OFW Ako Magazine OnLINE Edition Issue 002
OFW ako Magazine ONLINE Edition Issue 002
February 2012
INSIDE:
- Its more fun in the Philippines: The fun of it by Robby Tantingco (Philippines) p2-p5
- Health Corner: Better posture for optimum health p6-p7
- Saint Valentine’s Day by Eden R. Manabat (Russia) p10-p11
- Isang umaga ng isang OFW sa Moscow by Eden R. Manabat (Russia) p12-p13
- Usapang Negosyo: The Entrepreneur’s Credo p14
- Katas ng Saudi by Thaddeus C. Hinunangan (Philippines) p16-p19
- Pinoys abroad rekindle Filipino traditional music in homeland by Emmanuel Roldan (Philippines) p20-p21
- Surgeon gives tips on cancer prevention by Philip S. Chua (USA) p22
- Paano kaya kung OFW si Itay? by Ian Albert Austria (Philippines) p24-p26
- Edukasyon: Matatag na Pundasyon para sa Maunlad na Henerasyon! by Jenny Reyes (Kuwait) p28-p29
- Man’s search for meaning: His Heroic Journey by Ernie Delfin (USA) p30-p32
- MHC debunks study assailing competency and integrity of Philippine nurses by Marivir Montebon (USA) p34-p37
- Is this what I want? by Thea Angelie Braga (KSA) p38-p40
- Filipino Nurses: Export Quality p41
- DIVORCE sa Pilipinas: AGREE or DISAGREE / Why?
DISAGREE ang sagot ni Marjorie C. Palma (Kuwait) p42,p44
AGREE ang sagot ni Melody Casem-Hermosura (Kuwait) P43 - Overseas Filipino Council International
My Country… My Kitchen … by Anita Sese-Schon (USA) p46
OFCI helped build a PRE-SCHOOL in Cava, La Union p47 - Makata si Juan at si Maria
Puso ni Juan by Rein Eviota (UAE) p48
Writer's Plea by Leden Nedel Flores (Kuwait) p48
Anak by Rein Eviota (UAE) p49 - Proud Owners of OFW ako T-shirts p50
- Community Directory / Readers' Reactions p51
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OFW ako Magazine ONLINE Edition is published by
OFW ako
61 Kamagong Road, Pilar Village, Las Pinas City
+63 949 776 9282 * ofwako.magazine@gmail.com
Editor-in-Chief: Dennis de Guzman
Contributors:
- Kuwait: Marjorie C. Palma, Jenny Reyes, Leden Nedel Flores, Melody Casem-Hermosura
- USA: Anita Sese-Schon, Marivir Montebon, Philip S. Chua, Ernie Delfin
- UAE: Rein Eviota
- KSA: Thea Angelie Braga
- Russia: Eden R. Manabat
- Philippines: Emmanuel C. Roldan, Robby Tantingco, Thaddeus C. Hinunangan, Ian Albert Austria
Articles, opinions, letters to the editor should be sent to ofwako.magazine@gmail.com
About the AUTHORS
RUSSIA
Eden R. Manabat is a student of Professional Fashion Styling and Image Consultant Course. She is currently attending at Elite Pro Make Up Fashion School in Madrid & Barcelona. She loves sharing her experience by writing a topic on an article, a member of OFW AKO Community of Distributors in Russia and an experienced OFW working in Moscow.
KUWAIT
Jenny Reyes, MBA and a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Management major in Marketing. She hailed from the province of Cavite where she worked as College Instructor until she left for Kuwait in 2006. Currently, she is working as Management and Marketing Instructor at one Filipino Institute in Kuwait. She also belongs to the OFW AKO Community of Distributors in Kuwait.
Leden Nedel Flores is 26 years of age & the youngest among 5 siblings. She studied Architecture at WVSU Iloilo. After finishing her degree, she decided to become an OFW in 2006 to work a Domestic Worker in Kuwait. After completing her two contracts as a Domestic Worker, she decided to look for a job more suitable to her education. Leden is now working as a Landscape Planner for a Kuwaiti company.
Melody Casem-Hermosura, 30, is an OFW based in Kuwait where she has been working since 2007 when she signed her first contract. She knows how to speak Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Cantonese, English & Filipino. Before Kuwait, she also worked in Taiwan.
Marjorie C. Palma is an OFW based in Kuwait. She hailed from the province of Bohol and was born on February 5, 1976. She studied Bachelor in Political Science International Relations Major. She is now currently working as a Receptionist at the DAR AL SHIFA HOSPITAL. She is also a member of the OFW ako Community of Distributors (COD) in Kuwait.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Rein Eviota is a graduate of Bachelor of Science & Industrial Technology major in Mechanical Technology at (SSCT) Surigao State College of Technology. He is currently an OFW working in UAE as a Procurement Officer.
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Thea Angelie Braga, 25, is an NICU nurse at Sharourah General Hospital, KSA.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Marivir Montebon is based in New York City and is the Managing Editor of the Migrant Heritage (MH) Chronicle News Flash is under the Research, Information, and Publication Program of the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC).
Ernie Delfin, a CPA-entrepreneur in Southern California, is the founder & Charter President of the Global Kalinga e-Rotary Club, under Districtr 3780,Quezon City, Philippines, an Assistant District Governor of District 5320, California. He has served also as President of the PICPA-Southern California Chapter and the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County. He is also active in his Church as a member of the Pastoral Council, Peace andl Justice Ministry and a Volunteer in the Restorative Justice and Catholic Prison Ministry in the Diocese of Orange. His hobbies include writing, reading, playing chess and poker, biking, travelling and speaking before groups, especially youth groups. He has been writing his "The Metamorphosis" column in the San Diego based Asian Journal for almost 20 years.
Dr. Philip S. Chua, a noted health columnist, writes weekly for four newspapers in the United States, three newspapers and one health magazine in the Philippines, and three websites on the internet. He is also the Chairman of the Filipino United Network—USA, a 501(c) (3) United States advocacy Foundation for good governance and responsible citizenship. Dr. Chua is married to a former classmate, Farida Isip Chua, MD, a retired Pediatrician. They have five children who are all physicians, and four of them married to physicians as well, all residing in the United States, with their ten grandchildren.
Anita Sese-Schon was born in Pangasinan and grew up in Manila. Graduate of School of Commerce, Far Eastern University. She is married to a retired Naval Officer and they have been residing in Bremerton, WA. Anita is retired from a Utility Company in Washington State, has 3 children and 12 grandchildren. Anita resides in the Philippines 6 months out of the year to supervise advocacy of the OFCI. Her passion is COOKING.
PHILIPPINES
Emmanuel Roldan is a Filipino, development worker, human rights defender, researcher and journalist. He worked with various non-government organizations helping the poor, deprived and oppressed Filipinos in the homeland in the field of organizational development, projects management, advocacy and communications. He is a columnist of two daily newspapers in Mindanao and vice president of Pangdaigdigang Alyansa ng Pilipino, Inc. (PAPI)-an affiliate of the Worldwide Filipino Alliance (WFA).
Robby Tantingco is a graduate of St. Louis University, Baguio City, currently AVP for Student Affairs and Services of Holy Angel University, Angeles City and Director of Center for Kapampangan Studies.
Thaddeus C. Hinunangan is a nurse and a medical student at the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Memorial Foundation in Tacloban City.
"Ian Albert Austria is the lazy blogger behind http://ako.iantamad.com (previously www.emotero.com), his personal blog. He was too lazy to detail out this author box.” - Ian A.
SUMMARIES
Its more fun in the Philippines: The fun of it by Robby Tantingco, SunStar Pampanga (Philippines)
What a difference one sentence can make! All it took Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. was six words and one punctuation mark, and he changed the national conversation from why Corona should be impeached to why it’s more fun in the Philippines. And he also revolutionized the way we look at tourism in this country. He kept his promise to make tourism “the people’s business” by getting everyone, not just the Department of Tourism, involved in the campaign, and making their involvement a lot of fun. (p2-p5)
Health Corner: Better Posture for Optimum Health
If you are eating right and working out regularly, then chances are you are in good health. You think you are doing the best you can, but what you might be missing though, is one often-overlooked key to health: good posture. Good posture can improve your overall health, giving you extra energy, as well as making you look more confident and attractive to others. (p6-p7)
Saint Valentine’s Day by Eden R. Manabat (Moscow, Russia)
Love is in the air on this month of Love. Falling hearts, striking cupids and sweet romances. Nowadays, February 14 has become characteristic of the Valentine’s Day which is closely associated with mutual exchange of love notes in the form of greeting cards. It is a magical day and has come to be celebrated in all corners of the world. Different roots are attributed to the beginning of the year’s most romantic day. It is safe to say, that the evolution of the modern day Valentine’s Day can be traced to Saint Valentine who was jailed by the Roman Emperor Claudius in the 3rd century A.D. the day’s patron saint. (p10-p11)
Isang umaga ng isang OFW sa Moscow by Eden R. Manabat (Moscow, Russia)
Ala sais ng umaga. Bagong taon ko sa Russia na malayo ulit sa aking pamilya. Oras ng aking panalanging pang umaga sa ating Poong Maykapal. Masakit ang aking ulo,masama ang pakiramdam ko at grabe ang ubo at sipon ko. Malamig ang paligid.Napakalamig. Walang humpay ang pagbagsak ng snow. Puti na ang kapaligirang animo’y paraisong puti na nababalutan ng luntiang bulak ng dahil sa yelo. (p12-p13)
Usapang Negosyo: The Entrepreneur’s Credo
Like an EAGLE I choose to soar to the highest heights for a view unknown by the vast majority of others. I do not choose to be a common person. It is my right to be uncommon. (p14)
Katas ng Saudi by Thaddeus C. Hinunangan (Philippines)
One of my earliest memories of childhood was snuggling close to my mother in a narrow, windowless corridor. The massive engine of the ship taking us to Manila hummed incessantly. The steel walls and the small improvised cot made from a thick sheet of plastic mounted on a wooden frame seemed to vibrate. My father was sitting nearby, trying to sleep amidst the noise. (p16-p19)
Pinoys abroad rekindle Filipino traditional music in homeland by Emmanuel C. Roldan (Philippines)
MUSIC is a universal language that traverses national boundaries and cultural eccentricities. It is often associated with arts, beauty, friendship and harmony of peoples of all ages and backgrounds. For generations music is known for its properties to alleviate stress, to enliven weary spirits and to forge peace and unity amongst warring groups. The Bible also echoes the songs of joy, hope, lamentation and suffering of the chosen people of God before and during their long journey to the land of promise. (p20-p21)
Surgeon gives tips on cancer prevention by Philip S. Chua (USA)
A new health “book of wisdom,” which was recently released by Xlibris publishing company in the United States, points out that “most of the cancers known to man today are self-induced through abuse of our body, and are, therefore, preventable to a great extent.” (p22)
Paano kaya kung OFW si Itay? by Ian Albert Austria (Philippines)
“Ano, tara na ba?” tanong ko kay tita, habang nagduduyan sya hawak ang maganda nitong cellphone, tila nag iintay ng tawag. “Wala pa e, di pa tumatawag, maya maya pa siguro.” sagot naman nya. Bihis na ako nun. Tapos sila, pati yung mga pinsan ko na iba, hindi pa paligo. Nauna pa ako, nagmukha tuloy na mas eksayted pa ako kesa sa kanila. Hindi naman talaga, ayaw ko lang maiwanan. Di ko naman akalain na madedelay ang pag alis namin. (p24-p26)
Edukasyon: Matatag na Pundasyon para sa Maunlad na Henerasyon! by Jenny Reyes (Kuwait)
Ang Kaalaman ay isang kayamanan na taglay ng tao na hindi mananakaw ninuman, bagay na madadala saan man magtungo at magagamit anumang oras na naisin. Ang kaalaman ay itinuturing din na daan sa tagumpay at susi sa mas magandang kinabukasan. Sa kabilang banda, may isang malaking katanungan… saan ba nagmumula ang taglay na kaalaman ng mga matatagumpay na tao? Obserbasyon, Ekspiryensya, o Edukasyon? Lahat ng ito ay pinagmumulan ng KAALAMAN. At ayon sa pananaliksik at masusing pag-aaral, may pinakamalaking porsyento ang Edukasyon sa bumubuo ng taglay na kaalaman ng mga mamamayan. (p28-p29)
Man’s search for meaning: His Heroic Journey by Ernie Delfin (USA)
Every person who has some knowledge of the Bible would know the bitter-sweet story of the prodigal son (Luke l5:11-32) Each human being, including this columnist, most likely will have his own “heroic journey” , like the prodigal son, who “left home” for whatever personal reasons that compelled him to do so, then lived in another place where he experienced many things, both good and bad, that eventually “changed” him as a person. Then for another set of reasons, he decided to “return home” and coming home a completely a “changed man!” In some journalistic parlance, each one of us, human beings, may also have experienced or undergone such a “heroic journey.” I think I have also undergone such “mid-life crises” (for a lack of a better word) phenomenon that I still do not fully understand but has accepted it as a part and parcel of life on earth. (p30-p32)
MHC debunks study assailing competency and integrity of Philippine nurses by Marivir Montebon, MHC Managing Editor (USA)
New York -- On several occasions, strangers would ask me if I was a nurse when they realize that I am Filipino. Of course, I would say no, because I am not. And usually, the next question is, what do you do then. That is when I want to roll my eyes already. Nevertheless, I say, I am a writer. And interestingly, the answer would be a “wow!”. If I was perhaps a nurse, these strangers would likely say, you must be big time! Two things: Filipinas are stereotyped to be nurses and because they are, they earn very good money. The second assumption is definitely closest to the truth. (p34-p37)
Buhay OFW sa Saudi: Is this what I want? By Thea Angelie Braga (Saudi Arabia)
At 25, I am still young. And I am in the Middle East. Every morning when I wake up, I try to convince myself that this is what I want. By “this” I mean being an overseas Filipino worker. Before I left the country, which must have 100 nurses per square kilometer, I had a job that most of the jobless nurses I knew wanted. I was a staff nurse in one of the best—if not the best—hospitals and the newest of its kind in the Philippines. Talk about the highest standards of care, excellent customer service, high-end equipment, sophisticated structure, excellent human resources support, and of course, prestige, they have it. (p38-p40)
Filipino Nurses: Export Quality
The World Health Organization has cited the Philippines as the largest exporter of Registered Nurses to foreign countries. Filipino nurses can be found everywhere around the world --- in the big cities of United States and England, in urbanized centers of Europe and Asia, in the far corners of Africa and South America, in remote desert clinics in the Middle East, in offshore rigs on the China Sea. The latest statistics show that about 250,000 Filipino nurses are working all over the world. This phenomenon was noted in 1985, continues today, and will be for so many years. (p41)
DIVORCE sa Pilipinas: AGREE or DISAGREE / Why?
DISAGREE! ang sagot ni Marjorie C. Palma
Ang DIVORCE ay pagsasawalang bisa sa KASAL. Ang KASAL ay ginaganap sa simbahan, ito ay hindi simpleng seremonyas lamang kundi habang buhay na pananagutan sa taong pakakasalan mo. Ang DIVORCE ay sa pamahalaan. Bakit ka nagpakasal sa simbahan at pupunta ka sa pamahalaan pagdating ng hiwalayan? Hindi ka nagpakasal para ipakita lamang sa taong bayan na ikaw ay kasal na. Hindi rin pamahalaan ang nagbuklod sayo sa taong Mahal mo. (p42,p44)
AGREE! ang sagot ni Melody Casem-Hermosura
Iba na po ang panahon natin ngayon, maraming dahilan kung bakit nag hihiwalay ang mag asawa. Hindi rin mapigil ng simbahan at ng ating gobyerno kung sila’y maghihiwalay na. Ang iba ay nagpapamilya ng iba kaya dumadami tuloy angmga bata na ipinanganak sa labas ng kasal. Kung ang mag asawa ay talagang hindi na magkasundo bakit hindi sila pwedeng mag hiwalay ng tuluyan o mag divorce ng sa ganun maging malaya sila pareho. Meron naman po tayong batas para naman sa mga bata at ang kanilang mga karapatan di po ba? (p43)
Overseas Filipino Council International
My Country… My Kitchen … by Anita Sese-Schon (USA) Food is the heart of Filipino life and politics. Everything else is secondary…Creating a better country and people is like cooking up a good recipe. There are good cooks as well as there are bad cooks. One may have the most educated, most talented, most enthusiastic, most dedicated people to exploit to make a better country but if the system fails to bring out the right leaders to harness these human resource…we will still have the worst country in the universe. (p46)
OFCI helped build a PRE-SCHOOL in Cava, La Union Overseas Filipino Council International (OFCI), through its Education Committee and as approved by the BOG, entered into a partnership with Lorma Colleges National Service Training Program to help a poor barangay at Liquicia, Caba, La Union build and maintain a pre-school. OFCI provided financial support for the building materials of the preschool and for the monthly honorarium of the teacher. The barangay officials and parents built the school on a former stage of the barangay auditorium and basketball court. (p47)
Makata si Juan at si Maria (p48-p49)
PUSO NI JUAN by Rein Eviota (p48)
Makulay ang buhay kung
ang pag-ibig mong taglay
ay wagas at walang humpay
pero kung ito’y laro lang
baka ika’y mapaso
at maging peklat na di matago
…
WRITER’S PLEA by Leden Nedel Flores (p48)
I want to write but i lack ink
My heart is drained but my heart is over flowing;
I am preoccupied but i cant think,
Still my desire is to write anything.
…
ANAK by Rein Eviota (p49)
Simula ng ika’y dumating
buhay ko’y nagising
sapagkat pangamba’t ligaya ang nadarama
at di alam kung pano ba
gagampanan ang maging ama
na minsa’y di ko inakala
pero ako’y tuwang tuwa
dahil ngayon lang nadarama
ang kakaibang saya
…
