and visit your loved ones, but this does not apply to all filipinos in singapore, nakadepende pa rin sa budget at sa kita, sa halip na umuwi ipinapadala na lang pandagdag sa mga gastusin.
ilan sa mga filipinos in singapore ay unti-unting tuluyang niyayakap ang buhay singapore. nakikipagsabayan sa buhay na mabilis, marangya at maginhawa, ngunit nakalulungkot na kasabay ng pagyakap na ito ay ang pagtalikod sa mga magagandang gawi at asal ng isang pilipino. others act and feel superior over the others. in some cases, several filipinos would conceal their true identity as a filipino just to be a part of what they think is a superior race.
while some filipinos in singapore chooses to live and be here forever, many also chooses to be back in the philippines after years of working and saving for the future. and i want to say, after all the stories of triumph and failures that has happened and bound to happen we will sure be back to the place we call home. sa lugar kapiling ang ating mga minamahal na siyang dahilan ng lahat ng ating mga pagpapagal at pagpupunyagi. buhay man o patay babalik at babalik pa rin sa ating bayang kinamulatan, tayo pa rin sa dakong huli ang muling magtatagpo at tiyak na pagtatagpuin...
kudos to all the filipinos in singapore may it be the new, the old and the present..
