A world without Filipinos?

By DAHLI ASPILLERA

‘Fr. Jess E. Briones of the SVD Superior Delegatus Argentina Oficina has got to be a Filipino OFW. Pride oozes from his “A Day Without Filipinos.”’

THIS touching article arrived by internet from a relative in Eu­rope. It’s too beautiful not to share with OFWs who will feel proud by its content. I have no doubt that Fr. Briones is a Filipino. Saludo kami sa inyo:

Let’s imagine then, not just California, but the entire world, wak­ing up one day to discover Filipinos have disappeared. I’m talking here about the [12 million] Filipinos currently working overseas in countries with names that run the entire alphabet, from Angola to Zimbabwe.

Let’s not worry first about why or how the Filipinos disappeared; in fact, it becomes academic whether it’s a day or a week. Just imagine a world without Filipinos.

Think of the homes that are dependent on Filipino housekeepers, nannies, caregivers. The homes would be chaotic as kids cry out for their nannies. Hong Kong and Singaporean and Taiwanese yuppie couples are now forced to stay home and realizing, goodness, there’s so much of housework that has to be handled and how demanding their kids can be and hey, what’s this strange language they’re bab­bling in?

It’s not just the children that are affected. The problems are even more serious with the elderly in homes and nursing institutions, be­cause Filipino caregivers have provided so much of the critical serv­ices they need.

When temporary contractual workers are brought in from among non-Filipinos, the elderly complain. They want their Filipino caregiv­ers back because they have that special touch, that extra patience and willingness to stay an hour more when needed.

Hospitals, too, are adversely affected because so many of the dis­appeared Filipinos were physicians, nurses and other health profes­sionals. All appointments for rehabilitation services, from children with speech problems to stroke survivors, are indefinitely postponed because of disappeared speech pathologists, occupational and physi­cal therapists!

Eventually, the hospital administrators announce they won’t take in any more patients unless the conditions are serious. Patients are told to follow their doctors’ written orders and, if they have questions, to seek advice on several Internet medical sites.

But within two days, the hospitals are swamped with new com­plaints.

The websites aren’t working because of missing Filipino web de­signers and website managers [and data coders and processors].

Service establishments throughout the world--restaurants, super­markets, hotels-all close down because of their missing key staff in­volved in management and maintenance.

In Asia [and elsewhere] hotels complain about the missing bands and singers.

In the United States, many commercial establishments have to close shop, not just because of the missing Filipino sales staff but because their suppliers have all been sending in notices about delays in shipments.

Dahli_a@yahoo.com