Lemon and lime

I am counting this holiday season to be my 20th year of celebrating Christmas without my mom and my 2nd without my dad. This is plainly because they are over seas, not out of choice. My sister and I have been used to this setup that at one point in my life it even felt rather awkward for just the four of us to sit together on a Christmas table because we grew up observing this season with relatives. This time, though, I miss my parents so much I want to blame the imbecile government for this.

I bet that almost half of the Filipino families now have at least one of its members working abroad for the benefit of those they left behind. Mine was not spared amongst them. Every time I hear people, especially the President, calling the OFWs “Bayani ng Bayan”, I can’t help but give a sneer remark. Bakit niya sila tinatawag ng ganun, dahil nagpapasok sila ng dolyar sa bansa? O dahil kaya nilang iwanan ang kanilang mga pamilya para lang mabigyan sila ng magandang buhay na hindi maibigay ng gobyerno? Bumababa ang palitan ng piso kapag panahon ng padalahan ng dolyar gaya ng pasko, o pasukan, etc. At dahil ekonomista ang Pangulo, natural, masaya siya dito dahil umaaasenso daw ang Pilipinas sa ganito. Pero ano ang kapalit? Ang kawalan ng isang ina sa bawat tahanan dahil andun siya sa ibang bansa nagsisilbi sa ibang pamilya habang ang mga anak niya sa Pilipinas ay nasa kalsada, gusgusin at walang nag-aalaga. (Unfortunately, as attested by my mom’s own experience through her friends, almost all of her former female co-workers abroad have either broken families, cheating husbands, children who got married young, or didn’t finish school.) Ang kawalan ng isang ama na nagtuturo sana ng basketball sa anak niya. Ang kawalan ng Ate o Kuya dahil kailangan ng katulong ang mga magulang sa pagpapa-aral sa mas bata pang mga kapatid.

(Naalala ko lang, naiinis ako sa pangongonsensya ng isang commercial ng pancit canton na nag-eemphasize na dahil wala ka daw sa hapag-kainan, ang dami mo’ng namimiss sa buhay ng mga kapamilya mo. Oo nga, pero hindi ba nila naisip na pwede din namang nasa trabaho yung taong yun, nag-oover time para lang may pambili ng maraming pancit canton ang mga anak niya? Hindi lahat ng pagkukulang ng absentee parents ay maisusukat sa ganung batayan. Insulto para sa akin iyon na mabibilang kung ilang taon ko lang talaga nakasama ang nanay ko sa hapag. At uulitin ko, hindi niya, o ng kahit kanino sa pamilya namin, choice na hindi siya laging makasama sa mga importanteng okasyon sa buhay namin.)

In the long run, is there anybody I should blame for not being with my parents right now? Sure I need the dollars they send, but I need a mom and dad too, same with the other Filipino families who are celebrating the season with a loved one somewhere working over time even on a Christmas or New Year’s eve. I believe that we should quit celebrating on the fact that more Pinoys are and in need to be abroad to work for their families because it just depicts how incompetent our goverment is. (I am not at all proud telling people my parents are in the United States because I am not proud of me and my sister not having them around when we badly needed a warm hug, or a good night kiss which we haven’t enjoyed for a long time.) After all, more than the numerical qualification of a progressing economy, what really defines a developing country is the strong foundation of its family. And this, I think, is what we should uphold.

Spontaneous thoughts lang ito ng isang puyat, nangungulila at nag-iisip na namang babae. You are welcome to comment.