INTRODUCTION
This novel although based on the experiences of the six Filipinas that was recruited from the Philippines to work as Cultural Dancers abroad contained fictional stories and names.
The stories in this novel if it likened to anyone's life and in one way or another hurt somebody, it's not intentional but purely coincidental.
The names of the characters were all fictional and if it resembled someone's name, I sincerely apologize.
My intention of writing this novel is to open the eyes of many in the Philippines about the truth behind of what many believed a good life abroad. Of course, many succeeded and returned to the Philippines with full glory of the fulfilment of their dreams but many do not know or realize the agonies and pains behind it.
This novel I hope can give lessons to all Filipinos, men and women, to let them realize that over there in a foreign country, they could be alone, nobody to support or can help them if it happen that they fall to misfortunes and miseries. Far away as true to anywhere, danger is always luring and waiting.
One Filipina source of this novel, who was once a Cultural Dancer herself, told about a story of an unknown Filipina in Lebanon.
"I knew a Filipina in Lebanon. She had a boyfriend, a soldier from Syria. Her boyfriend abused her. Almost everyday, his boyfriend let her be raped by his friends or fellow soldiers, until this Filipina lost her sanity and became insane. Everyday for a quite of time, this Filipina carrying always her religious statue, the Santo Nino was frequently seen roaming the streets of Lebanon, talking to herself. Her boyfriend take her to the desert in the boundary of Lebanon and Syria. This Filipina totally disappeared."
This Filipina as told by my source was one of the many fallen Filipinos that ventured for luck abroad. Their love ones they left behind, have thoughts, that maybe because they already had or have good life, they forgotten them not realizing the horror of the truth that these fallen Filipinos letting themselves not heard because maybe they existed no more in this world.
I asked my source, how Filipinos come to Lebanon, especially the Cultural Dancers? She answered that most of the Cultural Dancers were illegally brought to Lebanon with a boat via Cyprus. These Cultural Dancers must first have to work in Cyprus and if their visas expired, most of them were brought or distributed everywhere, either to Lebanon or to different countries in Africa and Europe.
"I pity these Filipinas I met in every port in Africa. They were so young and beautiful working as prostitutes. I asked them why reaching so far away countries only to work as prostitutes, their answers were always the same. They were taken from the Philippines as Cultural Dancers. These Filipinas also said that they don't like what they were doing, but there's nothing they can do. It's a question of surviving!" One source, a Filipino seaman told me.
Young and beautiful Filipinas working as prostitutes in many, if not at all ports in Africa and everywhere in the world; one could say or could compared these Filipinas to a beautiful fragrant flowers worthy to be proud of, but instead they gave but shame to the country where they came from, the Philippines or worst, giving a bad trademark to every Filipinas in the eyes of many.
Could one blame these fallen Filipinas? When they left the Philippines, they have no intention to do what they were doing abroad? As a Cultural Dancers, they thought to represent their beloved country by picturing or projecting the ways and traditions thru the glamour of dancing but the reality of what happened only defined the truth that these Filipinas if not all of them were victims of human trafficking. Far away from home, their lives were on the hand of the people that make them a kind of sex slaves. These Filipinas were maybe just doing their best in order to survive, hoping that they could still come back to their love ones they'd left behind. The dream of a good life for them and their family still existed in their heart but the first priority from their situation was just to stay alive, a primary instinct of every human. Maybe if they just danced with the music, someday, sometimes there's a chance to escape the nightmare.
The stories told in this novel, my would be readers may asked, is it really true? As I said the contained stories of my novel is fiction and based only from the fragments stories of my sources. Or one also may asked, did it happened to all Cultural Dancers that went abroad? In my opinion I firmly said NO, because the fate of another could not be the fate of someone else, we all have our own fate or destiny.
Also, my story never reflects to all citizens of any countries mentioned in this novel. Every country had its beauty and allure, only no one can deny, anywhere, everywhere bad people really existed along the majority that are good and law abiding citizens.
And I think if it is worth mentioning, I believed that bad people in the eyes of many, sometimes, there is some who also have a heart that know how to pity. Yes, pity, the only hope for these fallen women to survive.
In some part of this novel I use lines of conversation in many languages which I translated directly to English. I did this to gave authenticity of my character's background and the characters from the Philippines to defined the diversity of the Filipino descents. Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Ilocano languages of the Philippines were used. In the background chapter some Filipina characters has no particular Philippine language because their language is Tagalog and many know that Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines. Philippines listed more than seventy languages. I used also lines of conversation in French, Germans and Dutch.
- The Author -
Chapter 1 - The Background of the Six Filipinas
LUISA MAGBANUA - Address: Tondo, Manila
When Luisa came home that afternoon, she quickly noticed from her parent's faces the eagerness to know the result of her applying to work abroad as a Cultural Dancer.
"Did you have the job?" Norma, the mother of Luisa asked.
Luisa did not answered. She threw her almost worn out handbag on the chair and quickly take out her shoes.
"My feet are very painful!" Luisa said and looked out her wounded right foot which was already bleeding. It gave her a relief that the shoes was out. "I am hungry! Is there food to eat?"
"We have rice but only with vegetable kangkong." Norma then went to their little kitchen to prepare food for her daughter.
"My earnings today was just enough for rice and kangkong." Tomas, the father of Luisa said with an apologising tone. He earned his money by looking and gathering empty plastic bottles in the streets of Manila.
The couple Tomas and Norma, silently watching their daughter while eating. Luisa was really hungry. Her wounded foot on top of the chair where she sat and eating with her hand, Luisa enjoyed her simple meal, while her parents still very curious waiting to know if she was accepted to work abroad as a Cultural Dancer.
"Where are the nuisance?" Luisa asked, she meant her brothers and sisters.
"There by the neighbours, watching TV." Norma answered her daughter. They have no television and most of the times, the children watched it by the neighbour next door. The place their living was a slum and people shared as only few can afford to buy television.
"I was accepted for the job!" at last Luisa told it to her parents who was very anxious to know the outcome of her applying as a Cultural Dancer.
"Really? Thanks God!" the gladness in the voice of Norma can be heard as she clapped her hands together and thanking God. Tomas, showed his gladness with a big smile.
"But I had lied to them!" Luisa told her parents.
"Lied? What lying?" Tomas asked his daughter.
"I told them that I am eighteen years old!" Luisa answered her father.
"Why?" Norma asked not understanding why Luisa had to lied about her age.
"Because when I filled up the application form, it says they only accepting applicants that is eighteen years old and above. One of the girls advice me just to fill it up that I am eighteen years old." Luisa explained to her parents why she's lying about her age.
"But you are only fourteen years old?" Norma emphasized to Luisa about her age.
"I have to lie! I was not accepted if I did not lied. I befriended with Lorna, she lived also here in Tondo, a street farther. She said to me it can be easily fixed so I must not worry." Luisa said that her age can be easily fixed according to one girl she befriended who also auditioned to be a Cultural Dancer.
"How?" Tomas who was just listening asked his daughter.
"Lorna told me that I can go to Quiapo or in Recto. In there I can let made my birth certificate and diploma that I am a high school graduate. Applicants must also be a high school graduate!" Luisa answered her father.
"Why in Quiapo or Recto? You only can have your birth certificate from the City Hall?" Norma did not got it yet that her daughter was talking about fake documents.
"Inay, (Inay = Mother) what Lorna suggested are fake birth certificate and high school diploma. If we go to the City Hall of course they will give my birth certificate with the good age. In Quiapo or in Recto, they will produce a birth certificate that I am eighteen years old and also a diploma that I am a high school graduate." Luisa explained to her parents about the fake documents.
"That's not good. You can go to jail for that!" a worried Tomas said to his daughter. He himself was illiterate. He only can wrote his name and that's all. ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio