Plea from the desert

I was frustrated when my boss handed me a two-page memorandum from the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. “Employment and Repatriation of Filipino Workers; until 31 December 2011,” the title said.

Since the time we received the notification from our embassy, regular weekly meetings have been organized by the Filipino community to discuss how we can solve the problem.

I was a young professional in the Philippines, working as a financial analyst for an international bottling company. I had to tighten my belt and use wisely my monthly income because, being the eldest in the family, I have an obligation to help my parents send my younger siblings through college. I thought that landing a job abroad was the key to achieving that objective. So when an administrative job in Afghanistan was offered to me a year ago, I took it without hesitation.

Arriving in Afghanistan, I was filled with mixed emotions, mainly fear because I thought of it as a war zone and joy because I had found a way to ease our family’s tight financial situation. But as the days passed, my fear of rocket attacks and suicide bombings vanished. I haven’t heard a single explosion or anything that would suggest that there is a war going on, except for the constant humming of helicopters and screaming of fighter jets almost the whole day through.  Some people may not believe it, but Filipinos in Afghanistan feel safer and more secure than anywhere else abroad. There has been no case of sexual harassment or sexual abuse by employer, no hold-up or robbery. Car accidents are very rare since you cannot drive faster than 25 kph inside the base without the military police arresting you. There is no racial discrimination as people of many races are here to work.

Employees are treated well, their basic needs provided for free: pleasant accommodations with 24/7 Internet access, a $20 per meal feast in comfortable dining facilities, access to recreational centers, etc.

I am proud to say that Filipinos are held in high regard by their foreign employers because of our patience and our hard work. We also communicate clearly and effectively, and our skilled workers can relay instructions to laborers with ease.

But because of the immigration issues and constant off-loading, companies  now think it is too risky to employ Filipinos.

People of various nationalities are here for work—Jamaicans, Indians, South Africans, Kenyans, Uzbekistanis, Canadians, Americans, British, Swedish, Danish and others  I have never heard before. If they were able to come here with the blessing of their governments, why can’t we? What makes us so special that Filipinos should not be here? Why do we have to turn our backs on opportunities that would help our families and the national economy?

December 31 hovers above our heads like dark clouds, threatening our future financial stability. There are lots of Filipino workers who will be affected by this policy. I know many fathers and mothers here who worry about how they will send their children to college. Other workers say they will have to go back to being farmers and work in the fields. Still others say they will be forced to accept jobs in the Philippines that only pay enough for their daily needs and leave nothing to be saved.

Is this what our government wants for us? We are working hard on foreign soil, hoping  we can help our loved ones. But the jobs we now have will be taken away from us and given to other nationalities. Is this the way to treat one’s countrymen?

I understand that people sitting in their nice chairs and behind slick desks want us to be safe. But all Filipinos here live inside the base with almost an entire army to protect and guard us. The dangers brought by war have been exaggerated, since the fighting goes on miles and miles away from where we are.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that the government should make our stay legal; I know that’s impossible. My point is that our government should ease up on its restrictions. Since we are already here, it shouldn’t drag us home and pretend that everything will be all right. Because, honestly, we cannot find work anywhere that pays us as well as the jobs we have here.  No, we don’t receive as much as seamen, but we have enough—enough to provide a better shelter for our families, send our children to school, save a little for the future, maybe even start a new business, and buy some extras that make living a little bit nicer.

I am actually looking forward to December since I will be going home for my annual vacation. But I also hope to come back and continue to work here. And it would be good to see my fellow Filipino workers feeling the same way, instead of fearing that their working days are numbered.

To the concerned Filipino officials: Please hear our cry. Listen to our workers’ plea from the desert.

Nalie Ramos, 27, is a BS accountancy graduate from Zamboanga City and now works in Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in Afghanistan as administrative assistant.