That afternoon of October 29, until 7:30 p.m., the Mehan Garden in Manila was teeming with people. There were people chatting in Cantonese, in Spanish, in French, in English, in Filipino, in Nippon-go, in Korean, in Turkish.
In their glances to one other, you can perceive that despite the differences in culture, in language, belief, philosophy, politics and religion, they were united by the goal of ending their slavery caused by the commodification of human labor espoused by neoliberal globalization.
BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA
MIGRANT WATCH
Bulatlat
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked us for a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? (Psalm 137:1-4)
A little drizzle didn’t cow the audience, Filipinos from different mass organizations in the Philippines and foreigners who came as far as Europe, America Latina, Asia and Africa, as they waited for the speakers.
That afternoon of October 29, until 7:30 p.m., the Mehan Garden in Manila was teeming with people. There were people chatting in Cantonese, in Spanish, in French, in English, in Filipino, in Nippon-go, in Korean, in Turkish.
In their glances to one other, you can perceive that despite the differences in culture, in language, belief, philosophy, politics and religion, they were united by the goal of ending their slavery caused by the commodification of human labor espoused by neoliberal globalization.
As labor and economic ministers of more than 100 member countries of the United Nations who attended the grandiose 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) were having their cocktails, wine, and delicious food, the migrants of the world gathered—more than a thousand of them—in front of the monument of the Great Plebeian Andres Bonifacio waiting for the performers and for their fellow migrants to share their experiences on the Migrants’ Speak Out!, a mini concert produced by Migrante International, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), CARAM-Asia, and sponsored by the International Migrants’ Alliance (IMA), Asia-Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM), and IBON Foundation.
Eduardo Castrillo’s monument of Bonifacio with unknown Katipuneros served as perfect backdrop for the event. It enhanced the simple, yet beautiful stage designed by Eduardo Pamilar Manalo.
As the emcees, Nadia Rivera and Rey Asis, began their spiels, the audience responded enthusiastically.
Slogans were shouted from time to time or whenever the crowd was agitated by the two dynamic and energetic emcees on the stage: “El pueblo unido, jamas cerá vencido! The people united, will never be defeated! Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban! We are not for export! We are not for sale! Migrants say no to GFMD!”
Creatively angry
The performances are “creatively” angry, as they depict the true state of migrant workers of the world- impoverished, neglected by his or her own government, enslaved.
As the lines of the poem of the ex-political detainee, Axel Alejandro Pinpin, said:
Sa ibayong-dagat ay kumakayod kami
ng lampas sa oras, gaya ng kapwa-obrerong
nakabayubay sa kurus ng mababang-sahod
sa pinanggalingan naming mga garisong industriyal…
Sa ibayong-dagat ay umiilag kami sa bala,
sa bomba at kanyon na luwal ng gyera
ng US , na sya ring bala at bombang
di-naiilagan ng mga Moro sa Mindanao…
(Overseas, we are working
beyond the hours required, like our co-workers
who have been crucified by low wages
from the industrial garrisons where we’ve been.
Overseas, we try to elude bullets,
mortars and cannons, borne by the US war
which are the same bullets and bombs
that Moros in Mindanao couldn’t escape…)
Sharing experiences of pain
All ears were on Reno Retno Devi, as the Indonesian migrant talked about trafficking and illegal recruitment that were victimizing his fellow Indonesians.
Just like what thousands of Filipinos have experienced—selling their animals, their farms just to have the money to pay recruiters, only to find out that the promises of the recruitment agency are untrue, hurting not only their pockets, but breaking their hearts and soul, too.
A representative from Foreign Brides Network in Taiwan shared painful stories of inequality and refusal by the Taiwanese government to recognize their rights as persons and as women, although the authorities know that most of them were trafficked and abused.
Another story was shared by the mother of the Filipina raped by US Marine in Japan, Nanay Mely. Her daughter Hazel was twice abused: raped by a US soldier and neglected by the Philippine government.
Stories of maltreatment, low wages, and the lowly state of domestic work was shared by Radyan Rahave (Bangladesh), Sheikh Romana (Bangladesh), Sol Pillas (United Filipinos in Hong Kong), a representative from Parichat.
The stories of the undocumented were the narratives inside Elvira Arellano’s baggage. A Mexican, she fought hard, just to bring her son to the United States in America.
John Monterona said, “From passport to visa, to authenticated certificate of birth and marriage, from community tax certificate to OWWA contribution and placement fee, cost thousands of pesos to the poor OFW.”
Once you get to your host country, there is a big chance that your labor contract will be violated, narrated Nhel Manju, a Nepalese who also worked in the Middle East.
Crackdown against refugees, terrorism by the powerful states like the US, are the pieces of stories shared to the audience by Aliyah, representative of Ufuk Berdan, and Robyn Rodriguez. They’ve lambasted the US “global war on terror.”
Racism and xenophobia, were also problems that the migrants are facing. As Maria Vandriel, who came from Africa, and Rai Bipin of the Nepalesebvas, shared, “Local workers are pushed to fight their fellow foreign workers, because the government spread the culture of hatred and racism on its people.”
Speak Out
One highlight of the event is the speech of Eni Lestari, IMA’s chairperson, who has been working for 10 years in HK as a domestic helper. She herself was a victim of abuse and neglect.
She strongly opposed the opportunistic aim of countries meeting at the GFMD and encouraged her fellow migrants to fight for their liberation as well as of their country from US and European Union imperialism.
She described them as “vultures feasting on their money and their blood.” With her might, she said that only by joining the movements of liberation can migrants liberate themselves and the world.
“Imperyalismo, ibagsak! Kapitalism Bureaucrat, ibagsak! Pyudalismo, ibagsak!,” (Down with imperialism! Down with bureaucrat capitalism! Down with feudalism!) she agitated the audience in broken Tagalog.
As Babes Alejo, formerly of Tambisan sa Sining and now with Anak ni Aling Juana, rapped her way to urge the migrants to “speak out,” the delegates of the IAMR lit torches, symbolizing their unity and their commitment to free themselves from the shadow of slavery.(Bulatlat.com)
