| Photo by Ekaterina Shakharova on Unsplash
Part IV of “Sorsogon 2025-2046” Series
The “ReVOTElution of HOPE” intends to protect overseas Filipino women (OFWomen)- and woman workers (especially those who are mothers) in the Philippines, too—not only on Mother’s Day. Yes, protect them against exploitation (sexual, financial, or otherwise) and from domestic and workplace abuses.
This columnist has annually posted this greeting or a variation of it: “Happy Mother’s Day” to all the Moms in our family and clan, as well as in workplaces abroad and the Philippines. Filipino women work in many countries, possibly in 100 nations globally.
An oft-quoted adage says, “The strength of a home does not depend on the concrete foundation of the house but on the shoulder of the Mother.”
Let’s also remember and pray for the Mothers who have gone to the Great Beyond — including Overseas-Filipino brides and workers who have been murdered. And greet the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are moms. They are the mothers who make the supreme sacrifice of being away from their respective families to have their children and other kin survive the economic difficulties and lack of affordable universal healthcare.
Finally, let’s greet our Motherland, for it is our Homeland. And also to Mother Earth, as we protect the environment 24/7 year-round.
The proponents of the “ReVOTElution” intend to work with private and governmental agencies (in the Philippines) and overseas. The overseas Filipino communities and their associations of lawyers, medical professionals, engineers, and other technical workers must become more proactive in protecting not only Filipino women but all members of the overseas Filipino melting Pot.
“The overseas Filipino communities and their associations of lawyers, medical professionals, engineers, and other technical workers must become more proactive in protecting not only Filipino women but all members of the overseas Filipino Melting Pot.
Thus, Numeriano Bouffard and his “Pueblo Filipino” and “Hispanidad” associates aim to establish a language institute in the Philippines to teach Spanish, English, and other major tongues. They hope also to instruct students intending to work abroad on their civil rights. They will also stress the need to work with overseas Filipino professional groups, especially lawyers, labor federations, and law-enforcement agencies.
This columnist proposed an ACLU-PH (Alliance of Civil-Liberties Unions of the Philippines) at this link. Still, it has not taken off primarily due to a lack of public support—even among Filipino lawyers and their counterparts abroad—and, of course, funding. This writer created the ACLU-PH Facebook Group on September 14, 2017. So far, it has only 58 members.
However, it has sister Facebook Groups like the OFW/OF/Filipino Nation (Mother Chapter), a private group with 42.8K members, which can be accessed at this link, And the OFW-&-Overseas Filipino Nation (OFW/OF Nation), a private group with 3.0K members, which can be accessed at this link.
In Part V of this series, Mr. Bouffard and this columnist will explain why North America is the most significant new frontier for OFWs, Filipino Americans, Filipino Canadians, and Filipino Mexicans, especially the youth among them.
