shayne    Stella Ysang   Vasie (green and white dress)   Mitch    Mike   Jijie    Katerina Jerose

By Joy B. MirandaTinig Pinoy – Pinay Sense May 2009 issue)

Few days ago, I got a call from a Filipina in Larnaca, someone I did not expect of calling me. August 2007 while on my way back to Cyprus from an emergency trip to the Philippines, I had a lady seatmate in the plane, also heading to Cyprus. She said she will be working somewhere in a place called Larnaca. She was not only a seatmate but also a room mate in a hotel in Bahrain. All through the time of our trip from Manila to Bahrain until we reached Larnaca airport, she already shared a lot about her life, and in those conversations, I sensed a deep sincerity in her being. She said she is an ex-abroad, having worked for many years in Kuwait (showed in her passport) but even so, there was a clear thought in my mind that she is not a typically courageous overseas worker. I mean to say that she was scared of a lot of things, apprehensive, worried that something wrong could happen in her employment. We bade goodbyes at the airport and at a last glance, I saw her like a little child in her teary eyes looking at me as if she was going to a battle for the first time. I said, “Don’t worry, it will be alright, but in case you will encounter a problem, just call me.�

Middle of December 2007, she called me, indeed, crying, asking for help. Narrating her story over the phone, she said that she was not happy in her employers’ house, citing many sensitive work-related issues. To make the story short, this lady has called me many times after two months of arriving in Cyprus and in each call, the help she was asking from me is to help her run away, which I of course declined many times as well. I believe that running away is not the solution to any problem at work places especially if the employer doesn’t know that the employee is having an issue. This is the reason why communication should always be there and the employer should initiate or encourage the worker to open up. She was released from the first employer after 3 months. Soon after, she found a new job here in Nicosia, in a diplomat’s house. Unfortunately, her new working condition turned out to be far worst than the previous one, so she was released again, after two months. Before the release paper expires, another diplomat took her, provided her a working visa. I thought she was okay as I didn’t hear anything from her after her third employment. Well, almost a year in that diplomat’s house and just two years in Cyprus, she was crying to me once again saying her ticket was ready and will fly back home in two days. My nerve was shaking mad after learning what happened to her in her third job. I previously said that I vote No for running away, but under the urgency of the situation, I commanded her to leave the employer’s house right away, in which she did. She has her release paper with her but was not allowed to go out to find a new employer and instead told to fly in two days! I advised her to go to the appropriate people who could help, which she did promptly. After a day of leaving the employer’s house, she got herself a new job, and on the day of her supposed flight, the new Boss brought her to the Migration and Civil Registry office. A couple of days ago, she called, “Joy, thank you, thank you, for all the guidance. I got my new pink slip today, if not for you, I should be in the Philippines now, starving. God bless the people like you,� again, in her usual in between sobs.

This lady’s story is common, as it happens to many of us. Many who are scared to voice out, afraid to come out, hesitant to speak up, even if they know that they should speak out. I guess what I can only advice to everybody is to please just be aware of your rights as a worker, and as a person. When you know that your rights are being violated then courage should start from there even if you are not sure if your voice be given an attention. Knowing your rights fully well is like a drop of rain in a desert, where you can have a bit of hope to pursue a cause. At least, you are just being fair with yourself by fighting and standing up for your rights. Ending this piece, let me quote Eleonor Roosevelt: “Right is not something that somebody gives you. It is something that nobody can take away.�