A Japinoy’s journey home

By Lella Santiago

INQUIRER.net and PROUDLY FILIPINA.com

Her name was Elsa. She was a showgirl. Or to be more precise, she was a Filipina entertainer in Japan. A Japayuki.

His name was Reizo. He was a patron at the bar where she worked. He was a Yakuza. He fell in love with her. Alone and far from home, Elsa succumbed to his persistent wooing. The liaison produced a son they named Kenji.

Trouble began when Elsa ended their relationship. The violent man that he was, he threatened to kill her. Afraid for her life and not wanting to leave her son behind, Elsa went into hiding. Life on the run became unbearable. There were times she had to scavenge for food. She decided to bring Kenji to the Philippines.

Because of the trouble she was in, Elsa failed to get a Japanese birth certificate for Kenji. The only record of his birth was with the hospital where he was born. The Philippine Consulate in Tokyo issued an affidavit of birth based on hospital records. With this document, Elsa was able to bring her infant son home.

Back home, Elsa realized the money she saved will not sustain them for long. With a heavy heart, she decided to return to Japan. Kenji was left in the care of her mother and brother.

In Japan, she met Toshiro, a cab driver. He was a good man and this time, Elsa reciprocated the love he offered. They lived together and eventually had a daughter. Life became better for Elsa but it was not complete. She missed her son.

For years, Elsa tried to bring Kenji to Japan. But without a Japanese birth certificate, he couldn’t get a Japanese passport. When Kenji was 7 years old, Elsa and her new family went back to the Philippines. Toshiro wanted to adopt Kenji to facilitate his return. Elsa and Toshiro even got married in the Philippines to enable him to adopt Kenji legally. But legal technicalities prevented the adoption. In cases of foreign adoption, the two countries involved have to make a case study. This proved to be too difficult to obtain that Elsa and Toshiro returned to Japan without Kenji.

As Kenji turned 16, Elsa thought of consulting a different lawyer. She was advised that Kenji had automatic Philippine citizenship being the son of a Filipina who was unmarried at the time of his birth. This entitles him to get a Philippine passport. The issue of his birth certificate was solved by the lawyer with a request for this document from the National Statistics Office (NSO). As his birth was documented by the Philippine Consulate in Tokyo, it was automatically recorded with the NSO. Armed with a birth certificate, Kenji was able to get a Philippine passport.

With his Philippine passport, Kenji applied for a Japanese visa. This was easily granted because he was born in Japan. Although his Japanese father was not recorded in his birth certificate, it was not critical to prove his parentage. The place of his birth was enough to grant him an entry permit.

Today Kenji is in Tokyo with his mother and her family. To cement Kenji’s place in his new home, Toshiro is still filing for adoption.

The names of the people involved have been changed to protect their identities.

Kababayan

By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

When you are on a foreign soil, you will need a map to guide you to where you’re going. But when the map is useless, the next thing you will do is to ask directions from the locals of the area. But what if no one understands a thing you’re saying. Sign language may help you a bit. But talking with someone who understands you is better.

My mom and I found ourselves lost in Macau after we took a wrong route going to Fisherman’s wharf for dinner. We should have walked but we took a bus with the thought that our destination is far from the Macau Ferry Terminal.

Our problem started when asked the driver if the bus was going to the Fisherman’s wharf. He did not answer, and I presumed that it was because he didn’t understand a single word I said. So from that point, we did not know where we were heading. Luckily, a woman who looked like a Filipino boarded the bus. When we asked her, she just said, “Naku, malayo na kayo. Bumaba na lang kayo diyan sa susunod na stop.”

During the bus ride, I wondered at how bus drivers were told stop. In the Philippines, we say, “Para” for the jeepney or bus to stop. But since I was not in my country, I wondered how they said it. Then I realized not a word was said. I only needed to press a button located in front of the seat. I then pressed it and the bus stopped. When we went out of the bus, another woman behind us spoke in Filipino. Thank God. We found another Filipino.

Her name is Vangie Soriano, a domestic helper in Macau. She was on her way to the flat where she and other Filipinos were staying. But she noticed that we were lost. She was on her way home but instead she assisted us to the bus stop, where she told us to ride another bus to our destination.

As we were passing by the European architectural façade of the establishments in the Senado Square, she started telling her story on how she wanted to stay home in the Philippines with her family but the odds in life pushed her to work abroad for her family’s future. If there’s one thing Ate Vangie learned in her six years of working as a domestic helper, it was the value of pakikisama.

Watch my video interview with Ate Vangie.

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As we parted ways, I said, “Salamat Ate Vangie!” I don’t know if a word of gratitude was enough to express how much grateful we were. But it was so touching when she said, “Wala ‘yun. Siyempre, kababayan.”

To extend a hand to a stranger is a kind act. Though simple it may seem, a help given to a kababayan can be considered the modern bayanihan.

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Atoy Co opens summer tournament in Dubai

Inquirer.net

ONE of the all-time greats of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), former professional basketball player Fortunato “Atoy” Co, was the special guest at the annual summer basketball tournament of the Filipino community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates which opened on April 11.

Here’s a photo of Co addressing the participating teams.

The opening ceremonies held at the Al Nasr Gymnasium in Oud Metha, Dubai saw the Intercontinental Hotel team win the best in uniform award, while Nina Cascades of the Fairmont Hotel team was named Ms. FBC-Chikka Grill at Marco Polo Hotel Cup.

The marching band of the United International Private School provided the fanfare. For his part, Philippine Consul Vicente Bandillo commended the participating teams and the organizers for the good turnout.

Co is a member of the PBA Hall of Fame. He was the first player to score 5,000 and 10,000 points at the time when the three-point shot was not yet introduced. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979, and is a 9-time Mythical First Team Member.

In a press statement, Ramon Pizarras, chairman of the Filipino Basketball Center (FBC), said the tournament dubbed as “Chikka Grill at Marco Polo Hotel Cup” will see the participation of 40 teams representing the hotel and corporate sectors in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, as well as teams with former professional basketball players from the Philippines. The tournament will be held every Friday and will end in September.

“This year’s event will see a new division being introduced. We have opened up the tournament for basketball enthusiasts who are 40 and above. It will be a good opportunity for these individuals to continue playing in a competitive environment,” Pizarras said.

The FBC is a duly-licensed entity in the United Arab Emirates established to promote sports and entertainment activities among the Filipinos and other nationalities. It was responsible for bringing the first Middle East game of the PBA when Ginebra and Purefoods played against each other on April 13, 2007 in Dubai.

Editor’s note: Photos by Darwin Reyes of MEsnipers.

Wency in the UAE (Habang May Dubai redux)

By Quay Evano, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–During the press conference of award-winning composer and rock balladeer (l-r) Wency Cornejo, sexy actress-turned-singer Ara Mina and saxophone player John Ray for their show in Dubai called “Rock Ballad, Soul and All That Jazz,” one of the members of the Filipino Press Club-UAE asked the three artists how they want to be remembered by people when they are no longer famous.

Wency quickly answered: “More than anything else, I think I will be remembered for my songs. I believe I have composed many songs that have touched the hearts of many Filipinos. For an artist, I believe that is what is important — to have a legacy in the lives of people. Even if I pass away, my songs will live on and in some sense, so will I.”

Yes, for millions of his Filipino fans, Wency Cornejo, the unique and soulful voice behind beautiful ballads such as “Habang May Buhay,” “Hanggang” and “Only You” and generation-defining rock anthems like “Next in Line,” “Mangarap Ka,” “Pagtawid” and “Panahon,” he will surely be remembered for his songs. His immortality is clearly defined in his music. But for most of his closest friends, it is his true friendship, more than his music that he will be remembered for… because that’s what he really is aside from being a true musician — he is a true friend.

It is what I always remember about Wency, being one of his closest friends back home and in Dubai. Without a doubt, I am one of his biggest fans not just because I am his friend, but because his music is obviously the work of a true musical artist and genius. His songs are true works of art — simply melodic, with lyrics that are profound and meaningful, and envelope you with their truthfulness every time you listen to them. But just like his music that has never ceased to touch me, it is his almost twenty-year-old friendship with me that has continually enveloped me with truthfulness. Our friendship perhaps is the biggest hit of our lives and the favorite song we like to listen to.

Here’s a photo of Wency and the author.

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