Thursday, December 07, 2023

What do you think about Filipino people you met personally?

Just like any other country, there are probably some good people and some bad people. The women I have met here in Canada come over to make money and send home to their families. They usually leave behind their children in the Philippines or they will meet a man in Canada online and come over with their children. 


At a distance or as a boss it seems they smile a lot and are helpful when you need services. I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some, my brother's friend married a couple women and brought them over to Canada. My sister was in HR for a hotel that employs a few for the temporary worker program and my daughter dated a boy from the Philippines. 


My views have changed since then and I find the cultural differences quite alarming. I’m assuming they come because of the poor state their families are in back home and that brings a whole different level of “sacrificing anything” to get what’s needed back home. My brother's friend married twice, they both ended in divorce, left their children with him, took half the money, and found freedom in Canada. He didn’t learn the first two times and did it again. He’s now the father of 5 Filipino children, poor, and single. My sister is in HR for the hotel industry and is constantly being asked for more money to send home, she complains they need advance pay to send home and they dislike working alongside other foreigners. 


It’s been a challenge. I worked alongside a few in the cleaning industry and would ask bosses for more money if they gave sexual favours. A friend of mine is seeing a married woman from the Philippines and she cheats with him because he buys her expensive gifts. Some women stand in parking lots begging for money to send home. 


My husband works at a company welding for oil and gas, everyone hides their things as the men steal anything even if it’s broken. No one knows why. My daughter dated a Filipino boy and was shamed by the mother, ridiculed, called very terrible sexual names, and hated her husband as he was having multiple affairs with Canadian women. I could go on and on but it’s shameless. 


I’m assuming I’m seeing the Filipinos that come over with a different mindset and culture than some of the more well-to-do Filipinos that stay in their country. The culture is very different than what I’m used to. I would never leave my kids for money and although I don’t live with my entire family I wouldn’t speak badly of them behind their backs and judge or be hypocritical. From a distance I found them to be helpful and hardworking but once I got to know the culture and worked alongside them I, unfortunately, saw another side I wish I did not see. 


It’s a cultural difference. To each their own I suppose but unfortunately I did not have the kindest of experiences and I don’t mean this as a generalization towards the country, it’s just been my experience. I believe some people grow up as survivors and this might be survival instincts

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