Am currently reading Rohinton Mistry’s ‘Such a Long Journey,’ and though I’m only some 30 pages into it, I already feel involved.

Involved. That word again. For me to get involved with anything or anyone is already something. I am one who either dismisses or adopts. I either care about something or I couldn’t care less about it. Often there is no middle ground.

Anyways, this book has already broken open for me and I am inside, beginning the journey through it. So far, it strikes me as a social commentary about India of the 1960s. Yet again, it is written by an Indian national who has left his country (out of pain? Out of disgust and helplessness?), and there is more than a drop of wisfulness, an amalgam of bitterness in some passages. Hay, I suppose it will always be like that. Writers from impoverished countries with histories steeped in social conflict will always write that way (of course it’s a given that I’m writing about the more ’serious’ writers who go beyond self-introspection).

—–

It’s Labor Day tomorrow and I am excited and apprehensive at the same time.
The first because it will be my first Labor Day outside the Philippines, and I will get to see first hand how its that other nationalities celebrate this most historic days.

The second, well, because back at home, there’s the threat the Arroyo government will yet again instigate violence and crackdown on the rallies tomorrow.

This wait-and-see thing is really getting on my nerves; and I monitor the sites of the Inquirer and ABS-CBN every hour to find out if Gloria– like some mutant, carnivorous chicken, has hatched anything foul again.  I worry for the rallyists, and I worry for the masa who will be joining the protests.

Tomorrow I’ll be joining UNIFIL as they launch the ‘Bantay Konsulado’ program at Chater Garden. (It’s a campaign which, as the name implies, entails keeping an eagle eye on the doings of the Philippine Consulate. There are so many reports about how OFWs are being turned away empty-handed when they seek assistance. Or worse, how OFWs turn away in outrage and disgust over the shoddy and rude treatment they receive from consulate employees.

Hay naku. Sana may organizing work dito ang COURAGE (Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees). 

The Labor Day rallies of migrants  here will be spearheaded by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB. The UNIFIL is one of the organizations allied with it), and they they  join the march organized by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU).

The AMCB will carry the slogan “Bring the minimum wage of foreign domestic workers back to HK$3,670” and “abolish the levy” as the main calls.

My French-Canadian friend Raymond keeps telling me to start enjoying Hong Kong. He says that there’s so many things that I can learn, discover and do here that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn, discover and do back at home.

I tell him, ‘Heck, I’m trying already, okay?!’

And I do try. I’ve taken walks in the parks, gone to the night markets, went to see museums, etc.

Kaso, ever so often, I’ll run into an OFW who works as a domestic helper, and I can’t help but wonder how it is for her and her family back home. I can imagine how difficult it is to be working as a maid for a foreign family, and for slave wages. Tapos, when they send their wages home, the equivalent will never be much, given the peso’s mediocre value. Hay.

Thinsg to look forward to this week:

1. Watching ‘House’

2. Watching ‘Monk.’

3. Watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’

4. Reading new copy of Alain de Botton’s ‘The Art of Travel.’

5. Going to the Powerstation Beach if it isn’t rainy.

6. Getting a pair of hamsters.

7. Listening to MP3s of U2’s songs from Achtung, Baby and  Zooropa

8. Watching Woody Allen’s Match Point.

9. Visiting the IKEA store in Causeway Bay (functional art all around. really. Semi-disposable Swedish-designed furniture made in China. My friend Elias would be so envious of me…hahaha!) (Let’s forego the unfair labor practices in the Mainland for the meantime, please? Every little bit of enjoyment is tainted, I tell you. Reality doesn’t bite. It chomps chomps chomps like Pacman gone rabid.)   

10. Buying more fake Lego.

I saw pictures of Ka Bel — some of the most recent ones since he was transferred to the Heart Center. It made my heart ache to see how wan and thin he’s gotten!

Ka Bel is a chronic insomniac. I’ve known him to stay up really late — awake until two or three in the morning, unable to sleep because his brain wouldn’t let up, thinking and worrying about political developments; about work; about how his grandchildren are doing; how other Kasamas are doing.

He reads deep into the night, and even when his head begins pounding and his eyes begin squinting from the stress, he doesn’t stop. He’s a voracious reader, and an emotional one. What his brain can easily take, sometimes his heart cannot. He actually feels too much sometimes: whether he’s reading about the war in Iraq, the economic meltdown in Argentina, or the political killings in the Philippines, he rages, and it is this anger and, sadly, feeling of hopelessness that makes it impossible for him to sleep.

Hay naku, Ka Bel — wala pa po akong nakikilala na kasing tapang at kasing-husay ninyo. Tagos hanggang buto ang inyong kabaitan at pagpapahalaga sa mga Kasama; ang inyong sipag at pagmamahal sa mga manggagawa, sa mga magsasasaka, sa Kilusang Mapagpalaya ng Sandaigdigan.

Mabuti na rin siguro at wala ako sa Pilipinas ngayong Mayo Uno, Dakilang Araw ng Uring Manggagawa. Hindi ko lubos maisip na wala si Ka Bel sa rally sa Liwasang Bonifacio, na hindi siya makakasama sa martsa ng masang Anakpawis. Parang hindi Mayo Uno ang Mayo Uno kung wala si Ka Bel. Parang apoy na bagamat mainit na nagbabaga, malamlam ang liwanag. Parang patalim na kahit kumikinang ang talas, may gaspang ang kayayanang makahiwa.

Hay naku Ka Bel. Sa mga litrato mo sa Arkibong Bayan, bakas na bakas ang lungkot sa iyong mga mata. Sa kurba ng iyong likod na parang nabawasan ang tikas. Sa pagkahapis ng iyong mukha na kilala at mahal ng mga manggagawa at anakpawis.

Hwag magpagapi sa lungkot! Hwag mangamba na sa iyong pagkakapiit, nababawasan ang kahalagahan ng iyong sakripisyo para sa gawain at sa Kilusan.

Malaki at malalim na iyong kontribusyon sa Kilusan, Ka Bel. Gaano karaming manggagawa na ba ang iyong minulat at tinulungang umunlad, hinikayat na magbalikwas, lumaban at magtanggol sa sarili, sa uri at sa bayan?

Heto nga po ako, buhay na patunay ng iyong epektibidad bilang isang lider manggagawa, lider ng masa. Pumasok po ako ng KMU noong 1995 dahil po narinig ko kayong magsalita sa isang rali — isa sa mga unang rali at Mayo Uno na dinaluhan ko. Napakalaking inspirasyon po ninyo sa akin bilang nakakabatang aktibista, bilang isang manunulat.

Sa inyo (at kay Ka Raffy) ko talaga ipinapasalamat ang pag-unlad ko… Paano po ba kayo pasasalamatan?

This Labor Day will only be the first or second Labor Day in 45 years that Crispin Beltran will not be marching alongside the poor and working people. Incarcerated by a government so utterly lacking in righteousness and credibility that if its cast a reflection, it would be tainted, as dark and black as any shadow at high noon.

Pero talo pa rin ang gobyerno. kahit ikulong ng administrasyong Arroyo  si Ka Bel, malaya naman ang kanyang diwa, at tangan ng bawat isang manggagawa at anakpawis na naninindigan para sa Tunay, Palaban, Makabayan at Anti-Imperyalistang Kilusang Unyon ang kanyang matagal nang ipinaglalaban at patuloy na ipinaglalaban.

Sa paunang init ng umaga at pag-alimpuyo ng araw ng katanghalian, hanggang sa paglubog ng araw sa Mayo Uno, kasama pa rin ng masang anakpawis si Ka Bel.

Ka Bel, sa bawat hakbang ng aming mga paa sa mga martsa at rali sa Mayo Uno sa PIlipinas at sa ibang bahagi ng mundo kung nasaan ang mapanlabang diwa ng uring manggagawa, kasabay ka naming naglalakad. Ang bawat isang sigaw namin para sa tunay na kalayan at demokrasya, tinig mo rin ang maririnig.

Ka Bel naman, hwag magpagapi sa lungkot! Alagaan ninyo ang inyong sarili, utang na loob.

What have I been doing the last few days (apart from getting my fingers all nubbly from tap-tapping the keyboard and finishing the articles for work):

1. Bought fake Lego. The minifigs have smiling expressions on their faces and it’s strange.

2.Watched ‘The Tiger and the Snow.’ Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi in Iraq during the beginning of the US war of agression. The only weapon of mass destruction found there was a red fly swatter.

3. Cleaned the house.

4. Watched tv.

5. Began ‘The Water Babies’ by Charles Kingsley. Horrid working conditions, child labor in the 1800s in England. The novel is supposed to be for kids,but heck, I’m reading it and I feel upset.

May First has always been an important day for me. At least since I learned what May First stood for (you know, International Labor Day, workers of the world, unite!), I’ve looked forward to it.

Last year I wasn’t able to attend the Labor Day rallies,though; and this year, I’ll be joining workers here in Hong Kong as they take to the streets with their red banners and streamers denouncing globalization and modern-day slavery.

Last year May 1 Kim and I had a small wedding reception (this means I’m going to be married a year on Monday!), so neither of us got to go to Liwasang Bonifacio. I felt a little upset missing May 1, but heck, a wedding party is a wedding party.

This year, for obvious reasons, I’ll be joining the OFWs and foreign domestic helpers from Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal, as well as local Hong Kong workers and employees in the Labor Day celebrations. On D-day, OFWs and FDHs and Chinese workers will march from Victoria Park towards to HK governmet offices in Central.

That’s a pretty long walk. The route will be the same one protestors took during the opening day rally against the 6th WTO ministerial meet in December 2005.   

  My husband is a pretty strict person when it comes to the family finances, and I am very careful where and I spend my money here because I keep hearing his voice in my head everytime I even think  of buying anything besides food.

Now If you earn dollars here in Hong Kong, then books aren’t really expensive (at least my friends say so. I’m still not wholly convinced; but for the time being and the sake of this blog, I will quietly acquiesce. I do think that $112 for a book is already nothing to sniff at). When I go to the booksellers’ though, it’s quite effortful to not get all the paperbacks I’ve always wanted to buy back at home if they’re weren’t so damnably expensive (A Different Bookstore; PowerBooks; Fully Booked…)

Last week during the Easter break, I threw caution to the winds and brought ‘The Power Book’ and ‘Everything is Iluminated’ and risked hearing my husband sigh over the phonelines and say ‘Naka, baka meron ng mga yan sa Booksale dito…’

But that was last week, and I’ve already finished reading both, and the Keruoac’s ‘On the Road. I was in a bit of a panic because, well, that meant I didn’t have anything else to read! Most of my free time I spend reading and, well, making these blogs as a breather; and having no new books to read meant rereading the books I’ve only recently finished and that would’ve been no fun at all.

Buti na lang, there’s Nick the Bookman.

In Lamma island where I live (Yung Sheu Wan side, for anyone who wants to visit), there’s a retired rock and roll/music British journalist who now makes a living selling previously-owned books (and being a moving man. He asks $50 per hour to help lug furniture around for people moving on or moving out. He says he enjoys the exercise.) He sells his softbound wares and the occasional hardcover editions for $10-$15 each.   

I’ve been lucky enough to secure two absolutely amazing books from his itinerant book case for $10 each.

The first is Rachel Cusk’s ‘Saving Agnes’, and the other one is John Lanchester’s ‘The Debt to Pleasure.’ Both won the prestigious Whitbread First Novel Award, for 1993 and 1996 respectively.

Both are written by British authors, and both employ poetic prose. It’s like reading Eduardo Galeano without the politics but with a whole lot of personal introspection. The protagonists are always highy intelligent but somewhat and to some degree messed-up individuals (boy, am I ever familiar with the type. Some of my best friends are so…nevermind)

The language is so beautiful one forgets to breathe.

Ever so often, I come across a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph that is so staggeringly beautiful in its stark simplicility, the sheer poetry of the words thrown haphazardly  net to each other , creating an image so graceful whether traced silently to one’s self or spoken out loud, well, holly freaking heck I forget to exhale.

Really. Am not kidding.

Beauty can kill.

Anyways. All this is good. I need this. I need to be taken out of myself, and to walk around a separate space where I have not previously encountered any wounding word, thought or experience. Books make great escape hatches, and you can take them anywhere with you.

"Once a soft touch for these ragged moralists who inveigled her into sparing them her change, Agnes began to cross the road, begging for some change in her circumstances."

Then again, I really ought to be more…mature and accept that often, I end up being affected by a book not only because of the prose but because of how the characters are and how they think, feel and react to the world. I’ve noticed and realized (big confession coming up) that I am still so bewildered by the way I am - I frustrate and shock and disappoint myself often, or at the end of the spectrum I like myself sometimes) that when I read something that reminds me of me and helps me explain myself to myself better, I am no end glad.

It’s like discovering bits and pieces of myself embedded in phrases  and in characters in various of books, and I am relieved to read that maybe I’m not such a  horrid person after all.

Does that sound looney?
Yes.

Oh well. I suppose that’s not really surprising. After all, Morrissey once sung, "Because the music they constantly play says nothing to me about my life. Hang the DJ!" (okay,so he was singing about the British Prime Minister at the time, but heck…)

  —–

THIS SO MADE MY DAY!
Students heckle Arroyo in Cavite graduation
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Marlon Ramos
Inquirer

INDANG, Cavite—President Macapagal-Arroyo was heckled here yesterday by a Mass Communication graduate of the Cavite State University, turning the afternoon commencement exercise into a nightmare of protests against her.

Just a few minutes into the President’s speech, the student, Maria Theresa Pangilinan, shouted "Patalsikin si (Oust) Gloria" while holding up a red banner with the words "No to Chacha." A member of the Presidential Security Group and two security guards of the university immediately went to where Pangilinan was sitting and confiscated the banner.

The President was visibly stunned but kept her poise and resumed her speech.

A few minutes later, a group of protesters from the left-leaning Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and the Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW) also raised red streamers calling on Ms Arroyo to step down.

The protesters were positioned at the row of chairs meant for the parents and relatives of the graduating students.

As the group was escorted out of the school grounds by policemen and PSG members, they continued chanting "Pahirap sa masa, patalsikin si Gloria (A burden to the masses, oust Gloria)."

"May karapatan kaming magpahayag ng aming hinaing. Huwag ninyo kaming saktan(We have a right to express our views. Do not hurt us)," said Marlyn Gutierrez, SCW president.

"Huwag kayong mambastos (Do not be crude)," Supt. Roberto Soriano, the operations chief of the Cavite police, retorted.

The group was later brought to the police station.

Frisked on way to stage

The commotion halted the President’s speech midway for about a minute.

She gave the hecklers a blank stare, clasped her hands but remained calm. She resumed her speech but this time, her voice had a higher pitch, which betrayed her irritation.

Ms Arroyo was then addressing the graduating class about the importance of mastering the English language in landing better-paying jobs inside the economic zones in Cavite.

She wrapped up her speech without any more incident and stayed on to hand out diplomas to half of the 1,159 graduates, who were frisked by police and PSG on their way to the stage.

"This is really a forgettable event," said one of the graduates.

Tough graduate

Pangilinan was allowed to march to the stage, but at least four police and PSG personnel tried to prevent her from getting her diploma to avoid further incident.

When it was her turn, Pangilinan shook hands with the President but both purposely looked away from each other. On her way down, Pangilinan was heckled by some of the graduates who did not like her actions which they claimed ruined their graduation.

A school official said that there was nothing to prevent Pangilinan from marching on stage because she had completed all the requirements and what she did was only a misdemeanor.

The Inquirer later learned that Pangilinan was the president of the Central Student Government of the university. Students interviewed by the Inquirer said she was also a staff writer of Gazette, the official publication of CvSU.

Another streamer

Halfway through the conferring of diplomas, another student, identified as Apolinario Dayang-dayang, an agriculture engineering graduate, was also arrested as he was about to raise a streamer at around 6 p.m.

At this juncture, the President left the grandstand and boarded the presidential car.

Cavite Gov. Ireneo Maliksi, who had a front row view of the entire incident, said he was embarrassed that the President was heckled.

"She was our guest of honor, we should have treated her properly. I really feel bad for the student for doing that in the graduation ceremony," said Maliksi, who has ordered an immediate investigation of the incident.

At the same time, he complemented Ms Arroyo for remaining unfazed throughout the incident and staying longer than expected (the President was supposed to hand out only a dozen diplomas).

"She showed that she was a true statesman," Maliksi said.

Security breached

PSG and police personnel had reportedly confiscated several red banners during security search hours before the President’s arrival.

PSG head Brig. Gen. Delfin Bangit refused to comment when asked how the protesters-who pretended to be parents of some of the graduates-breached the security line. The huge open field was cordoned off with only students and their parents and relatives allowed within the main venue.

PNP Gen. Prospero Noble said the security for the event was the sole responsibility of the school and that the police was only there to help keep the peace. "The student’s actions reflected badly on her school not us," said Noble.

Tit for tat

Senior Supt. Benjardi Mantele, Cavite police director, said the protesters were taken to the Indang police station.

Asked if the arrested persons would be charged, he replied: "We’ll see. They are still under investigation."

The incident elicited several reactions from the crowd. "While I agree with what they (the students) were saying, they should have chosen another place and another event. The graduation rites should be solemn," one parent said.

Another said: "Tama lang yun. Binastos din naman ni GMA ang boto ng mga Pilipino (What they did was right. GMA also did not respect the vote of the Filipino)."

Ang gulo!!!

Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of the national ID system.

Supreme Court thumbs down EO 464 gag order on government officials.

I wonder how the minds of these justices work. You want to have them pilloried one moment, then you laud them the next. Talk about political schizophrenia.

Here in Hong Kong, the progressive people’s groups led by the United Filipinos in HK (UNIFIL) are on the move to gather the biggest number of signatures AGAINST charter change.

They really have their work cut out for them — they’re also gearing up for a campaign against the anti-terrorism bill and the national ID system.

Back at home, the likes of BAYAN and its allied organizations are all in  a tizzy, busy organizing campaigns on the same issues. Really, when it rains, it floods; and the government is really striking hard while the iron is hot (yeah, yeah, am thinking in terms of cliches right now. Gad. The Arroyo government is really such a cliche– a living breathing parody of a dictatorship refusing to admit that it is one.)

It’s a wonder that the Philippines hasn’t become like Nepal — massive rallies everyday, teachers, professors, lawyers coming out and joining the protests in droves and facing down battalions of police and military. "Down with the monarchy!," Nepalese cry out. "Down with Arroyo!", Filipinos demand.

I think of these things and I get headache.

Pero this last three days, I almost rejoice that I have these things to think about. Distracts me from the cavernous grief I feel over my Lola’s passing.

I called my mom yesterday. She’s already in Isabela, at my Lola’s wake. Our conversation lasted less than a minute.

"Hi, Mom."

"O, anak…"
"I don’t want to talk about it, ok?"

"Oo,anak…"
Silence.

"I don’t want to hear details."
"I’m not saying anything, anak. Do you want to talk to your Uncle Paul?"

"No, no. I have to go. Bye, Mom. Love you."

I have not said a single word to my friends here about my grandmother’s death.

I really can’t talk about it. Literally.

I just write about how I feel, and somehow it eases this nolessthanagony that I feel.

My Lola.

Academic (College Dean, high school principal, university professor)

Incorruptible politician (councilor, vice-mayor. Stole not a single centavo. We’re the poorest Silverios, really).

Doting grandmother (all my life she pronounced my name "Eena," and it always made me feel special. Basta. She always encouraged me to write, to speak out. She was the one who kept insisting that I was the most Silverio of the Silverio kids. Hmmm.)

My Lola, who had a small-scale bahay kubo built for me and my cousins when we were children. A real bahay kubo made of nipa and bamboo- complete with hagdanan and batalan.  Only two of us fit in the kubo, and it was always a tight fit. Oh, and we couldn’t stand up inside it! We could only crouch, crone-like.

My Lola, and whose head a coconut fell on — tonk!- while she stood in the garden watching us, her grandchildren, play habulan. When the coconut dropped like a small bomb  — tonk!– straight on her noggin, she fell down but didn’t lose consciousness. We rushed to her, worried sick; but she kept her poise. She was more embarassed than anything. She blamed herself for getting in the way of the coconut’s rendevous with gravity.

I loved, love and will always love my Lola very, very much. 

By Reginald Jamir Brotonel and Ina Alleco R. Silverio

Caught in a raid

A young man Filipino fell from a window and eventually died after more than a month of being in a coma. The youth accidentally fell out the window in the attempt to escape a sudden raid conducted by Hong Kong immigration officers.

Elvic Estosane Nabonita, 23, from Cebu,  died last April 3 at 5:45 pm, without recovering consciousness in the  Tuen Mun Hospital in northwest regions of the New Territories in Hong Kong.

His attending physician Dr. Wong said that the tremendous trauma Elvic’s skull suffered was fatal from the beginning, and it was already a major miracle that he even lived after it. He explained that Elvic’s skull cracked and a shard pierced his brain.

Dr. Wong said that Elvic continuously ran a fever because of the swift spread of infection throughout his body. He was in vegetative state the entire time because of severe brain damage. This is what eventually led to his death.

Elvic fell from the second floor of a  Philippine products store at internet shop in Yuen Long last  March 11 after more than 20 immigration officers and armed policemen conducted a raid.

According to the immigration officers, they were tipped off by a Filipina who said that the internet shop was frequented by Filipinos who were overstaying, The internet shop reportedly transformed into a videoke bar at night. Elvic was one of the four overstaying Filipinos caught in the raid.

Elvic was reportedly sleeping, his head on one of the computer tables when the police suddenly burst in around 12:30 midnight of March 11.

“He was sleeping on one of the computer tables when the immigration officers then  police broke in, yelling at everyone at the room, demanding that everyone show their IDs and passports,” said one of the witnesses.

As could have been expected, Elvic was startled and immediately panicked. Hearing the immigration officers yell and call for everyone to show their passports, Elvic was overtaken by fear of being arrested. He reportedly ran to the kitchen, trying to find an escape route. Finding an open window, he tried to climb through it, but he lost his balance and fell.

A recent college graduate

Elvic arrived in Hong Kong with a two-week tourist visa on February 10, 2006. He also had with him a Cathay Pacific plane ticket with a flight schedule for mid-April. According to reports, Elvic fully intended to look for employment in Hong Kong.

Subsequent investigations reveal that despite having a plane ticket with a flight schedule not due for another two months, Elvic’s visa was valid only until the end of February. Elvic since then had been over-staying and hiding from immigration authorities.

According to Elvic’s friends and acquaintances, Elvic had already begun working illegally as a part-time packer for a company in  Yuen Long.

According to Hong Kong law, tourists are not allowed to work or seek work. Penalties for those caught include a fine, possible detention, and immediate repatriation. Undocumented migrants or overstaying foreigners in Hong Kong live a life of constant hide-and-seek with the authorities, and accept the most menial jobs for the lowest pay.

As in the case of thousands of other OFWs in Hong Kong and elsewhere whether legal or undocumented, Elvic had the educational background to support a steady-earning job.

He had a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree from the College of Technology in Cebu City. He graduated March 2005. For a year Elvic looked for employment in the Philippines, but failing to land one, he decided to take his chances in Hong Kong.

Elvic was the eldest of three mail children. His family had pinned their hopes on Elvic, expecting his help in sending his two younger brothers to school.

Elvic’s mother, Elizabeth, used to work as a domestic helper in Taiwan and Dubai; while his father, Vicente, is employed as a cargo truck driver.

            The OFWs whom Elvic had made friends with in Yuen Long made  the devastating phone-call to his family and informed them of what happened. Elizabeth immediately left for Hong Kong.

She  arrived in Hong Kong last March 15, and she was supposed to return to the Philippines April 12. She refused to leave, however, and said that will not go back to unless she has Elvic’s remains with her.

“Ayaw kong umuwi nang hindi kasama si Elvic. Gagawin ko po ang lahat para maiuwi ang bangkay ng anak ko para makita naman po siya ng kanyang ama at mga kapatid sa pinakahuling beses,” she said.

(“I don’t want to go back to the Philippines without my son. I will do everything to bring his body home. His father and his siblings want to see him one more time,” she said.)

            Elizabeth recalled the last conversation she had with her so before the latter left for Hong Kong.

“Napakasakit para sa amin ang nangyari sa kanya. Nang umalis siya papuntang Hong Kong, sabi niya sa akin huwag daw akong mag-alala dahil gagawin daw niya ang lahat para makatulong sa amin at sa kanyang mga kapatid,” she said.

(“Before he left he kept telling me not to worry about him because he was going to do his best to find a job and make a good living. He promised us that he would work hard so he can help the family and send money for the tuition of his siblings. All this is very painful for all us,” she said.)

Hospital bills

Elizabeth has already sought the help of the Philippine Consulate regarding the repatriation of Elvic’s remains to Cebu; but repatriation costs is only the secondary problem.

“Hindi nila ako papayagang makuha ang katawan ng anak ko hangga’t hindi daw nababayaran ang hospital bill,” she said, almost in tears.

She had previously gone to the hospital in Tseun Mun to arrange for the release of her son’s body,  but she had a difficult time explaining to the doctor and the staff.

“Gusto kong malaman yung talagang nangyari sa anak ko habang buhay pa siya sa ospital, pero hindi kami magkaintindihan nung duktor. Hirap din kasi sila mag-Ingles, hindi naman ako marunong mag-Instik,” she said.

Instead of being given the autopsy and copies of the medical records stating the exact causes of her son’s death, Elizabeth was handed a hospital bill that amounted to over HK$100,000.

“Hindi ko alam kung paano at saan kukunin ang ganun kalaking pera. Parang nagtrabaho ang anak ko para lang may ipambayad sa sarili niyang burol at libing,” she said.

Insiders at the Philippine consulate say that even if the consulate wanted to give financial assistance, it would be not able to do so.

“The budget allocations for consulates and embassies are much too small. We can’t even provide flight tickets to stranded OFWs, much less give free repatriation funds,” said a staffer who requested anonymity.

“We do write the head office at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and ask assistance and guidance as to how we will be able to respond to emergency cases such as this; but you know the bureaucracy: you write a letter and it takes weeks and sometimes even months to get a response.”

He explained that the most that the consulate can do is accept donations on behalf of Elvic’s family.

”We cannot solicit donations, that’s against regulations. We can only endorse campaigns and legitimate organizations who do the soliciting.”  A donation box has already been set up at the consulate offices.

“Tago-nang-tago”

United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL), the biggest and most progressive alliance of OFW groups in the former British protectorate, say that Elvic and his family’s plight was so representative of the situation of so many other Filipino families.

“Being the eldest among his siblings, Elvic must have taken it upon himself to help his family. This is an unspoken tradition in Filipino families, especially among the working people. Elvic took the risk of being a ‘TNT’ (‘tago-nang’tago’, a name for undocumented migrants)  just so he could earn money to send back home,” said  Eman Villanueva, UNIFIL secretary-general.

Villanueva said that the greatest tragedy was that Elvic was a new graduate.

“He had his whole life ahead of him. He was one of the more fortunate Filipino youth who was able to finish school. Under normal circumstances,  he would’ve had a better chance than most to find steady employment. Pero dahil nga sa krisis sa Pilipinas at dahil na rin sa pagiging inutil ng pamahalaan, kahit mga bagong graduate sa kolehiyo at unibersidad walang makuhang trabaho sa bayan natin. Pag sinabing forced migration, talagang forced. Pwersadong umaalis ng bansa ang mga Pilipino kasi walang makuhang employment sa atin,” he said.

This assertion is supported by latest statistics. The Commission on Higher Education. Figures show that there will be some 447,847 college graduates for school year 2005-2006.  The January 2006 Labor Force Survey shows, however, that only 98,000 wage and salary jobs were created during the survey period, as opposed to own-account and unpaid family work.

            According to IBON Foundation  research head Sonny Africa, majority of the graduates who can’t find employment in the Philippines may opt to work abroad. This is in contrast with Philippine Overseas Employment Administration estimates that  there are only some 250,000 new hires of overseas Filipino workers annually.

“Applying these trends into 2006 means this year’s graduates will be competing for only some 348,000 jobs, and nearly 100,000 graduates may be unable to find work,” he said.

In the meantime, Africa pointed out that those graduates who do find work may have to settle for jobs below their educational qualifications.

“Only some 20%-30% of either wage and salary jobs or overseas employment could be said to require college-level skills, hence most of our graduates may work at jobs below their credentials, and may even earn far below what should be expected of their level of education,” he said. 

“The difficulty local graduates have in finding rewarding jobs highlights not only the failure of the Arroyo administration to meet its self-set employment generation targets, but the bankruptcy of its economic policies as well,” he said.

            Elvic’s mother can only point out how hard Elvic tried to find work in the Philippines. “Pero wala talaga, e. Over-qualified naman siya para dun sa mga opening. Mga fastfood restaurant ang may opening, pero graduate ang anak ko ng information technology. Naisip na lang niyang maging OFW tulad ng naging trabaho ko sa matagal na panahon,” she said.

            It’s bitterly ironic that whatever meager pay Elvic received from working an undocumented migrant would now go to his outstanding hospital bills.

A dollar each  for Elvic

Land-based OFW representative  to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Cora Carsola has already initiated a donation campaign to help Elvic’s mother repatriate Elvic’s remains. This with the help of the Assistance To Nationals section of the Philippine Consulate.

“Maraming tao na gustong tumulong ang tumawag sa isinasagawang panawagan ng ina ni Elvic sa Philippines Tonight Show ng Metroplus AM1044 ( a local Filipino radio show) noong nakaraang April 5, at very positive ang response sa campaign namin na mangalap ng pera para kay Elvic,” said Carsola. (“There are many people who have expressed support for this campaign and are very sympathetic. We already made the rounds of the local radio stations,” said Carsola).

The call is for every OFW to contribute at least a dollar each  for Elvic.

Other Filipino associations and religious groups in Hong Kong have also begun to pitch in. Donations are also being sought from the Filipino residents of the various housing estates in Hong Kong.

           “We already requested funds for the repatriation fee of Elvic from the Philippine government and I already sent a letter to the Hong Kong Hospital Authority explaining the difficult situation and requesting them to waive all medical fees for humanitarian reasons so we can bring home Elvic as soon as possible,” said  Vice Consul Noel Novicio, head of the Assistance To Nationals (ATN) section of the consulate.

As of this writing Elvic’s remains are still at the morgue of the  Tuen Mun Hospital. His family is unable to secure them because they are unable to pay the accumulated  medical bills that have reached around $100,000. Elizabeth also needs more than  $21,000 for the body’s repatriation fee to the Philippines.