Ok na sana daw for Pinoy Pride and the reputation of Filipino caregivers/nurses eh. What with Rose Fostanes, a long-time caregiver in Israel, winning their local version of the program X-factor. She became yet another “hero” that the validation starved Filipinos would be using in order to prop up to the world that they are a great and important people.
Then came the news of the one dubbed the Satanist nurse, Blaze Binder, who supposedly took pictures of herself next to dead pensioners in the Swiss aged care facility where she works.
That’s not all. There was also news of the Pinoy nurse caught on video molesting a bedridden patient, and news of another one sexually abusing a male quadriplegic Afghanistan war veteran. Both in the United States.
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Even further back, in 2012, there was also news of the Filipino nurse jailed in UK for attacking an 80-year old Alzheimer’s patient.
One good example versus four bad ones of Filipino caregivers/nurses. That doesn’t look good for their reputation.
It takes a lot of time and effort for a good reputation to be built up, and only a moment, one very bad incident, to destroy it. In our sample above alone, we found four bad incidents involving Filipino nurses. Who knows how many more incidents of Filipino nurses taking advantage of or abusing the elderly they are supposed to take care of go undocumented?
And Filipinos, don’t even think about saying that that “accolade” or “commendation” for Fostanes is worth any spit. It wasn’t even for her skills as a caregiver or nurse! Are Filipinos going to tell us, like they do over and over again, that a Filipino like Fostanes who wins a competition abroad inspires the rest of her countrymen? But for what? Where are the results of such inspiration?
That pride Filipinos incessantly insist on propping up every chance they get? It has now fallen apart like the house of cards it really is underneath.
Let’s face it, is there anything to be proud of as a nation that sends out its citizens to work as caregivers and/or nurses in other parts of the world just so they can make ends meet, and because there aren’t enough decent jobs for them back home?
Filipinos will insist that the misbehavior of a handful of them should not be used to make a generalization that overseas Filipino workers (OFW’s) are to be avoided like the plague. Not all Filipinos are like that; people should not generalize – so they claim.
Well, boohoo. Tough luck.
It takes only a few bad apples to spoil the whole bunch. And the fact that Filipinos are so dependent on foreign employers for jobs they can’t get back home? Filipinos have the gall to tell the world what to think! By virtue of the one seeking employment abroad, they are in no position to bargain and tell the world what to think of them; they must prove themselves consistently, and without fail. They think that they are so entitled to the available jobs out there; by virtue of being Filipino alone, they are the best at what they do.
They are good at being ass-wipers and bottom feeders. They are good at getting themselves into trouble.
What Filipinos have consistently failed to exhibit, are the following:
1) That they can wean themselves off their pathetic dependence on foreign money to fund their excessive consumerism;
2) That the number of those who go into nursing mainly for money and not for the love of the profession does not affect the reputation of Filipino nurses negatively and in general, and;
3) That they can be generally known for anything other than as the replaceable cogs in professional industries abroad.
Katulong, taga-punas ng pwet, and nagtatrabaho sa oil rig – just a few examples of ways that the Filipinos are driven to desperation and to scrape the bottom of the barrel, all because of conditions back home that are, to a large extent, of their own doing.
As benign0 had recently pointed out:
Hopefully, governments of affluent countries will recognise the risks posed by foreign Third World nurses on its citizens and step up efforts to boost domestic capacity for producing this much-needed skill within their respective populations.
It’s not a matter of if, it’s when. And when this does happen, what’s the Philippines going to do when the thousands (possibly even millions) of displaced Filipino workers will be forced to go back home?
Nothing. Filipinos and their government will simply grin and bear it, all because they can be easily convinced by a man of the cloth that overpopulation is good for Filipinos.
Filipinos will simply keep trying their luck overseas and beg some more.
It’s a vicious cycle – one that Filipinos don’t seem to want to break.
[Photo courtesy: beagardner.com]
А вы, друзья, как ни садитесь, все в музыканты не годитесь. – But you, my friends, however you sit, not all as musicians fit.
It’s sad to see our fellow OCWs (Take note I didn’t use the commonly-termed OFWs) doing crap for no reason. It really puts some/all of our fellow OCWs to shame.
These incidents are one of the reasons why foreigners have second-thoughts about hiring Filipinos to work for them.
I wonder if the the rest of the world still remembered that Nursing exam incident that happened a couple of years ago…
I do recall that most OFWs are Overseas Contract Workers.
The government should realize that not all filipinos are hard wired to be OFWs. This people should just stay in the Philippines and plant kamote, else we end up with misbehaving OFWs, OFW sob stories like drug mules, and death row convicts, etc.
Yes. These OFWs should stay here in the Philippines. They should be satisfied with taking care and wiping the asses of their countrymen. They should stay here so labor costs will go down. Household help, in particular, should not be deployed overseas. We need all the household help we can get at a cheap price. Why should chinese, arabs, and white people get to benefit from Filipino domestics. They should suffer here rather than go abroad to suffer. Hahahahaha…
Seriously, nothing wrong with Filipinos going overseas as long as they remain overseas and do not return. Also, they should stop remitting money back to the Philippines. They should use their hard-earned money to bring their spouses, children, family, clan overseas and they should stay there. Forever.
They should build communities overseas and fight for their residency and naturalization. No turning back. Ever.
Filipinos should do this, filipinos should do that. who the hell are you to tell us what to do? Life is hard in the Phils. and it’s not wrong to want a better life.
I agree 100 %. At least we do not sit down there and do nothing with our poverty unlike people from other countries who won’t even try.
While I agree that this is another brilliantly written article, that comment of yours does not support it at all Lee Arenas. Don’t be such a defeatist, man.
While it’s obvious that GRP shows a lot of negativity, it doesn’t actually promote negativism. Say something that won’t shove us down the gutter for a change.
Great singers will never save the Philippines. the audience in other countries is more sensible, and they know Rose Fontanes is just a one-in-a-million person. Sadly, Fontanes is relegated to a face-saver, when you have the context of so many erring Filipinos. The Filipinos should be challenged to do more than face-saving.
Can we just rejoice one of our own’s triumph and not tie it with nationalism and negativity? I applaud her personal accomplishment, that’s all. I do not become a better or worse person just because she wins the title. We are who we are, not because we are a member of a pack. Let’s give her her moment.
The thing is things are so bleak in this country that one of our own is in every corner of the earth to try abs achieve their fiscal goals , question I ask is simply where do we draw the line? For me TV show you normally did not know exist is ridiculous . That’s me. The more singing contests in the world the more pinoys will join. Where do you draw the line?
Do you mean to say that just because we are so poor that we should downplay our existence so as not to draw attention to our poverty? You know singing is our national pastime, then there’s nothing wrong in joining these contests to give expression to our personal pride. If I have the voice of an angel nobody can tell me to “Ssshhhh!!! Be quiet because you draw attention to our poverty.”
Here is what I mean to say. Many people have fallen into the trap that having minimal opportunity here is a good thing. That we send people out is a good thing. Mom and young child stay here and dad is out in the other side of the world earning. Breaks my heart. If that is a situation to be proud of then OK. For those who think it is OK. I do not.
Unfortunately, medy, when you talk to many Filipinos, they WILL make it about nationalism. They WILL make it about how one Filipino winning a singing competition or boxing match proves that the entire country is great. They WILL take her personal accomplishment as a national one. And they WILL propagate that notion of “me becoming a better person” when a fellow Filipino wins the title.
She can and will have her moment, and when she does, expect the Filipino hangers-on to be there, ready to capitalize on her win to make themselves look good.
That is the sad reality of the Philippines, home to a people who overly rely on external forces to give meaning to their existence.
Gog, I disagree with you (respectfully). I’d rather that the dad goes away to work and give an opportunity for his kids to have a better life than sit there and marinate his whole family in poverty. If the mother is ther to care for the kids or other responsible adults like grandparents to care for the kids then it’s fine with me. Kids cannot chose the parents and the opportunities that they are born with, so let’s give them a good headstart in life by eating 3 meals a day and wearing decent clothings.
HA! HA! HA! Amir, well put. You are right, that’s the reality of it. We are so disgusted with our economic and political situation that anything we can use to gloss it over is fair game. We want to be proud as a people but there is nothing we can brag about with heft other than those boxers and singers.
Aquino and Lacierda are following the political strategy of the late Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany; in order to divert the attention of Filipinos of their bad handling of the economy.
Hitler used the “Aryan Race Superiority”…Aquino use the “Pinoy Pride” mantra…
Now, their agenda is in the sewerage already. Because of these Pervert Filipinos. Foreign nations will look us as, : “Nation of Perverts”…
Hitler used the “Aryan Race Superiority”…Aquino use the “Pinoy Pride” mantra…
A very good observation. I don’t remember much in the past of the Filipino pride “chest pumping / arms raising” stuff. All seems to be very recent. Most of which seems to be very artificial even.
Just another day I guess.
Why are we in the hole? Because we continue to elect these crocodiles year after year. If we do not elect them, they won’t be there. Look no further!
@FallenAngel: “Where are the results of such inspiration?”
Nothing! Filipinos are so fascinated to “make their own” the successes of others who really worked hard to achieve it. However, majority remain parasitic. And that’s all their is.
Most Filipinos keep on blowing their horns that they are “the most intelligent and diligent” workers in the world. Based on personal experience they really are impressive workers at the start of their employments. However, as they stay longer they become more pathetically lazy and worse of all their nature of stealing even the most irrelevant properties of the company they work with becomes consistently prevalent.
It’s really true that perhaps when there will be no more countries that will accept OFWs, most Filipinos will surely accept (like meek lambs to the slaughter house) whatever the corrupt government officials would set as their salaries even equivalent to those being given to the Bangladeshis and Nepalese.
Basically, Filipinos don’t have the nature to confront headway the obvious corruptions and thievery of the politicians, government officials employees,
By nature they are only good at gossiping behind the back and murmuring. Pwehh!
There are a lot of honest and intelligent Pilipinos who are trying hard to change the political system. Watch the rallies and strikes that they are doing but there are more, I mean MORE of our countrymen who would elect more Estradas… etc. because of the money they spread during elections so unless the majority of our countrymen buckle down and say NO, I won’t accept the lagay because I want to vote honestly then our country will be forever doomed.
Medy Ramos. I agree with you that yes that some of those exist. But too few and
far between. I have no idea why many people question why GRP exists when part of
what we fight against is the normalized cultural lobotomy of our countrymen. With
every cry of “proud to be pinoy”, that reality is hidden even more. And that is exactly what our politicans and leaders want. A dumb population where they are perceived as better and can not be questioned. Many may not agree with GRP questions but hopefully they formulate their own. Again hopefully. Read what I said Jan 1 2014 about why I believe we are the most positive website going. You may not agree with everything but you might see some points that strike a chord.
I am so grateful when I stumbled upon this website, very intelligent and very open. I know I can disagree and still be respected for my opinion. The only way that we can affect change is to find a way to enlighten our populace that the P5,000 that they get from politicians during the campaign will doom us all. For me this is the magic bullet.
Whoa, what is this? Well, there are really wrong doings that some of the OCW or OFW have committed so far. But I don’t think there is a perfect race in the world and even those racist communities in the world cannot find perfection for themselves. I could not help to think more about of letting all OFWs’ come home where the country cannot give a decent jobs for majority of its people. Aside from that, there are those companies that behaving very oppressive to their employees as if they paid a better life to all their employees. Maybe there is but that company is not purely owned by Filipino-Chinese or Filipinos and except for some of those companies that are run by the Americans and Europeans. The thing is until now, hypocrite and self righteous people are coming out to prove that they have the monopoly of ideas and truth in the world and behaving that they are exceptional. I just can’t help to think that if these kinds of people will rule the world, what would it be? Definitely, the world will come again into chaos that will ultimately come forth to unleash nuclear bombs. Well, that’s the truth because it was already been settled in heaven, and if the people of the world not just the Filipinos cancerous society will continue to behave this way in a drastic speed no doubt the world will be doomed again because of another world war. For those who think that they have everything in the Philippines good for you but you don’t have the right to put down into the pit the struggles and challenges, the victory and failures of every OFW. If you live like a prince or princess in the Philippines that is extremely nice thing to hear about you but I definitely doubt it is purely in good faith that you attained such wealth. For the sake of those some Filipinos that are narrow minded, it is not only us Filipinos are working abroad, almost every Asian people are going out of there country for a better opportunity add to that those coming from Africa, Latin America, and even from some of those developed countries their people are coming out of the country to find their fields of milk and honey.
I am astounded by your ability to make a coherent point, and your ability to stick to the topic at hand. Really.
How is that related to the article?
You trolls are all the same.
Lack of ability to stick to the topic and lack of ability to understand anything here.
Neme-calling is childish. We’ll be more effective if we can disagree decently.
Kung kasi pinatalsik niyo si Marcos sana di ganito kalagayan ng Pilipinas.
These are the people who should be embarassed:
1. Our countrymen who are electing year after year politicians who are manggagantso. We are victimized by our own follies. STOP ELECTING THOSE CROCODILES!
2. Our countrymen who put down our own countrymen without offering an alternative, jobs for them, anyone?
_____These deserve PRAISE: Our countrymen who leave our homeland to improve not their own lives but the lives of their children and family members. They are sacrificing everything to make a better life for their love ones.
Dear GRP, Can one of your writers write a piece on how to change the mindset of our populace on how to make intelligent choices during elections? Or get suggestions from our readers of ways how to change their voting style? If I am a good and coherent writer I would have but I am not!
Medy,
While these two articles below will not exactly answer your question, it should give you some food for thought nonetheless:
It is never too early to think about the next elections in the Philippines
Is the solution to a socio-cultural problem a political one?
Fallen Angel, thank you for those 2 very enlightening articles. It is embarassing that we are a free people, free to choose our own candidates and yet chose these corrupt politicians. The vast majority of our populace do not do in-depth and critical thinking before casting their votes and there lies to problem. I am sad that we’ll continue to have 28% below poverty populace, same as Haiti. What to do, what to do???
GRP, somehow I seem to offend somebody with my replies. My replies to Grogs and Amir were deleted.
Sorry, sorry, GRP, my replies to Gogs and Amir re-appeared. I take back my question.
Something I did not see?
Lets not stereotype our fellow country men and always look at the brighter side. OFW helps our country though their remittances, its important role of promoting inclusive growth or economic growth that trickles down to the masses
Anes, Maricar
Contributor, http://www.ourhappyschool.com
There’s a line in a Star Wars RPG manual that pretty much sums up this entire discussion. (I’m going to frame this as a discussion about the Jedi code of conduct, but you can easily replace “Jedi” with any group you want) The extent of it is that a Jedi should always be on their best behavior, because for every one bad Jedi, it takes three to undo the bad impression.
Basically, they’re told to “always assume you’re the first of your kind others meet.” If you behave poorly, people come off thinking that “all Jedi are like that.” Then one good Jedi comes along, and they think “Okay, maybe that good Jedi was a exception.” The second good Jedi comes along, and they think “Okay, maybe they’re about 50/50.” It’s not until the third Jedi that they think “Okay, that awful one was the exception.”