Emil Jurado, the Bigote

Veteran news icon Emil Jurado has decided to join in on the Malu Fernandez fray and share his two bits of wisdom on the pressing issue which OFW's worldwide have been clamoring about.

This he did in his "To the point" column, with a post which is ironically titled "Educating Migrants"

However, the piece de resistance that Jurado wrote seems to go along the direction of Fernandez earlier articles, saying that the whole thing is an exercise of Freedom of Speech.
"I think Malu was simply writing what she thought and sensed. That’s freedom of the press. And what she wrote was just the truth. Everybody knows that."

After I had read that section of his article i knew where he was going and what he was going to say next. Much to my chagrin, Jurado shared similar incidents of him flying with his wife and encountering, according to his article , as a group of people that need to be educated on fine graces and behaviour to reflect a good persona of our country.

"The Fernandez incident brings to fore the need to educate our workers how to behave, not only at work and in relating with their employers, but also when they get together or take transportation, airplanes included.Malu was not the only one complaining about the uncouth and rowdy behavior of these “new heroes.” I myself have had sad experiences in the economy class. They are not expected to dress up like “sosyals,” the derogatory term they give to people who dress up or take the business class.But the least we can expect from them is to behave properly and not to give foreigners an impression that all Filipinos conduct themselves the way they do."

Excuse me Mr. Jurado but what do you think are the kind of people who go abroad for work? We are definitely not of the uneducated class. Let me remind you that we are composed of doctors, nurses, teachers and other diploma bearing workers who have sought financial refuge abroad because the so-called educated group of people that run our country has failed miserably in economics.Why, even the lowly Domestic Helper ( as Malu has tagged them) are often comprised of Teachers and Accountants who could not make ends meet because of the lack of opportunities they are besieged with back home.

Jurado's column further cites amazing facts like Filipinos being banned from certain Hong Kong and Singapore venues because of the noise and litter they make whenerv they meet up during their day's off.

"In Singapore, Filipinos are no longer allowed to congregate at the well-known Lucky Mall along Orchard Road because of the noise and the litter they make. Filipino domestics seem to be at their loudest when they are together.

In Hong Kong, during Sundays and holidays, I am embarrassed as a Filipino to see them spreading out mats at public places both in Kowloon and Hong Kong sides and eat with their hands. Some of them go on manicuring and pedicuring their compatriots. In fact, they are now banned from congregating at the Landmark Mall because of complaints."

I did a quick check on the net to find if there was an actual banning of sorts for the venues he mentioned but i could not find one to no avail. However, I do remember Batjay making a

post on Lucky Mall a few weeks back..yeah, but that was a good post, and he did not say anything on Pinoys being banned in the area.

What angers me with this post is Jurado's elitist point of view. By trying to act sympathetic to OFW's , saying his heart bleeds out to these people, yet here he is setting a low standard on the very same people that his fellow columnist has hurt.

"I have nothing about them smelling bad or dressing with their usual uniform of T-shirt and denims with sneakers, because many foreigners, especially Americans, do the same while traveling.

I think that it is the responsibility of the POEA and the foreign affairs department to educate them on correct conduct before they go abroad to work. I don’t mean to look down on our “new heroes,” but really, how foreigners perceive us Filipinos has gone from bad to worse."

He didn't help out in anything for his column, like Malu's firstapology, all it did was make matter's worse.

And for someone to say that you have nothing about us smelling bad...come on, old man, have you really come across a fellow pinoy who smelled bad during your sojourns abroad.

Jurado's article had the word "Burgis" written all over it.
So, Pinoys abroad may be a little rowdy and noisy during weekend convenings or during a flight back home, but hey, these are people who's temporary joy was to be among their own during the so-called weekends and enjoy each other's company. True, it may be noisy, but hey, other cultures which meet on similar days are nosy as well.

It's all because of the fact that for a few minutes, these people forget the stressful week that was, and celebrate with fellow Pinoys, whom despite the difference in origin and background, look like a family friend or relative, which they can talk to and be with in a far away place from home.
Given the same circumstances, wouldn't you do the same.

I think you just do not get it.

And what about this push for training and educating our OFW's before they go abroad. I don't see top countries like the US or Japan for that matter pushing their countrymen to take in a required crash course on Manners and Etiquette before flying off to a foreign land. Do you?

I believe this is two in a row for Manila Standard Today and it pretty much sums up its stand on these things with OFW's worldwide. They really do not give a damn. The whole exercise in boycott has done nothing to affect their senses. In fact the clamor for a statement has only lead to them releasing another bigot in the offing.

This is just an issue that refuses to die down, not because people like me do not want to shut up, but because companies like MST allow bigots to write freely on their own accord. Like i said in a previous post, that is why, in this world we reporters revolve in, we have this thing called an Editor. They are there to Edit content before it sees the light of print.

I don't think MST has Editors, and if they do, they're all dummies.

Now let me see you edit this.