The Filipinos are all over the US and the world
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA – We are now billeted in a chalet owned by my client here on a hill of pine and oak trees overlooking Lake Tahoe in the boundary of California and Nevada. In the final days of summer, this blessed paradise is much cooler than Baguio City and Mantalongon in Dalaguete, Cebu. Our location here is like Osmeña Peak in Mantalongon where, on a clear day, you can see Bohol and Negros. Here on some rainless nights, we can see Reno, Vegas, Sacramento, Stockton, and Silicon Valley. Everywhere here, there are Filipinos.
When we landed in San Francisco, the immigration officer was a friendly chap who looked Japanese but spoke in perfect Tagalog. He told us that in the morning when smoke starts to rise from Daly City it means Pinoys are cooking breakfast; danggit and pusit. Aboard our Southwest plane to Seattle one of the stewardesses was a Boholana and the purser was from Argao. In Fife City many Pinoys work in the malls. There are engineers in Bill Gates’ Microsoft workplaces, and in the Boeing aircraft factory south of Seattle. In New York, Filipino doctors and nurses are employed in almost all hospitals. Many actually reside in Jersey City; smart people, earning high and spending low.
In Las Vegas, there is no casino or hotel without a Filipino. I have more than 20 cousins working as card dealers, restaurant and hotel staff, managers, even entertainers. In Reno, there are many maintenance and transport company employees from Mindanao and the Visayas. In Chicago, Florida, and California you can see Filipinos all over. In airports, bus stations, and sea ports, there are many Filipinos. Marine officers and seafarers from the Philippines live in San Diego. Retirees, veterans, seniors whose children are US citizens are here to enjoy the land of milk and honey.
There more than 12 million Filipinos residing in 200 countries all over the world, either as OFWs or as permanents residents. I meet them in parties and malls, in Broadway musicals and concerts. Pinoys are gifted and talented. They always have something to offer. When I worked as a diplomat in Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan, and the Middle East I saw with my own eyes the many Filipinos who help the economies of their host states.
Filipinos are never burdens to their host countries. If the Filipino maids all leave Singapore and Hong Kong, their economies would collapse. If the Filipinos all leave Saudi, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Emirates then they will face a very difficult labor shortage. They cannot find any other breed of migrants who have the Pinoys’ brand of competence, dedication, and gregariousness. I am proud of the Pinoys abroad.
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