TRAVAILS AND JOYS OF A FILIPINA OFW ANSWERING THE ALLURE OF JOB IN CALGARY

The afternoon sun cuts through the chilly Calgary air and casts light through the glass walls, as Filipina cook, Fely Romero took a short breather from the kitchen of the Shifters, to accommodate this short overseas interview.

The enthusiastic and vibrant young voice which answered the phone gave it all. It was a very much welcomed interview because as 39 year old Fely exclaimed, it is always good to talk to a fellow Filipina and speak in the country’s national language. It never fails to ease the pain of being away from home sweet home.

Indeed, for a wife and a mother like Fely, leaving three beautiful and doting sons ages 2, 10 and 13, is not that easy. Her only consolation is that she left her children under the able and loving care of her mother in law in Cavite. Besides, she is able to talk to her husband and children every day through the telephone.

Moreover, her husband who used to work as cook in a cruise ship, is now with the children, awaiting for his deployment as cook in Calgary by the same company, Exultant Human Resource Canada, which deployed her to Canada. For now, she is eagerly looking forward to the day when her husband will be with her in Calgary.

Fely is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from one of the universities in Manila. After graduation, she saw an ad for job openings in a classy hotel in Manila, so she applied. Unfortunately, however, because she is among the late applicants, the only job available was that of a door opener.

As a fresh graduate with no work experience then, Fely said she didn’t think twice and accepted the job right away. For 14 years, she worked in the same hotel rising from the ranks. From being a door opener, she was promoted as a reservations clerk, secretary to the executive chef and later, she was appointed as cook, the position she really wanted.

To the Filipino fresh graduates, Fely has only one advice to give, for them not to be so choosy in getting their first job. Even if it is not in line with the course they took for as long as it is decent, grab it as a stepping stone towards the job they are eyeing for, Fely said.

When Fely learned about the job opening in Calgary, she applied at Skyworld, the business intermediary of Exultant in the Philippines. Fortunately, Fely was accepted but then she had to face the problem of more than P200,000., for her placement fee, round trip ticket to Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

While her other companions borrowed from financing companies, Fely was able to borrow the money needed, from her brother. She was among the 30 Filipino cooks who were deployed to Calgary in February.

Fely is now receiving a salary triple times more than what she was receiving in her previous employment. With that, she is able to pay her brother, send money for her children’s schooling and for her mother-in-law.

At Shifters, Fely is able to show the ingenuity of a Filipino cook. She said that employers in Canada have high regards for Filipino workers who are known for their diligence, industry and trustworthiness.

The working condition at Shifters is good and the relationship of the staff is very cordial and so she and her fellow Filipino cooks enjoy their jobs. Besides, her agency, the Exultant has been very supportive, Fely intimated.

The Filipino Community in Calgary, a very cohesive group, has been supportive to the Filipino cooks, too, Fely bared, giving them food, clothing and seeing to it that they are able to adjust in their new environment.

Indeed, working abroad is not that easy at all. The Filipino Overseas Worker has to make sacrifices and suffer homesickness in exchange for a better economic condition for her family especially her children. Every single cent sent to the family in the Philippines is hard-earned, standing 8 hours a day in front of the stove and missing the love ones 24 hours a day.

Importing workers from the Philippines will answer the void left open by the insatiable demands on the human resource market, Mr. Leo Casuga of Exultant Human Resources of Canada, who arranged for the interview informed.

There are thousands of jobs needed to be filled and there’s nobody in Canada available to do the job. Filipinos are regarded as strong and solid, trustworthy, highly motivated, educated and acclimatized overseas workforce are very much welcomed in Canada, Mr. Casuga who moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada when he was 17, said.

In 2006, documented OFW employment to Canada grew from 3,629 to 6,413, This means an increase of 2,784, making Canada the 17th top destination of Overseas Filipino Workers among more than 180 host countries worldwide.
The initial growth in OFW deployment to Canada is attributed to the recent accord forged by the Department of Labor and Employment with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Employment in Saskatchewan for "Cooperation in the Fields of Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development."

NO TO CHARACTER ASSASSINATION, GOONS AND GUNS; YES TO ENHANCED SOCIO-ECONOMIC AGENDA FOR THE PEOPLE

It is about time that the Filipino electorate know that candidates who resort to character assassination and mudslinging, are not worth voting for.

First of all, these candidates are supposed to have signed, in most cases in their respective Parish Churches, infront of the people of God and before God Himself represented by the Parish Priests and the government represented by the COMELEC officers, to work for clean and honest elections, not to resort to violence, to vote buying and intimidation, not to resort to political mudslinging and character assassination and not to tell lies to the people.

Electorate, take note and be wary of the candidates who right after signing the Peace Covenant before God and men, immediately forget the significance of his signature and immediately character assassinate his opponent. Remember, this candidate has short memory, it will not be remote that he will forget his promises to the people as well.

Candidates are supposed to present themselves and what they propose to do for their respective localities and the people. If the candidate cannot say anything good about his or her political opponent, there is a high possibility that he or she will surely not be able to see something good to do for his or her locality.

While, the candidates have the freedom of expression, they should not forget that their rights end where the right of the other begins. It is the right of the electorate to know the truth, not lies and half-truths.

If the reason or the purpose of the candidates in running, is to be in power so that they will be able to put down somebody, electorates, beware. These candidates are running on the wrong premise—they want to do something that will harm another. What makes this more evil is that the person they want to put down is not even a candidate.

Those who will vote for these candidates, without their knowing are being made as accessories to a crime, to an injustice that is about to be staged. So electorates, beware lest you become accessories to a crime you do not even know about, much less you will not gain from.

It is about time the electorate show, that gone are the days when mudslinging and character assassination are the names of the game. The Filipino people must show that money will no longer blind them on Election Day and that the Filipino electorate has emerged into an educated and empowered voters.

Together, the Filipino electorate will say no to disunity and political bickering and vote Yes to continued economic and political reforms, the fruits of which are already starting to be felt by the people.

CANADA NEEDS HIGHLY MOTIVATED FILIPINO WORKERS

Importing workers from the Philippines will answer the void left open by the insatiable demands on the human resource market, Mr. Leo Casuga of Exultant Human Resources of Canada, who was in the country recently, informed.

There are thousands of jobs needed to be filled and there’s nobody in Canada available to do the job, Mr. Casuga revealed. Filipinos who are regarded as strong and solid, trustworthy, highly motivated, educated and acclimatized overseas workforce are very much welcomed in Canada, Mr. Casuga who moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada when he was 17, said.

“There are obviously a lot of marketable traits of Filipino workers and zooming in on a few negative aspects should not deter us from convincing the prospective employers," Mr. Casuga enthused.

With his counterpart in the Philippines, the SkyWorld Business, Mr. Casuga and his older brother Henry, recently interviewed applicants for hotel staff, from the frontline service providers, housekeeping, including bellboys and boiler operators. He is amazed at the presence of rich human resource in the Philippines.

There is a move to bridge contact with everyone involve in this program so that there will be a better chance that these jobs will be offered to our countrymen in the Philippines, Mr. Casuga said.

The Filipino workers are charged with a very minimal placement fee. However, there is a plan, Mr. Casuga said, which involves an almost hassle free process for the would-be employee from the Philippines. Rather than charging them an upfront placement fee, the employee pays the same only once they start working here in Canada , which is normally equivalent to a month's salary.

Furthermore, Mr. Casuga said, the temporary work visa legally carries a two-year contract duration with a required return trip ticket. However, the employer has the option to retain, sponsor and renew the employee's work permit in cases he sees fit. Some sectors are working to extend the regular one-year work visa to a minimum of two years, arguing that a one-year contract isn't really worth the effort of processing and expenses in the first place.

What is good is that the would-be employee will be assisted in looking for housing facilities by the recruiter in Canada. Calgary 's housing boom has also put a dent in this effort. Human Resources Canada expects employers to assist with settling the temporary foreign workers into the community and, likewise, confirm the availability of affordable and suitable housing and accommodations.
Mr. Casuga bared the unprecedented boom of Alberta has presented a new avenue of opportunities for thousands of Filipinos from home willing to fill the labor shortfall the province is currently experiencing.

Since the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Monte Solberg announced the creation of the Temporary Worker Unit in Calgary in July 2006, a steady number of hiring and recruitment agencies aiming to recruit Filipino workers directly from the Philippines is steadily gaining popularity, Mr. Casuga added.

The Temporary Foreign Worker initiative is lauded as a great effort to aggressively address the labor market shortage threatening to hold up the continued economic growth of the province.

However, with the influx of these opportunities it is advised that prospective applicants must be wary and cautious about falling prey to bogus and unscrupulous recruiters, Mr. Casuga warned. It is up to the applicants to figure out legitimate fees before embarking on a contract, he said.

A Glimpse into the OFWs in Canada :FILIPINO COOKS MAKING WAVES, GETTING RAVES IN CALGARY

Filipinos are indeed world class service providers. They can proudly stand side by side with other workers from all over the world and they will always shine.

Regie Mendoza, a young cook at 26, arrived in the City of Calgary in Alberta , Canada on February 15, 2006. One week after, Regie was crossed trained as server and after two days, he was promoted as supervisor.

Thirty-one years old Marlon Cabsaban, another cook who was deployed on the same date, made waves and brought honor to the Filipino workforce when he was promoted as Kitchen Manager, in just two weeks after his arrival.

Eduardo Ferrer, a 36 years old cook, is getting raves after he introduced the Filipino dinner buffet in the restaurant he is working for. He was the first in the batch of 30 cooks who was featured in the local newspaper as the singing and dancing cook.

Elmer Cruz, 37, is also one of the Filipino cooks who are making waves in Calgary because of their work ethics and work attitudes. He said that the first thing they did when they arrived was to thoroughly clean and to sanitize their place of work.

Elmer, Ed, Marlon and Regie are four of the thirty cooks, who were deployed to Calgary in February, 2006. They were recruited by Calgary ’s Exultant Human Resources Canada through its local intermediary Skyworld, to work as cooks in Smitty’s, chain of family restaurants numbering to more than 20 in Calgary alone.

These cooks without their knowing are doing great for the image of the Philippines as provider of world-class workforce. Marlon, for one has worked in Saipan as chief cook, in Northern Ireland as chef de parte and in London as chef de parte. He said that wherever he goes, he never forgets that he is a Filipino and that he must help the country by endeavoring to give a good image for the Filipino worker.

Obviously, Marlon is very happy with his job. He said he is lucky he has employers who trust and appreciate the ingenuity of the Filipino service provider. Now receiving a monthly salary of Canadian $3,000.00, or about P120,000.00 per month, after his promotion, Marlon is looking forward to the day when he is able to bring his wife and his four-year old child to Calgary which he described as a beautiful, peaceful and one of the 10 safest cities to live in, all over the world.

Marlon intimated that he has worked in three different countries but it is only in Calgary where the human resource agency has been very supportive, finding for him and his fellow cooks, housing facilities which is only walking distance to where they work. Not only that, Exultant assisted them in opening a bank account and in getting their SII which is equivalent to SSS in the Philippines.

Regie, on the other hand, worked in Dubai as a cook for one year; has been a manager of a local food chain and has had a one-year stint as a call center agent before he applied as cook for deployment to Calgary.

He revealed that he learned about the job opening from a former co-employee and friend in Dubai , who, he accidentally met in Manila, one day. His friend informed him that he read from the newspaper ad about the opening for cooks in Calgary . Reggie and his friend (who was a server) applied together. Unfortunately, his friend was not taken in because there was no opening for servers.

Regie, whose wife is a factory worker in Taiwan, enthused that the Filipino community in Calgary is very friendly and supportive, giving them clothes and groceries especially when they just arrived. In fact, Regie and four of his companions from the Philippines have been placed by Exultant, in a house owned by a Filipino family who treat them as one of the family. “We are indeed lucky in the choice of our agency, the Exultant Human Resources of Canada,” Regie quipped.

Ed, whose teacher-wife and three children ages 11, 4 and 6 months, live in Mapandan, Pangasinan, is now a cook at Shifters, a sister company of Smitty’s. Prior to his going to Calgary, Ed worked as a cook in a Hotel, went to Dubai and Riyad to work in sales and tried his hand in business, particularly in the buy and sell of cars.

Ed epitomizes the Filipino worker who loves his work. In fact, he was featured in one of the Calgary local papers as the singing and dancing cool. But that is not all, he is happy that his introduction of the Filipino Dinner Buffet at the Shifters, has been accepted not only by the management but also by the customers.

Although, most of his salary goes to the financing company which lent him the money needed for his trip to Canada, he is more secured than ever because he is able to send money to his family and still pay for his personal needs in Calgary . He revealed that his salary in Calgary is eight to ten times more than what he was receiving in his former employment.

His feeling of home sickness, he intimated, is eased by the fact that he is able to call his family every so often because phone cards in Calgary costs only Canadian $5 and this is good for a one hour call already.

Elmer on the other hand, was working as cook in two hotels in Manila before he saw the newspaper ads for cooks in Calgary. Luckily, after his interview with Skyworld and Exultant, he was accepted and he now sees a better future for his wife and his four children who are in Quezon City.

Elmer, who had a formal training in culinary arts, said, that in Canada, he is able to put to good use his expertise because of the trust and confidence of the management. He said that the coming to Smitty’s of the Filipino cook, somehow saved the management extra expense because the Filipino cooks do not mind cleaning their work area and washing the dishes.

The Filipino cooks who were brought to Calgary by the Exultant Human Resources of Canada had to borrow money from the lending agencies recommended by Skyworld. They are obliged to pay this within six months but they don’t mind this at all, because after six months, they will already enjoy their entire salary.

The cooks have one year contract, with option to renew the contract for another year. What is good is that the Filipino workers have the option to apply for open visa and for permanent residency.

Elmer, Eduard, Regie and Marlon have the same advice to their fellow countrymen who would like to work in Calgary – to have the industry, patience and the values of honesty and integrity which are trademarks of a Filipino worker. They must strive to sustain if not enhance the good image of the globally competitive Filipino worker.

The cooks who were interviewed via phone patch, while they are having some socialization at the residence of Mr. Leo Casuga in Calgary, said that the cost of living in Calgary is somewhat high but Exultant helped by putting them in the houses of Filipinos where they have a fully furnished accommodation for Canadian $ 300. per month only. Since they are usually five in one house, their contribution for their food is only Canadian $35, and this is good for two to three weeks already.

Mr. Leo Casuga who is the director of the Exultant Human Resources Canada, said that the company is meticulous in hiring the best Filipino workforce because it wishes to highlight the innovative, hardworking and persevering Filipino skilled workers.

Mr. Casuga informed that Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta in Canada and with its population of about 1 million in 2006, it is the third largest municipality in Canada in terms of population.

There are more than 16,000 Filipinos in Calgary , Mr. Casuga added. This accounts to 1.9% of the total population of Calgary. With the gas and oil industry and the tourism industry employing a large number of people, the economy of Calgary is now booming, Mr. Casuga bared.

Mr. Casuga further informed that in 2006, Calgary had the lowest unemployment rate (3.2%) among major cities in Canada , and as a result, there is an extreme shortage of workers, both skilled and unskilled. Downtown hotels have had to shut down floors due to a lack of staff to clean all the rooms. Calgary's housing boom, combined with large road construction projects and competition from oil fields with high wages to the north, has created a strain on the labor force, he said.

“This is the opportunity Exultant saw,” Mr. Casuga said. Exultant in its own little way, can help in the fulfillment of the Arroyo Administration’s thrust of providing 10 million jobs by the year 2010. In a way, the company also helps improve the economy of the country and the living condition of the families of the OFWs they deploy.

Exultant believes in the industry and integrity of the world class Filipino workers, Mr. Casuga said, and it is determined to promoting the excellence of the Filipino workers by bringing them to Calgary. He added that although, more than 6,000 workers are needed nowadays all over Calgary, the Filipino workers must be vigilant and selective in their choice of agency so that they will not end up crying.

Exultant Human Resources Canada is owned by the Philippine-born Casuga brothers, Henry and Leo, together with their sons Alex and Leo Jr. Mr. Casuga said he left the Philippines to join his family when he was 17 years old and he also worked hard through life. In a way, he understands the situation of the OFWs and so the company tries hard to assist and support the OFWs they hire. (olive_tiu)