TO THE SENIORS OF BUTUAN:
My sister now in her senior years lives her entire life in a one-street-light
bulb barrio. She is a leader of the community. She stands humbly proud with
high regards amongst rural folks. She believes that the barrio is the world.
She is a happy person.
She found herself suddenly amidst the glittering night-lights of Las Vegas. I
can hardly describe her amazement. She didn't ever imagine that there was such
a place like this on earth. She realized the incongruity between two cultures.
She also reconciled herself of how little really was her one light-bulb place
back home. She stayed in San Jose, but day after day she craved going home.
Despite the frolic and affluent living, she was unhappy. It was not her world.
She went home.
In another instance, Joe Gamutin was the star detective with the Butuan City
Police Department. I asked him to join me with the Quezon City Police with much
better pay and future. We could use his talent. He refused. He said that he
would rather be in a small place with a big face than in a big place with no
face at all.
My classmate, Asuncion Cupin did not leave Butuan after high school. I met her
after four decades at my first alumni class reunion. I asked her how she had
been keeping up with the progress of the city. She said that she didn't notice
the change at all. It was just normal day in and day out year after year and
she has been happy all her life.
We can cite a number of examples and all boils down to a premise that each one
has its own individual world. They are happy with theirs, as we are comfortable
with ours. We have our ways and though at times awkward to perceive, they too
have their style.
There's a prevailing notion that these worlds are interchangeable. What's good
for the gander is also good for the goose. Right? This is not exactly correct.
Well, maybe on the younger generation, but definitely not so when it comes to
the old people. For those in Butuan to believe that retirement is best spent
abroad is absolutely not true. It connotes major alteration of lifestyle that
senior citizens would not or could not adjust. This makes them pitiably
unhappy. Retirement is more pleasant when spend within familiar culture and
environment.
This is the message that I want to convey in this narrative.
Seniors coming from the homeland are dependent sponsored parents. Their
sons/daughters who have families here and are already citizens brought them
over. It's supposed to be for family reunification. But in actuality, these old
people ultimately becomes full time unpaid baby sitters and domestic help of
love ones that brought them in. They have little free time for leisure. They
spend their days with household chores and mostly seeing the outside world
through glass-windows from inside the house.
This is the sad part of their existence compared with their local counterpart.
But mind you that I am talking about the Canadian system. It isn't entirely the
same, but not so far apart with other western countries including the United
States.
The culprit is none other than our culture. Traditionally, seniors live with
offspring's families upon retirement. Tradition also dictates that they also
would help a little with household works. This arrangement is convenient in the
homeland where salary to hire housemaids and servants is affordable. But by
transporting this cultural practice abroad, the old people end up doing most of
the work. They are the housemaids and servants. This is what's going on with
them here. This is also true in my city of more than 2000 Filipino senior
citizens. The abuse on the rights of immigrant old people is common.
Old age pension, supplement incomes and monetary assistance from the government
purposely to bring the seniors up the poverty line are on direct bank deposit
in joint account with their children. This is intended for their well being,
but is often diverted to pay mortgages and other expenses of the household
leaving them with virtually nothing to live on.
It has been five years since we introduced initiatives to rectify this
problem in the Filipino community of 30,000 people in the city. With financial
support from the government through entitlements and grants, we made adequate
inroad in addressing this dilemma.
It was in the area of education and social activities that we managed to break
through the confining walls of our culture. Fifty percent of Filipino seniors
in the city are now members of associations. We promote senior's education
heavily on rights and adaptation to new society. We also provide them with
social, recreational and diversion activities free of charge.
This side of the ocean is not fitting for immigrant senior citizens to dwell.
It's good to visit, but a depressing and enduring place to make it a home. I
listened to a number of seniors that were caught in dire dilemma so disturbing
that it wasn't intended for the faint of heart. There were times when I
wondered as to what happened to our family values where relationship towards
parents was so heartless for children to allow elderly mothers and fathers to
languish in cruelty amidst unsettling surroundings.
Our retired seniors here are longing to go home. But this is easier said than
done. It's not possible to afford decent retirement living outside their
adapted country. They can not bring with them government incentives they now
have; most especially on health care matters. Suffice to say that they fit into
the saying of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
We are currently working on this. It could be just wishful thinking, but we are
pushing it hard to the politicians. There is now a study on a proposed
provincial bill to allow multicultural senior citizens to be able to retire in
their country of origin without losing benefits including health care. This is
big if we can pull it through.
Retirement is supposed to be the time to enjoy life being free at last from
obliging responsibilities. It's only a short measure and should be put to use
well. Spending it away from accustomed places find no better leisure. It's no
longer the time to learn new experience, but to reckon that the few remaining
years are with comfort and contentment. Satisfaction fills the heart when
curtain falls in a place where it all began. There's none sweeter than home.
Stay!
