HK Migrant Takes Road to Congress  

(Third of a six-part series)

It is hard to imagine Connie Bragas-Regalado sitting beside the likes of Prospero Pichay in the House of Representatives. Not because she would not know how to deal with them but because the 50-year old domestic helper from Hong Kong does not have the usual sleazy polish and crooked air of veteran politicians. Connie however can, at a drop of the hat, give a critique of Philippine migrant laws or provide a comprehensive analysis of Filipino migrants’ situation – in any part of the globe.

BY ROWENA CARRANZA
Bulatlat.com

NOT YOUR USUAL H.K. MIGRANT: MSP nominee Connie Bragas-Regalado can be a fiery speaker at one time (left, in a Hong Kong rally last year) and be all smiles the next (right). 

Connie, together with John Monterona and Carol Almeda, are the top three nominees of the Migrante Sectoral Party (MSP). The others are Dominador Rey Olavere, Edgar Crisostomo Cadano, Wennie Flores and Flora Belinan.

Organized last year, MSP is the largest migrants’ organization in the country and known for its militancy and extensive network. It is running in the party-list elections in May this year, hoping to get as many as three seats in Congress.

Roots

Connie is a native of Southern Leyte. For a while, her family lived in Kidapawan, South Cotabato where she finished high school. She then went to the University of Southern Philippines in Cebu and took up BS Social Work.

After studying, she chose to go back to Mindanao and applied for work at the Region XI office of the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD). She was assigned in South Cotabato and later married another government employee from the National Food Authority (NFA).

Connie and her husband saw they could not build a family with their meager salaries. Just like hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, Connie decided to try her luck abroad and successfully applied as a domestic in Singapore. By then, she had a one-year old and a four-year old children.

She said that in Singapore problems faced by migrant workers are usually not dealt with by the government unless it is a police matter. Thus, if your employer refuses to feed you or allow you to have a day off, the government would not interfere. The usual system is for the domestic helper to get inside the country as a tourist and the placement agency gets her an employer. Connie spent more than P50,000 before she could leave, although official receipts would show only P12,000.

When her original employee went bankrupt, Connie transferred to an American household where she received more than double the usual salary being received by domestic helpers in Singapore at the time. She saw however how other Filipinos were being maltreated. “Araw-araw may dinadalhan ako ng pagkain kasi ang ipinapakain sa kanila ay panis” (Everyday I brought food to another Filipino domestic helper because the employer gave her only spoiled food), Connie recalled. When her employers decided to leave the country, Connie decided to go home as well, not wanting to end up like other Filipino migrants in the area.

Although she survived her stint in Singapore unscathed, her marriage though was not so lucky. Her husband decided to work in Saudi Arabia where he got involved with another woman which led to their break up. Separations though are not uncommon among OFWs. Connie grins, “Yung mga hiwalay kapag tinatanong kung nasaan ang mga asawa, ang sagot ay ‘sumakabilang bahay na’!” (Those who are separated when asked about their spouses reply that the latter have transferred to another house).

Upon her return in the Philippines, Connie became involved with the militant women’s group Gabriela and later directly helped organize peasant communities in Southern Mindanao. But when economic difficulties intensified, Connie once again decided to work abroad. She left her children in the care of her parents and younger sister and in March 1991, boarded a plane for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong experience

Connie chose Hong Kong, thinking the British colony had a better policy for migrant workers, aside from being near. This time, she had to shell out more than P100,000 for placement and other fees.

On her first free day, Connie went to a Lutheran church called “Church of All Nations,” where even non-Lutheran members could go. It started her involvement with the church activities, particularly in its ministry for migrant workers. She later sat in its Board of Social Ministry which looks for ways how the church could assist welfare institutions. The following year, Connie joined the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL), a militant organization that has a record of consistently fighting for migrants’ rights and welfare. Two years later, she was elected chairperson of the 8,000-strong organization.

“Grabe ang demand ng trabaho sa UNIFIL and I had to leave the ministry,” said Connie. Her employer was thoughtful enough to give her a typewriter for her use so she could prepare the papers she needed for the Sundays when most of the Filipino migrants would be converging in the central park. Still, organizing overseas Filipinos was very difficult, especially the first years, for Connie.

“My organizing experience was among peasants. They would be there in the field or their huts, always available, if you wanted to see them. But with the migrants, you only have the Sundays to talk with them and that would be their time to write letters, make calls to their kids, send remittances. I asked the veterans in Hong Kong, ‘Bakit ganito, ang hirap hirap.’”  The only answer she got was, “Talagang ganyan ang migrante.”

Thirteen years in Hong Kong and six employers later, Connie recognizes that the same difficulties continue. But this time, she has more confidence, born out of the years of painstaking work among the OFWs and deeper knowledge of their problems and situation.

She also talks about the importance of organizing the families of OFWs. “They too must realize the issues that their loved ones confront.”

Migrants’ legislative agenda

Connie believes that having a representative in Congress would allow them push the interest of OFWs in legislation. “Ang nangyayari kasi, nalalaman na lang namin pag lumabas na kaya reactive. Sa kadami-dami na ng nailabas na policies, puro anti-migrant although sinasabi nila na for the protection of migrants. If we are in congress, there would be opportunity to review the legislations being passed as well as offer alternatives.”

Concretely, two of the major agenda of MSP in Congress would be the passage of an OFW Charter and the ratification and implementation of the United Nations Convention for the Protection of the Rights and Welfare of Migrants and their Families.

MSP also seeks to ensure adequate and appropriate government services to all OFWs; protection and immediate assistance to distressed overseas Filipinos everywhere; imposition of heavy penalties and punishment of all agencies engaged in the sex trafficking of Filipino women and children; and to pressure the government to act decisively via diplomatic intervention for the immediate release and repatriation of unjustly imprisoned Filipinos abroad.

Low registration turnout

Connie admits that low turnout during the registration held from August 1 to Sept. 30 last year was a dismay. Of the estimated eight million OFWs, only 369,000 registered.

Migrante scored the government for failing to inform the OFW voters and providing accessible system.

“Kalunos-lunos talaga” (It was really depressing), said Connie. She narrated how the Philippine embassies and consulates kept saying even up to the very last day of registration that they had no funds to use for the registration, much leass to launch an information campaign.

In Hong Kong, said Connie, Migrante had to spend for the photocopying of registration forms because the consulate had only a few copies. She said that although the consulate organized a speakers pool for a voters education campaign, the campaign did not take off.

“Voters education was crucial in convincing the migrants to register — especially in Hong Kong because we are tired of the many failed promises. Kumbisihang katakot-takot ang ginawa namin talaga. Kayod talaga kasi hinahabol namin yung September 30 deadline ng registration.”

But the Hong Kong registration – which had a total of 89,000 registrants – was still much better than the countries in Europe. Filipino migrants in Italy and Spain in particular, Connie learned during her trip to Europe last year, did not even know of the OAV.

Campaign strategy

According to Connie, MSP still targets in its information campaigns even those who failed to register. “Kasama pa rin namin sila sa kampanya to convince their families to vote.”

According to MSP’s calculation, each OFW has at least three family members whom he can convince to vote for MSP (which is incidentally reminiscent of the Katipunan’s method of recruitment during the Filipino revolt against Spanish rule). 

Targetting both the OFW and his family however involves organizing and campaign work not just abroad but in all of the regions in the Philippines as well.

For example, MSP has tapped the Abra-Tinggian Society which has members in 24 municipalities in Abra. MSP has contacted its Philippine-based leaders and members as well as their members in Hong Kong.

MSP also monitors all members who are planning to come to the Philippines so they could be mobilized for the campaign. She said Davao, Cebu and Iloilo organizing has so far been successful.

New arena

Connie however clarifies that participation in the elections does not mean they have illusions that victory would mean the end the Filipino migrants’ sufferings.

Our members know that exercising their right of suffrage does not end with the casting of ballots. There is in fact greater responsibility afterwards because we need to ensure that the migrant’s agenda would be pursued by whoever gets voted.

The feisty migrant leader also said that any entry into the parliamentary arena would not succeed if not supported by a vibrant migrants’ movement.

“Kahit makapagpaupo ka ng isang tao sa kongreso, isa lang yun. Malaki ang papel ng migrants movement to support kung ano man ang panukalahang inihahapag.” The key therefore, she says, is still organizing the ranks of OFWs and their families.

She further said that even if progressive measures do not get passed into laws, the fact that they would be tabled and discussed in Congress could be considered a victory.

A new chapter

For Connie, her sudden entry in the unfamiliar but exciting electoral struggle ushers a new chapter in her life.

Since she went to Hong Kong, she had been able to attend only two of her kids’ graduation rites (one elementary and one high school graduation) and spend one Christmas with them.  “Usually ang uwi ko hindi natatapat sa tamang petsa – pag panahon ng Chinese New Year in February or school vacation which is August.”

They are all grown-up now and one even has a child of his own. “Lola na ako,” said Connie proudly.

Whether MSP wins or loses in the elections, Connie plans to stay in the Philippines for good when her contract expires in August this year. She would then have more time to spend with her children and grandchild.

Or maybe not. For Connie intends to see to it that MSP chapters – not numbering over a hundred worldwide – would continue to expand, in various countries where Filipino migrants are concentrated as well as in the various regions in the archipelago.

Whether she gets to do it in the session hall of Congress or in Mendiola, migrant Filipinos would always have Connie to fight for their rights and welfare.  Bulatlat.com

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