Day 3: Me, the Filipino?

Okay, so it's day 3 already, how time flies! When I look back on what has happened since day 1, being mistaken to be a local was a funny and scary experience at the same time, hehe.

On day 2, the first question that the local guides asked me was, whether I had Filipino roots. ;). Really, I guess it felt like a compliment at first because I could blend in anytime. But yesterday, we had about an hour break so the student guides took us to the biggest park in the city and I noticed a lot of Muslims there. As usual, being the ‘jakun’ tourist, I took pictures of the place. Then out of nowhere a stranger comes up to me and showed me a picture of the back of my head. He said “nice, nice”. I was so scared then and decided that blending in wasn’t such a good idea.

Today being day 3, most of us went to the black market after the talk at Nordis. Feeza and I got separated from the rest of the gang at the market. We had to buy hand phone credit in order to make calls to contact the rest of them. I checked out the nearest shop to buy credit, I asked them in English (of course) if they sold reload cards. Guess what language they replied us in…hahha. I had to repeat myself a couple of times before they finally answered in English.

After that, as usual, Feeza and I went food hunting. Our forced favourite food spot was McDonalds. Both of us stood at the counter ordering our food and we had to wait at the side for a few minutes for the order to get through. It was amusing that the cashier talked to me since Feeza was the one who ordered. The funny part was, the cashier spoke to me in Tagalog which appeared to be quite lengthy to me and I had no idea what she meant. I figured that she told me to wait at the side to get our orders. Haha. So I just nodded my head. Feeza had to go back to the inn immediately due to an emergency so I had to wait till the food was packed.

So I thought to myself only three experiences so far, should be enough to last this entire trip. Little did I know that there was another one coming. No one gave a second look when I walked back to the inn. I told that to Feeza, but she said the opposite. That people gave way and looked as she rushed back to the inn.

As a whole, I think, it’s kinda cool to blend in without the scary parts (of course). It’s the end of day three and I’m looking forward to more unforgettable and enjoyable experiences here.

By Alia

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

ORNUS

At five in the evening, we visited the ORNUS (Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Syudad), an organization focused on helping the urban poor. We had to embark four flights of dark steep stairs to get to. Beyond those stairs, a small room was situated in one corner. It is in this room that the ORNUS community humbly holds their meetings.

ORNUS consists of sub-groups such as the youth organization, transport organization and women organization. The aim of ORNUS is to provide support to the urban poor for many of these individuals have been marginalised by the government. Within a short hour, ORNUS explained their role in Baguio City and addressed the serious issues concerning the urban poor which left us very stunned.

Many members of the ORNUS contributed to the talk about their struggles in Baguio City. They explained the current situation of urban men, women and children who have been desperately trying to make a basic living in Baguio City.

As we all know, the local people of Baguio City depend heavily on jeepneys as their main mode of transport. In January, jeepney drivers could earn 200 pesos per day. Although this figure may seem insufficient, after the 15 ^th oil price increment this year, they are now earning a staggering daily income of only 80 pesos per day. In addition, if they are caught by any officials to be breaking any road laws, they could be fined a minimum of 150 pesos.

One of the objectives of ORNUS is to solve the root problem by suggesting that the government should nationalize its oil industry. The government should take control over its natural oil resources in order to benefit both the public and the jeepney drivers.

Available jobs for construction workers in Baguio are seasonal. Women construction workers opt to work as side-walk vendors during the low peak seasons in order to contribute to the family income. The side-walk vendors sell an assortment of basic goods such as vegetables, fruits, newspapers, cigarettes and etc.

The government views the side-walk vendors as illegal. Therefore, the government imposes a 1000 pesos fine and confiscation of both goods and equipment of the vendors. This creates a larger hurdle for the urban poor to survive in Baguio City. The children of side-walk vendors are equally exposed to dangers and ill-treatments.

The people who are forced to live in squatters are deprived from water supply and public health services. The Philippines constitution acknowledges the social problems of the poor by giving them the right to shelter and relocation after having their houses demolished. However, in reality that is not the case. Thus, these people are forced to return to their province of origin. Meanwhile the land which they were residing before it was destroyed is sold to interested buyers at a rate of 2500 sq meters; which is unaffordable to them.

After listening to an hour of intense talk, it was difficult to imagine living in these conditions. However we are grateful to be educated about the urban poor, as it was something that many of us may have taken for granted. ORNUS ended the session with a simple and touching song which they composed. Remnants of their song lingered in our hearts as we climbed our way back up the stairs.

By Susan and Mindy

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

Voices of the People

One of the events today included a talk by Jun Verzola and Kathleen Okubo from the Northern Dispatch Weekly (NORDIS). NORDIS is a weekly newspaper covering the three regions of Northern Luzon Illocos (with Pangasinan), Cordilerra, and Cagayan Valley. It comes out every Sunday. NORDIS has been in operation since 1989 whereby at that time, the layouts and frills were very simple as compared to the present publications.

NORDIS had to closedown for around a year in 1999 due to difficulties in getting funds as well as adjustment problems in light to the emergence of the internet. However, NORDIS re-gathered and resumed their publications in 2001. By that time, they had come to a new vision in response to their initial problems on adjusting to the contemporary digital world. This vision holds the idea of having a much more alternative media but not totally diverging from mainstream media.

This vision was also the start of NORDIS becoming advocates and practitioners of grassroots media. Grassroots media such as NORDIS prioritise the often neglected issues of basic sectors (farmers, fisherfolk, workers, urban poor, youth, women, and indigenous people) especially at the community level. Grassroots media operate at none or minimal profit, and rely on a network of supporters and volunteers rather then salaried staff. Grassroots media is driven by the idea of connecting to the people or communities that have more often than not been sidelined to the peripheries in national publications.

NORDIS takes the initiative of addressing issues in a more local context instead of unifying everything into a general issue. The logic behind this is to give voices to certain communities that have long been overshadowed. These are the issues that do not normally get into national newspapers and the function of NORDIS is to serve as a bridge between these communities and the mainstream media.

According to Jun, NORDIS relies more on volunteers to contribute stories. This means that they would not need to depend solely on sponsors and organisations to fund their newspaper. In a way, this can ensure that the agenda of the newspaper is not determined by the people or organisations that fund it.

He further explained that they will take proper measures to verify the accuracy and legitimacy of the stories. They will only accept contributions of stories from volunteers who are listed in their established network of sources. This network is made up of relatively well known and reliable individuals and groups in their fields of expertise.

The staff in NORDIS will also counter check each story using book based referencing, their own personal knowledge and the internet. Sometimes, they would also contact the sources to obtain verifications.

NORDIS distinguishes itself from the mainstream press and its main objective is to provide a forum for the community to speak out. The highlights of the newspaper are usually topics not covered by the mainstream press. Its concerns lie in the heart of the people, often the marginalised ones and it aims to give space to various points of views. Put simply, NORDIS strives to give voice to those with no voice.

By Zeck & Pooi Yarn

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

Migrante

Migrante Metro Baguio was established in 2005. It currently has two chapters, anchoring in Itogon, Benguet and Irisan, Baguio respectively.

According to Migrante Metro Baguio City’s Chairperson Flora Belinan, the organization aspires to become Migrante Cordillera. In other words, the organization decided not to limit their assistance to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Benguet and Baguio alone, but to also cater to the needs of the OFWs from other parts of the Cordillera region.

Migrante also has migrant linkages internationally to allow the coordination of the OFWs. Besides that, Migrante Metro Baguio is also a channel for OFWs to voice out their opinions, as well as a place for OFWs to seek assistance should they face any problems when working overseas.

What causes migration?

What causes migration in the Philippines? According to the government, migration is a natural phenomenon, and that OFWs made the decision to leave their country. From the government’s point of view, the OFWs are generally too ambitious and adventurous.

On the other side of the story, from the viewpoints of the OFWs, the story has a completely different twist. Firstly, people migrate to earn a living. If the country’s economy permits them to stay in the Philippines, they would not have to leave their country for better jobs abroad. Currently, ten percent of the Philippines’ population has been sent worldwide for more job opportunities and OFW’s regular remit approximately $8 billion to the Philippines and are hailed as economic heroes to the economically failing country.

The problems faced by OFWs

However the OFWs do face many problems, both within the Phillipines and internationally. There are a few examples. In a particular case study, the Filipino government stated that OFWs did not have to pay placement fees. However, the government later collected P80,000 placement fees from some of the OFWs. The government allowed OFWs to apply for a loan to pay for the placement fee (which in itself is quite preposterous, as the OFWs are working abroad to pay back the government loan they took to work abroad)

In another case study, people were forced to migrate because the government’s economic policies was a burden. The government calculated that a family of five could survive with a monthly household income of P9,672. The problem here is that, many Filipinos are still unemployed. Even if they were employed, they were being underpaid. According to the 2007 Ibon Facts & Figures, 80% of Filipinos are still considered poor for the fact that they can only afford to have two meals a day.

On the relational end. While Filipinos are working overseas, they are not able to fulfill family commitments. In other words, working overseas ruin the relationships of families. Couples seek divorce when they lack the constant communication to make a marriage work. Largely due to the lack of parental guidance, youths have also resorted to drug trafficking as a desperate means to fulfill their monetary needs.

Many Filipinos do not get the chance to shine in their desired field of interest because of unemployment. Instead, they have to work abroad as domestic workers in order to earn a living for their impoverished families back home.

Vision

Migrante Metro Baguio has a few visions. Firstly, it will continue to lobby for the amendment of the policies that might threaten migrant workers. Secondly, there will be more onsite visits, which is a good way for Migrante Metro Baguio to understand how to assist OFWs and their families on the ground level. Last but not least, the organization hopes to build a strong links with organizations in countries which OFWs are working in, to create awareness about mistreated OFWs and to seek ways to help them.


By Max Tan