To continue with our earlier discussion, Joel Alarilla wrote a follow-up article in Inquirer.net – “The revolution will not be televised, but blogged“.
He asks the question and Will 2007 be the Year of the Filipino Blogger? and says “I believe so, because now we might see whole groups of Filipino bloggers achieving success here and abroad.”
I find myself agreeing with him and I’d like to elaborate on that as to why I think so. A lot large blog networks out there have at least one Filipino problogger in their roster — Know More Media, Creative Webbloging, b5media, Bloggy Network, WeblogsInc. etc.
See, when I took the position over at Blog Herald, there was quite a mix of ruckus and excitement. It was in the news (well, our news) and some people were asking me why there was so much excitement in our little part of the world about the development.
I explained that our generation (i.e. Filipinos) have become known around the globe as any of of these types of people — domestic helper, nurses, sea men, care-giver, or call center agents. In short, we’re looked down by most as cheap 3rd-world laborers. I have aunts that are working as nurses in the US for decades, uncles & cousins on a cargo ship at sea, relatives who are domestic helpers (OFW is the proper term) in Singapore & HK, older cousins who graduated as nurses but ended up as care-givers in UK and even more younger cousins who are now waiting for their Nursing Board exam results. So, a fellow Filipino taking over a top position in a pre-dominantly western niche is real news.
Several contacts I’ve talked to told me about the stigma that comes along with being from the Philippines. So no wonder that a lot of Filipino start-ups open up offices (or shell companies) in New York, San Francisco or the Silicon Valley to avoid being flagged as an Asian (or Filipino) BPO or outsourcing lest they’d be ignored and not get the credit or attention they duly deserve.
So yes, maybe the blogosphere is indeed a true equalizer where regionalistics bounds do not exist nor color of the skin or the height of the nose are excluded from the equation. Yes, we could do better in the blogging industry and hopefully we’ll show more of that this 2007.
I don;t believe you’ll be suitable, have you truly studied the details?
well-known filipino bloggers make me proud of being a filipino also…I want also become them someday:)
I am a little late getting into this space but would you mind if an American expat gives his 1/2 centavo (when did an American ever require permission to speak? :))
I work in a software Development Center located in Cebu called icatchit.com. We employ filipinos, of course, and that is the good news. It has been my pleasure to work with the current staff for the past year.
Philippines in general and Cebu in particular is poised to make a leap (financial, intellectual, and social) in the near future. As I see it, Cebu is like a kernel of popcorn that is heating up and is about ready to pop. Are Cebuanos ready for this? Probably not. No one can be truly ready for financial prosperity, intellectual recognition, and social maturity; it has to happen and then the investment in time and money will be vindicated. But as far as I can tell we are about to see some good stuff emerge from the region that I predict will make the RP a major hub in Asia. time will tell of course, it always does.
To my hosts: you have proven to be kind and generously open with your culture and your hospitality. I hope that never ceases bcz it is one of your endearing traits that I really appreciate. In the next 5 years, when Filipino becomes a global participant on a grand scale, here’s hoping some of that old culture will stick, Lord knows we could use a little inspiration.
Jerry C from icatchit.com
Tangent? CoTangent?
@Everyone
What did the tree say when he/she looked at the mirror?
Geometry
now thats funny…. lmao…
Can’t stop wont stop… haha…
I never imagined how far the tangent would bounce with this topic. I’m actually tempted to change the title.
Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion — the very essense we’re all blogging out here right?
Happy New Year! ;)
this is the reason why i love yuga’s blog. the fun never stops. this is also the reason why blogs are so powerful. this is just the start of 2007. hopefully, this would be a bigger voice for filipinos. wrong or right it’s his opinion. and for this thread, mike abundo will keep the fire burning. hehe.
That is wrong putting out your family bizness out like that… Wouldnt you all agree?
Welcome to the first big fight of 2007: global netrepreneurs versus slave apologists.
Now this is one of the ways to start 2007. A very lengthy discussion of something that is off-topic.
Important? I guess. What I’m trying to say is: I am a blogger. And this year is my year.
@the cat
i know about art bell hoax.
and thank you for that info about the background of the article. it’s hard to keep track about things that are happening in the philippines especially when i’m not there. and it’s a link. an article like you said. and there’s no rule that i can’t post a link that i don’t know a background of. i read the news, that’s how i keep up with things there. and the news are for public consumption, it’s the nature of it. temperatures are rising in this blog but i’m freezing in my living room. irony of life… just talk decently because people will listen. no need for harsh words.
the duality in life is that we take the good with the bad. i think it’s both sad and good. but rather than being bitter about it, i’d say, whatever works. and blogs will always be full of opinions…. and that’s what’s wonderful about it.
I agree with the Cat. Filipinos are valued for their work ethics and friendlyness. I don’t think Europeans look down on Filipinos. As the Cat points out they put you in the “Asian” category. Not many Europeans can recognize a Filipino from a Chinese, an Indonesian or a Malay.
Sad to say but I think most people here in the Philippines got an inferiority complex. The problem is that YOU think we Westeners look down on you. In most cases it is not true.
I wasn’t surprised nor found it strange that you got a top position in a foreign company. Why should I?
issai,
What OfW was pointing out is the economic law of demand and supply.
Are you reading the newspaper lately or if you are an OFW, didn’t you notice that exchange rate has been down to 48: 1? Do you ever send money to the Philippines and notice the big difference?
Did you read that some corporations are able to pay their long term obligations in advance?
So how do you gauge the growth of economy by reading the opinion writers?
I have been waiting for their doomsday prophecy of Philippines falling like Argentina because we will renege in the payment of our foreign loans but latest is we are able to float bonds in the world market which means, the investors trust us.
Hey, may be I should not be teaching someone who does not understand the economic law of demand and supply. It is a waste of time and bandwidth.
@ the Cat
I didn’t say anything about selling out to be a nurse:
Oh yeah, therefore you posted an article that you do not know the whole story about it.
That is what I am saying You read one article and you post it for other people’s consumption not understanding the root cause of it.
For your info, that has been a controversial topic in the newspaper and the publishing of it was initiated by some lawyers and competing nursing agencies. Mike D was even involved.
That’s what is wrong with us in the cyber. Read an article without even verifying what’s it all about. Art Bell- like which up to now is being gobbled by clueless bloggers.
“Goddammit, I see a whole generation taking pride in jobs Americans hate!”
And what job do they like?
Nursing is a brain and brawn type of job. Flunk the test and you will not make it.
It is a college degree too. Filipinos should be thankful that they can go to College with the help of the relatives. Here, they have to send themselves to school by bussing in the restaurant
or bartending.
It’s the farming and the meat canning that they will never get into.
So Mike A what do you take pride for.
@reyna elena (after getting a background of who you are)
it’s great that you look out for your fellowmen by ways of your blog. then take time to listen to them. this blog is not to dampen spirits or insult our pride. i admire your blog, and i surely taken time to read it. a person once said to me “After you feed your family and have all the money you want, now what?”. He’s right, now what? You hate your job but you’re rich. At least look beyond the money. It’s always a matter of what is lost and gained. That’s why you find me so contradictory. Just because somethings are lost, it doesn’t mean its bad.
a brief explaination of shortage:
why is there a diminishing pipeline of students? probably because they don’t want to study nursing? i also read about supply and demand, even got the facts why there is shortage.
http://www.nursingsociety.org/media/facts_nursingshortage.html
if economics was the answer, our president is good at it. but why are we still in the doghouse?
and to some people, as stated in reyna elena, as long as you earn more in the US or other countries, it’s a no-brainer. if you’re over worked, or unhappy with your job, the power of money is ready to compensate? there’s good stories and sad stories from this. implying that working in the US is better because of the money is quite unfair.
well whatever works… dude… i’m not here to impose my will on anyone
@reynaelena once more
ahh yes, i am an OFW too! but i don’t pretend to be blind to reality…
@reynaelena
if you can’t tolerate people who have opinions and people who pinpoint facts from both perspectives, which you call contradictions. then saying goodbye to this blog is indeed a good idea. call me a dudette.
Congratulations, Abe even if I still have to fully understand about Blog Herald.
@ issai
You’re full of contradictory. If I was DA doctor and works for Php300 a day when I can earn $300 per hour in the United States… dude… it’s a no-brainer. End of discussion.
@mike abundo
“The OFW phenomenon is not a “saving grace†to our economy. The social costs far outweigh the financial benefits.”
All these social costs you’re talking about are pure hearsay – there’s no study whatsoever to the effect that there is some sort of social catastrophe in the Philippines because of this what you call phenomenon. In contrast to what you have just said – the almost $10 billion remittance was in fact A SAVING GRACE to the Philippine economy when the Asian Financial Crisis hit. This is a well-known fact. All Pinoys should be thankful to all of us OFW’s..
@issai once more!
GOD THIS IS PURE CRAP!!!
” the reason why they needed to import foreign workers is because americans wouldn’t want to do labor jobs, nursing is a labor job, so is care giving… i know this because my aunt is a care giver and her body is giving out because how tiring it could be. And not even blacks would want to do labor jobs.”
DO YOU PEOPLE EVER UNDERSTAND ECONOMICS?!
I AM DO DAMN OUT OF THIS BLOG!
AU REVOIR!
Reyna Elena
www.reynaelena.com
@ the Cat
I didn’t say anything about selling out to be a nurse. Yes they do prefer filipinos, I’m not saying filipinos are less than americans. But think of it this way, this generation, my generation is deprived of opportunities that would make them happy. It’s more like a self-preservation thing. But what about things that would bring meaning to one’s life. Money, yes money… it’s always the case. I’m not arguing money here. I just want the best for our fellowman, and see them at their best in the things they love to do. Not something that was imposed on them by a society that can’t give them opportunities except to be a nurse to be exported.
-end-
As of my experience, it’s sometimes weird to live in the US, and try to strive to and prove that I can be as good as americans or other races in a field that doesn’t involve nursing. When were we praised for being software engineers? Never… But we are praised for being nurses. The outside world thinks of us that way believe or not. Not everyone is educated, not even americans. I even have to convince my bf that the stereotypes of filipinos are false coz in reality, most stereotypes are true here. I want to be a living proof that filipinos are not only for nursing. And what struck a nerve to me was (i’ll try to quote it as best as i can) , “The Philippines was never known for its scientists, but for a woman who loved shoes”. Sorry, it hurts but so true.
@reynaelena
it’s sad that this person at his best is being a doctor but settled for something he believe would earn him more money which is not bad in a practical perspective. Would you be happier to be doing what you love or what you think can give you money. It’s not all about the money but then…
Yes, money is not everything, but how can you live without it.
@ mike abundo
Yes i do agree, the reason why they needed to import foreign workers is because americans wouldn’t want to do labor jobs, nursing is a labor job, so is care giving… i know this because my aunt is a care giver and her body is giving out because how tiring it could be. And not even blacks would want to do labor jobs. People you see doing these type of jobs are asians and mexicans. But this is NOT bad. It’s putting food on our fellowman’s tables.
Goddammit, I see a whole generation taking pride in jobs Americans hate!
This is a very long thread and my super ID is being pushed out, so let me start with this one:
” issai says:
January 13th, 2007 at 5:39 am
here’s the sad part of OFW
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-01-07-jacinto-choice_x.htm?csp=34 ”
No offense Issai, but I don’t see anything sad on the part of this OFW. Either that or since you didn’t say anything about your point – which I’m sure I did not missed – the SAD part is that, the government cannot provide us what the US or other countries of the world can provide. No pun intended but as the commercial says “kelangan pa bang imemorize to?”
Reyna Elena
www.reynaelena.com
http://technology.inquirer.net/infotech/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=43199
The link above is the interview of Filipinos who worked with Google. Take note of their statements about Filipinos to which I totally agree.
It is when you have worked with the foreigners when you realize how different Filipinos are as workers. In the registry which I helped put up and managed, the most in demand are Filipino nurses and caregivers from hospitals and nursing homes because they are preferred by the patients and the dministrators.
Don’t start with me about the sell-out nurse-doctor-nurse issue. I have argued about that with a Filipino journalist exhaustively. I was in the nursing registry business before and I know the industry. My only advice is not to believe everything that you read in the newspapers or internet.
here’s the sad part of OFW
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-01-07-jacinto-choice_x.htm?csp=34
I agree and truly believe that because of blog(new medium), this will open countless opportunities to our countrymen.
In few more years, we will see new generation Filipinos making big news and impact worldwide. Another Google and Yahoo type company envisioned and started by Filipinos.
Can Abe lead the way? :)
The Ca t,
I think it’s because I grew up in a small baranggay in a remote town on an island where the parent’s only hope to get out of poverty is to get their children to work outside of the country whatever *job* it may be.
Yes, my parents and aunties have been pushing me to be a nurse, physical therapist or seaman as it’s the hottest jobs abroad. I insisted otherwise and told them I don’t need to work in another country to earn a decent, if not good, living. (My mom has 2 nurse siblings & 4 seamen out of 7.)
I grew up in a neighborhood seeing huge cement houses being built by seamen and saw their families collapse & destroyed after the marriage failed. Several of my cousins no longer has their dad with them (new family) and their mom was forced to work in HK (as DH) just to get them back to school. They never finished college, got into drugs, and broke the family record of getting pregnant at 17. (My aunts will surely kill me if they read this.)
I hear stories from a doctor cousin who’s classmates (MDs as well) return back to school to study as a nurse just to get out of the country and look for work.
We have a President who’d comfortably prefer to proclaim us as a country of Super Maids instead of focusing on education and country-side industries.
yuga,
Strange that in my travels, no one has approached me to ask if they can get a maid in the Philippines.Is it the crowd that we are interacting with or it has something to do with what the Philippine media had shaped our prejudices.
I have travelled extensively. I have worked in Corporate America and have established a business in America under the minority business umbrella.
Except for California where there are a lot of Filipinos, people in other States do not even know how Filipinos look like. For them all Asians look the same.
I have stayed in Bali with the son of former governor as my host. Having been educated in the US and the Philippines and having married a Filipina, he has a lot of respect for Filipinos. So who are those people in the neighboring countries who think that Filipinas are maids. Just like the Filipinos who have not gotten out of their tiny worlds that contribute to their myopia that whatever a few people they meet said, it is already taken as a world’s view.
Funny but Americans do not think that Britons are all butlers (a glamorized title for Male servant).
I guessed these people are not even aware that Chinese amahs are more in demand than Filipino nannies because the rich people want their children to be bilingual at an early age with Mandarin as the second language. China instead of being embarrassed by this demand is developing their women for this skill.
So what’s wrong with us people?
@ The Ca t
I must have missed some words in that statement about my cousins in UK. They graduated in the Philippines as nurses back in 1996. Applied as nurse in the US by did not made it to the US ban (or deadline). They stayed in the country but since they can’t get a job as a nurse here, they trained in BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management & Penology) to serve as jail guards. They then applied abroad in 2005 but ended up as care givers because of lack of experience, etc. hope that clears up my earlier statement.
@ All
I mentioned my relatives & cousins who work as such in the hopes that my *tone* would not be misunderstood but again my assumption was wrong. Heck, it was OFW money that help me finish my college degree so why would I look down on that chosen vocation?
Apologies for those who have been offended but we have to face the awful truth that that’s how the rest of the world perceive us. That doesn’t mean that if I acknowledge that reality, I also subscribe to it nor do I condone such perception. If you want an example, read this entry over at PTB pointing to a discussion here at TechCrunch (comment #s 1, 6, 11, 13, 17) demeaning the Philippines.
If I wasn’t as eloquent to express that thought in my entry, consider this analogy — in a country of farmers, the person who graduated in fisheries gets to stir a conversation.
They can call us or brand us whatever they want. I’m still proud to be a Filipino.
Every race has it’s own strengths & weaknesses, good traits & bad. What I know, Filipinos thrive globally because of our hard work & perseverance, because of our ability to adapt to any environment or culture including its language.
The blogosphere is another avenue in which we can showcase the talent and skill of the Filipinos.
With that, I do hope that 2007 will be the year for the Filipino blogger. :D
Agreed! :D
The OFW phenomenon brings forth more skilled professionals in the generations to come as more OFWs send more financially disadvantaged members of the families.
Got stats for the social costs? Show me.
The social costs of being homesick and away from the families are already reduced by the communications technology which were virtually impossible 10 years ago. The distant families are only a few calls or texts away. Money is delivered 24 hours.
As to the decay of moral fiber because of the absence of parents—those are lame excused of adults who refuse to take responsibilities.
Children go to drugs because of peer influence. Even the popular bloggers with complete parents are into drugs .Don’t they even blog about it?
he reason for infidelity due to distance relationship is also crap. Even with the wives or husbands at home, the spouses can still have their
other loves.
It is not an offense on my part, it is the pride for being a Filipino. It seems, technology has not changed the Filipinos’ low esteem for blue collar jobs.
We could elevate ourselves without having to demean people not in our calibre or social status.
Fleeb,
Indonesia is not the world. Britons are known for their butlers and France for their au pair
Silence.. Blogging will make you a multi-millionaire…. Thanks for that useful information… It offended some people.. Enuff Said.. Isang Mahal…
OT – @chymera:
Ei chymera, this is your nong Fleeb ;) I’ve heard from Jan Mark you got your domain and I just started to see your internet handle around. As for me, got little time.
@Cat:
I do not know if you know the MMORPG Ragnarok, but I heard a story, for the Indonesian Ragnarok onlines, that Filipino players have always been branded maids. The Filipino player who was defending his side agains some Indonesian players somehow got offended and logged off. Yes, from a neighboring country.
The OFW phenomenon is not a “saving grace” to our economy. The social costs far outweigh the financial benefits.
The only thing the OFW phenomenon “saves” is our government — from having to improve the local economy.
yuga,
You know me. I do not mince words when I have something to say. But I find the tenor of your article demeaning to the OFW. The Philippines is not a source of cheap labor for nurses and other skilled workers. The Filipino nurses in the US are earning as much as their Caucasian counterparts. It is illegal if the the salary is not within the city’s or state’s standard payscale. They are hired from the Philippines because, one, they passed the TOEFL ; second, the nursing curricular program is the same as that of the US.
If I am going to believe your statement, I am going to check off other Asian countries as sources of cheap labor that include China and India.
Filipinos should bear in mind that the reason why Filipinos are hired is because they are good workers that include AnP.
It is not true that nurses in the Philippines are hired as caregivers in UK. They are hired as RNs. Clueless people cannot differentiate, nurses from nursing assistants to caregivers.
Domestic helpers or not, we should be proud of these overseas Pinoy workers because the quality of their jobs made the Philippines create a market niche for skilled and conscientious labor force.
The start-up business hiding the fact that they are Filipinos or minority so they could penetrate the market is a wrong business strategy. Minority business in the US enjoys privileges as to capital sourcing and tax incentives.
So what they do, to hide their Filipinoness, they change the names and color their hair blonde when
they make an appointment for business dealings.
We have a long way to go as bloggers. Getting traffic because of some nude pics or lusty materials in the archives do not speak well of our bloggers.
I commend you for your BlogHerald project but let us not put bogging activities at par with the OFW
phenomenon as a saving grace for the bankrupt Philippine economy.
I hope filipinos will make it good in the blogosphere not only as members for large blog networks but as a big force that can equal the blog networks themselves.
Specifically, I’d like to see more Ilonggo bloggers online since the blogging revolution has not quite taken off for iloilo-based internet users.
I’m proud to be a Filipino.
amen!