During the winter break, I did not have a chance to speak with my relatives mainly because they all live in the Philippines. My research on my mother for this assignment.
My mother was born in a small village in the Philippines called San Juan in the year 1963. She immigrated to Canada when she was 28 years old . My mother told me that many Filipinos leave the Philippines to work abroad because there are no jobs at home and, even if they were able to find a local job, they would be paid just enough to meet their daily needs. My mother also reminded me that elementary schools and high schools are free, but parents still have to purchase school supplies for their children. She said that “70% of the families back then had a harder time earning money to buy their children what they need for school” (Borreta 2016). In addition, she mentioned that her family was middle class, and that my grandmother was a businesswoman who would earn money through buying and selling clothing. My grandmother also had many people selling clothing in the mountains for her. Furthermore, my mother recalls that during her childhood, life was easy for them because their business was booming, but in 1978, guerrillas who were known as the New People's Army, took over the province. The guerrillas confiscated anything you sell on the mountains, and if anyone was caught selling any types of commodities they were arrested by the guerrillas, so my grandmother had to shut down her business. Thankfully my grandpa was a contractor and politician so they still had an alternate source of income. He built bridges, houses and streets in San Juan. Most of the buildings that my grandfather built are still standing today.
My mother said that “when someone got sick, they would ask everyone they knew for money to pay the hospitalization or medication fees because most of the people were poor”. My mother said that “[her] parents were very generous and they would lend money to the poor”(Borreta 2016). In the Philippines, government hospitals are free, but people still have to pay for their medications. Many medical institutions that were public were poorly maintained. Patients in government hospitals were not properly cared for that is why more people prefer private hospitals to government hospitals. My mother said that “nowadays only a few people go to government-based hospitals. Most of them would go to a private hospital for a proper diagnoses and medication, but private hospitals were very expensive. Most doctors would ask for partial payment before you could be treated” (Borreta 2016).
In the Philippines, college and university, are very expensive, especially the private universities. My mother went to the University of Northern Philippines and she said that “[she] had to go to the fields to plant and harvest rice and corn to earn money to help aid [her] parents and to pay for [her] university expenses” (Borreta 2016). After she finished schooling, she began to work as a municipal clerk.
My mother said that her pay as a municipal clerk was not even enough for herself. So she went abroad. She went to Hong Kong to work as nanny in 1980 and she stayed in Hong Kong for 6 years. Then after two years abroad my grandpa got sick. My mother had to pay my grand father's hospitalization and medication bills, and to pay for her nieces’ and nephews’ school expenses. My mother said that “[she] had nothing left for [herself] after helping [her] family back home, so [she] decided to come to Canada under a working visa, hoping that one day [she] could become a resident in Canada” (Borreta 2016). After two and half years working in Canada she became a permanent resident. She continued helping families and poor people in San Juan, by sending money just like her parents did. My mother went home to the Philippines when she was 31 years old to get married to my father. She returned to Canada so that she could sponsor my father. My father eventually came to Canada in 1999. My mother said that she never regretted immigrating to Canada.
During my research, I’ve found out that teenagers in the Philippines tend to be unemployed. Statistics from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that forty-nine percent of people who are between the ages of 15 to 24 are not employed. On the other hand, the employment rate between the 15 to 24 age group only makes up of 18.5% of the 40.7 million total employed persons in April 2016. If you aren’t working then you are in school. My mother said “education is very important to Filipinos that is why the literacy rates of Filipinos are very high” (Borreta 2016). According to Unicef.org the literacy rate for males is 97%, while the literacy rate for females is 98.5%. With 700 000 new college graduates every year, the Philippines cannot create enough skilled jobs to accommodate all of them, so some go abroad. The Canadian Magazine Immigration webpage stated that between 2006 and 2015 there were more than 300 000 Filipinos who immigrated into Canada. Finally healthcare in the Philippines is provided through both private and public hospitals. For an average Filipino, they might find that healthcare is generally more expensive.
If my mother did not immigrate to Canada, life would be similar. I would have been born in the Philippines (San Juan to be exact), but my mother would be working abroad to support me. I would be going to school like any other Filipino, but I would not be working until I finish college or university.
(To the right)- This is my mother's visa that allowed her to go to Canada
(Up)- This my mother's identity card when she stayed in Hong Kong
Work Cited Page
"At a Glance: Philippines." Unicef, 27 Dec. 2013, www.unicef.org/infobycountry/
philippines_statistics.html. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
Borreta, Ruby. Instant messenger interview. 5 Dec. 2016.
"Employment Situation in April 2016 (Final Results)." Philippine Statistic
Authority, 20 Dec. 2016, psa.gov.ph/content/
employment-situation-april-2016-final-results. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
"Healthcare in Philippines." Expat Arrivals, www.expatarrivals.com/philippines/
healthcare-in-philippines. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
"Healthcare in the Philippines." Allianz Worldwide Care,
www.allianzworldwidecare.com/en/support/view/national-healthcare-systems/
healthcare-in-philippines/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
"Why Do Filipinos Immigrate to Canada?" Good Hires, 26 Dec. 2015, goodhires.ca/
why-do-filipinos-immigrate-to-canada/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2017.
"Filipino Immigrants to Canada." The Canadian Magazine of Immigration, 1 Apr.
2016, canadaimmigrants.com/filipino-immigrants-to-canada/. Accessed 7 Jan.
2017.
First off, I loved the story of your mother's life, and how she had to immigrate to canada to support her family and herself. I think it could have helped if you would elaborate on some of the different laws like driving. Also you talk about private and public heath care but you never talk about if the public healthcare is universal or not. I am also wondering what your mother's life was like while living in canada, was there any segregation. Also where in canada did your mother move to was it directly to Orangeville or was there a different town or city in between.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about what your mother's life was like in the Philippines. After reading this, I learned that the education and employment is very similar to the place my ancestors immigrated from, Chile, as teenagers there do not have jobs because it is important to focus on schooling. I found it interesting in the way they obtained money and that that was the reason for immigrating: for a better job opportunity. My question is: Have you or do you visit the Philippines and what occupations were popular in the Philippines where they received good payment?
ReplyDeleteHey Ephraim, great story! It's amazing to look at the struggles in moving to a different country, and your mother's perseverance in providing for her family. I also enjoyed learning about the differences in healthcare and work in the Philippines. The stats you provided do a great job at breaking down what life is like and supporting your work. Some questions to think about are why is there a gap between the high rate of education and the low employment rate for teenagers? And if you were in charge of running the Philippines, is there anything you would do differently?
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