Newsgroups: soc.culture.filipino
Subject: Re: Homeward Bound
From: bernal@spss.com (Raoul Bernal)
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 14:14:38 GMT
Organization: SPSS Inc.

dannya@ESD.3Com.COM (Danny Alvendia) writes:

[stuff from Marida deleted...]

> Marida, it's nice to know that there are more people who want to
> go home. Someday soon, I will also go back. Gusto ko tumanda sa
> atin, America is for the young. Nakikita ko dito ang mga matanda
> na nilalagay sa Home at madalas, kung sino-sino nalang ang nagaalaga.

> Maraming mabibili at makukuha dito pero parang may kulang. Sabagay
> hindi mo naman madadala ang mga ito pag namatay na tayo.  

> Nagugulat ako sa mga ibang Pinoy na nagsasabi na "pangit sa Pilipinas,
> ang dami ng langaw, sobra ang ipis, at napakainit". These things are
> not new, noon pa ganiyan ang Pilipinas. Akala mo hindi sila galing sa 
> atin.

I'm also surprised at people who express contempt for old-age homes idea.
Old-age homes are not new, and they have existed here in the US for a 
long time.  For people who don't have relatives, they don't have a choice.  
And they'd rather be in the company of people they can commiserate with, 
rather than be with relatives who see them as added burden.

Your quotes simply typify what people do in pursuit of what is the best 
interest for them.  You say people complain "pangit sa Pilipinas, ang dami 
ng langaw, sobra ang ipis, at napakainit" - that's superficial, because they
are here mainly for the economic opportunities.  These are the very same 
people who will eventually worry about their old age and will probably make 
plans to retire in the Philippines - "pangit sa US, iniiwanan ang matanda sa
old-age home, etc.". 

Somehow, I do not agree with the concept of 'uuwi ako sa Pilipinas at doon 
magpakatanda'.  I don't think that's fair to both sides.  Immigrants make the 
most of the system here, earn lots of money, then go home and expect relatives
to take care of them.  (Of course, with all their money, those relatives will
be around them.)  If you think you should be staying there, then go home for 
good and don't wait for retirement years.  If you wait, your relatives may not 
know you anymore.  If you think you should stay here, then try your best to 
make the system work.  And hopefully, if you raise your children right, and if 
you maintain meaningful relationships with your relatives here, they will take 
care of you.

America is not only for the young - it is for people who make it work.  If
the European immigrants centuries ago had the same "work-here, go-home-for-
-old-age" attitude, this country would not have prospered.  Their main dif-
ference with today's immigrants is that they did not have a system which
worked - they had to start from scratch and make it work.  And they stayed.
They had to stay.  Today's immigrants want to "take the loot and go home".  

To be blunt about it, a lot of immigrants here I see have this attitude:
"Okay, I go to America because there, I can earn lots of money.  Then, I 
retire in the Philippines because a lot of people will take care of me."
If we have to be critical about the system here, there's also a lot to
criticize first about this attitude.

Okay, there goes my $2.00 worth.  Comments, flames welcome.  Replies
not guaranteed.

-Raoul
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The opinions expressed are those of the author and not of SPSS, Inc.
bernal@spss.com                                 Phone:(312)329-3370
Raoul A. Bernal                                 FAX  :(312)329-3657