Life in Singapore

CEBU, Philippines - I attended their wedding in Manila amidst fervent hopes for a bright future – Rhodora

“Doyay” and Edison Joseph “Ed” Aplacador. Not too long after, they had a son Charles Philip who we fondly called “Chaps.”   When Chaps was not quite three years old, Doyay left for Singapore, after a “head hunter” got in touch with her to find out if she was willing to be expatriated to the Lion City to work in a British Bank. Doyay was then working as a Financial Analyst at Barclay’s Capital in Manila, doing wholesale banking.

As Chaps was too young for a sudden change, Ed & Chaps stayed behind, with Chaps being taken care of by loving grandparents. After some months, father & son followed Doyay to Singapore when she found the right apartment. Expatriation meant Business Class travel for the family, as well as coverage of the shipment of their personal effects.

This year, Charles – no longer answering to his pet name Chaps – turned seven years old last September 1. He has Chinese subjects at Balester Hill Primary School where he is a happy student, and is such a loquacious boy. He never stopped talking and asking questions while we were having lunch after Sunday Mass earlier this year when I was in Singapore. Doyay said that Charles is taking his Chinese subjects in stride, although he has to have a tutor for his homework requirements. “Raising a kid here in Singapore is pretty much the same as back there in the Philippines. Children here are well-mannered,” shared Doyay. “In public transpo, young people usually give way to senior citizens.”

Regarding job opportunities for Filipinos, Doyay pointed out: “A head hunter called me regarding a British bank that was expanding their Asia operations and asked if I were interested for expatriation to Singapore. I was informed that the first group of Filipinos they hired in the IT field has proven to be exceptional. So, the bank management decided to come back to the Philippines to hire more Filipinos.”

As to the process of hiring, Doyay said it was easy. “I gave my resume,” she recalled, “then the bank officers flew in to Manila for interviews. Tapos, when I accepted their offer, they took care of all the necessary paper works and paid for my air fare to Singapore. I was also given one month of free accommodation while I was settling in.”

When Ed first arrived in Singapore, he had to stay at home with their pre-schooler son. In a way, it was for the best, as the family was still trying to acclimatize to their new environment. When Chaps attended pre-school, Ed applied online. “Generally, opportunities are always there. Especially for Filipino workers,” Ed pointed out. “They like Filipinos because we speak very good English and we work fast. Generally, Singapore companies hire applicants who are college graduates and who have chalked up some experience.” New graduates are at a disadvantage. For Ed, he was fortunate because he already had a wide experience in shipping when he applied at Thome Ship Management. He is now employed there as Finance Comptroller.

Judging from the happy lifestyle of the Aplacadors, living in Singapore has its many advantages. Standard of living may be higher than in the Philippines, but salary range is much higher than in Manila, and the quality of life is much, much better. They, for one, went on a vacation to Malaysia for Chaps’ birthday. Then, they just came back from a long vacation in the U.S. where Doyay’s sister Rowena is a nurse in San Francisco. They were also able to visit relatives in New York, as well as in other states.

My nephew Edric Tan has been in Singapore for the last several years – soon after college – and he has stayed on. Earlier on, my cousin Piper Angbetic-Villegas was a senior architect in one of Singapore’s large architectural firms before she got a break in California, where she is now a senior partner of an architectural company in Orange County.

Yes, Singapore loves the Filipino employee and it is the stepping-stone to a wider professional horizon. (FREEMAN)