Planet Philippines Calgary Edition February 2011 issue

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HE GOOD die young in the Phil-i p p i n e s , and there’s a pantheon to prove it, from Rizal and Grego-rio del Pi-

lar to Magsaysay, Ninoy, the generation driven to the hills – Eman Lacaba, Edjop, et al. – and the modern mar-tyrs Evelio [Javier] and Lean [Alejandro].

But Cory Aquino, she lived to the ripe age of 76 before dying last August 2009, with enough time to properly say goodbye to the na-tion that adored her and to say hello to several younger genera-tions whose lives she spanned.

She spanned mine, or at least the adult part, propelling my own turbulent joy ride as a young Coryista and later disenchanted alumnus of her topsy-turvy ad-ministration. But when she died after an extended illness, I was as distraught as the most hard-core loyalist.

Barely three months into my job as editor of this web site (GMANews.TV), I found myself monitoring every available detail of her declining health as break-ing news, all the while reliving in my head the years when I served her government as a minor facto-tum.

I had been an anti-Marcos ac-tivist who postponed his media aspirations by joining her gov-ernment in 1986 as an executive assistant for her health secretary, Dr. Alfredo Bengzon. I traveled widely with my boss during those years and felt the pulse of a peo-ple thirsty for the changes prom-ised by the new president. But I also spent long nights counting casualties at public hospitals dur-ing coup attempts wondering if we would still have a democratic government the next day.

I recall the one time I accom-panied my boss to visit her in the Malacanang guesthouse where she had her modest office, or at least modest by the standards of heads of state. As her daughter and right-hand woman Ballsy waved us into the inner sanctum, the President stood up and greet-ed us with a smile. After the fear I had known in the Marcos era, she was a fragrant gust of fresh air. I felt like I was visiting an aunt. Tita Cory nga.

After she was diagnosed with cancer, Tita Cory’s grace became truly amazing. In her last interviews, there was no hint of regret and only generous doses of gratitude to the nation, when in fact it was we who should be grateful.

CORY AQUINO’S AMAZING GRACE

BY HOWIE SEVERINO

(In commemoration of the 78th birth anniversary of the late President Corazon Aquino last Jan. 25, the author reflects on the life and legacy of the beloved Tita Cory.)

Cory and running mate Doy Laurel at the campaign trail during the 1986 snap elections.

Saying she was only a transition president whose goal was to restore democracy, Cory never entertained the idea of prolonging her stay in office.

Before Cory entered our col-lective consciousness, there was Ninoy, her charismatic husband. I knew him too, while I was a col-lege student in Boston when he was there as a Fellow at Harvard and a little-known exile from a small country that hardly regis-tered on the US public’s radar.

Since he was one of the few resident Filipino scholars in the

Boston area, I went to see him a couple of times ostensibly to in-terview him about the US mili-tary bases in the Philippines for a paper I was writing. But our conversations detoured to Phil-ippine politics and even gossip about the Filipino community in the US. I was just 20, but he made me feel like he was talking to a colleague.

and I pounded my fist against the wall. He was the first person who died whom I had known well.

Ninoy’s death helped give me direction. Soon I was on my way home to teach at my old high school and immerse myself in op-position politics. In 1985, I was arrested and detained briefly for political offenses. After I was re-leased I returned to activism, to the horror of my parents.

When Cory decided to chal-lenge Marcos and run for presi-dent, I helped form a small cam-paign group called High School Volunteers for Cory, composed of fellow high school faculty and some of our students and their friends. We organized informa-tion caravans, carried placards, and spoke into megaphones in the middle of streets.

Ninoy’s death and Cory’s game-changing decision to run gave many a purpose, including me. The risks were great but so was the call to action. There were emotional bonds formed with strangers that I will never forget.

After the snap elections, we were outraged like many others at the growing evidence of cheat-ing and intimidation. Our group was on EDSA in February 1986 delivering drinking water to the multitudes from a battered pick-up truck and giving moral sup-

When he was killed in 1983, I had just graduated, was living with my parents in Houston and wondering what to do with my life. I learned about his assassi-nation in the middle of the night


One year before her death, Cory said in an interview that she was thanking God for making her a Filipino like all of us.

The massive outpouring of grief on Cory’s death was a reaction to the widespread cynicism about the politics in the Arroyo era, a nostalgia for the basic decency of the Cory era.

port to those manning barricades in the streets around Camp Agui-naldo.

After serving two years in her government, I left to become a newspaper reporter, more than a few times writing critical stories about her, including the haphaz-ard way she managed her office and the snake pit of intrigues that Malacanang had become.

I don’t recall ever reflecting during that time that my ability to criticize her government was to a great extent the result of her courage and struggle against dic-tatorship, the same one that killed her husband. I wasn’t alone in this ingratitude, the proud press in those days determined to bran-dish its independence and new-found fangs.

Unlike Marcos, Cory grace-fully gave way to her successor and my respect for her was re-newed. The respect grew through the years, as she weighed in on national issues when she had to, setting an example for dignified conduct in her retirement.

After she was diagnosed with cancer, her grace became truly amazing. In her last interviews, there was no hint of regret and only generous doses of gratitude to the nation, when in fact it was we who should be grateful.

In an interview with Jessica Soho for GMA’s public affairs

special, Newsmakers, in the year before she died, Cory looked straight into the camera and de-clared that she was thanking God for making her a Filipino like all of us. I felt blessed.

When she did pass away, in the dark morning hours of Au-gust 1, the enormity of the public reaction caught me and my col-leagues by surprise. We knew that she would be remembered as among the most important Filipi-nos in the last 100 years. But we didn’t anticipate the size of the

Before Cory entered our collective consciousness, there was Ninoy, her charismatic husband.

adoring crowds, including the many youngsters who weren’t even around to witness her cour-age and heroism in the mid-1980s, who would come out to line up for hours at her wake and then line the route of her funeral cortege.

Some have surmised that the outpouring was a reaction to the

widespread cynicism about the politics in the Arroyo era, a nos-talgia for the basic decency of the Cory era, and a longing for the nobility that Filipinos across the social spectrum exhibited in the struggle against Marcos.

Whatever the deep-seated rea-sons for the massive turnout, the emotion was shared by Filipinos around the world. I know because compatriots overseas and outside Manila left countless heartfelt trib-utes on the interactive livestream video page set up on GMANews.TV.

As an online editor, I hardly went outdoors during that time, but I felt every bit a part of the his-toric event, moderating the global online conversation about Cory and glued to the television while editing stories being filed by our reporters in the field. Occasionally I would be swept up by the emotion myself, wiping away tears I would hide from colleagues as we went about our work. She was evidence of a better side of ourselves. And now she was gone.

There would be plenty of time to ruminate on the lost oppor-tunities of her time. In the days following her death, I felt mostly gratitude. She made it easy for me to make certain decisions about my life. And she helped make me thankful I was born a Filipino. (GMANews.TV) n


WAS eight years old when the EDSA Revolution happened from February 22 to 25, 1986. I remember my mother tying yellow ribbons on my hair. I remember my father giving my younger brothers one of those giant L-shaped hands. I remem-ber the ambience of fear which I gathered from the adults. But

gradually, without knowing the reasons why, the fear became a bit festive. Then suddenly, there was confetti and more yellow ribbons gaily draped in trees, gates, and cars. I didn’t know that his-tory was unfolding.

On the 25th anniversary of the momentous event, I sat down with some of the witnesses and participants of those glorious days to remi-nisce that period in our nation’s past and what it meant for them.

“I was at EDSA from Day 1 till the end. I was an active participant during that time because I was then a seminarian and Church people, seminarians and nuns, played an important role during the event. We had discussions in the evening, group singing and Masses, aside of course from running to the front of the line every time there was news that some loyal forces of Marcos were coming our way.

EDSA 1986 was a spontaneous uprising of the people, although it was triggered by

BY KC ABALOS EDSA 1:25YEARS LATER

‘May nagbago ba? Wala naman. Ang rebolusyon para maging rebolusyon dapat nawala or nasira ang kung ano man ang batayan ng mahirap at mayaman. Ang mayaman naman mayaman pa rin at ang mahirap, lalo pa ring humihirap pagkatapos ng unang EDSA. May bago na ngang Aquino sa Malacañang pero ganun pa rin ang lahat.’

ation where the poor continue to be poor and those in power enrich themselves. We haven’t gone far.”

- Joe Torres, Editor, Union of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com)

“Bata pa ’ko nun eh. Grade 2 lang ata. Wala pa akong muwang sa mga pinagkakaguluhan nila sa EDSA. Naalala ko lang sabi ni papa, kung hindi daw nangyari ang kaguluhang ‘yun at ang mga tora-tora [military planes] sa EDSA, may curfew pa, eh kasi Martial Law. If ever, ‘di nangyari ang EDSA Revolution noong 1986, baka wala ang mga call center ngayon. Saan kaya ako pupuluting trabaho? Ha,ha! Paano nga naman ang pagpasok sa dis oras ng gabi at madaling araw kung may curfew pa? Sa

A generation – 25 years to be exact – has passed since the momentous four-day standoff on EDSA forced strongman Marcos to step down and flee to Hawaii.

His health failing and fast losing grip on his power, Ferdinand Marcos continued to exude an air of invincibility up to the end, with a little help from wife Imelda.

several events like the snap elections, the cheating during the elections, the coup of the military and the call of Cardinal Sin to gather around the soldiers who rose against the dictatorship. The immediate aim of EDSA 1986 was to oust the dictator. It was a success if we look at it on these terms. But if we look at the EDSA phenomenon as something that would trigger substantial change in our country, it did not go far. We continue to see the same brand of politics, the same ruling class, and the same situ-


The morning after Marcos left the country, Cory Aquino takes her oath of office, becoming the first woman president.

For someone like me who was too young to fully grasp what the 1986 Revolution actually meant at that time, it has become a golden nugget of history.

ngayon, ‘yun na ang pinakamababaw na value para sa ‘kin ng 1986 EDSA Revolution.”

- Ana San Gabriel, 31, Technical Support Representative

“I was in Upstate New York when the 1986 EDSA 1 happened. The Filipino com-munity, along with students from Syra-cuse University and Cornell, organized public lectures and film showings on the Marcos dictatorship which were held in the universities and churches. We invited scholars like Benedict Anderson, E. San Juan, Dante and Roland Simbulan, and Cheryl Payer. The lectures were packed with concerned Americans and other nationalities. Hundreds signed petitions condemning the dictatorship and calling on the US government to stop supporting Marcos. These petitions were subsequently sent to the US Congress. I was part of the organizing committee of the Friends of the Filipino People (FFP) which coordinated these events.

The tyrannical rule of Marcos ended and the widespread repression has been somewhat reduced. For a while, a so-called democratic space has opened up. However, the human rights violations continued dur-ing Cory’s time and the most prominent examples were the brutal killings of KMU labor leader Rolando Olalia and former UP Diliman Student Council chair Lean Ale-jandro. And of course, there was the infa-mous Mendiola massacre of farmers.

The EDSA 1 overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship was meant to do away with the brutal repression of the people, as manifested in the murders, so-called sal-

vages, enforced disappearances, and incar-ceration of thousands in detention centers nationwide. People wanted democracy, and they did not get it with the ousting of Marcos.“

- Doroteo Abaya Jr., Professor, Department of Social Sciences, UP Manila

“During that period, I was 42 years old, an Administrative Assistant in a non-life company and married with four chil-dren. We were living in an apartment near the border of Sta. Mesa and Quezon City.

The ages of my children ranged from 3 to 8 years old. Between work and home, my husband and I regularly participated in the rallies and meetings concerning what were going on, which later on, turned into a big-ger event.

Everybody seemed very concerned about what to do and when to participate especially after the death of Ninoy Aquino. I myself really did not care about the secu-rity, I did not care about how much money we were going to spend for food, for gaso-line …our participation in the rallies be-

came a part of our weekly schedules, and that included the children, their needs… all packed inside our car every time we at-tended these rallies.”

- Evelyn Mayo-Abalos, 66, Retired Working Mother

“Ang 1986 EDSA revolution ay nagpakita sa buong mundo ng lakas ng taumbayan para angkinin muli ang kapangyarihan mula sa des-potismo sa mapayapang paraan. Ito ang tunay na kahulugan ng demokrasya.”

- Toix Cerna, 33, Citizen & Advocate

“As a nation, we have not been so fortu-nate in our national leaders. Our national leaders do not truly feel the pain and suf-fering of the masses, and so the actions and initiatives of the national leadership do not resonate with what the mass’ experience. If someone like Erap continues to fool the


SOLUTIONON PAGE 16

national electorate then maybe we do not really have a majority of discerning voters and so we deserve the inadequate presidents that we get. Because of what Cardinal Sin did during the EDSA Revo-lution the Catholic Church continues to feel that (much like during the Spanish colonization) they have a right to meddle in government, to the dismay of other re-ligious groups. Our national institutions are not fully functional - Supreme Court, the legislature - because the principles behind our political culture are myth- or tradition-based, not fully rational. We are actually a culture stuck in medieval and feudal beliefs hence modernity has a lot of difficulty coming in. It is a clash of cul-tures happening in our midst: between one that thrives on efficiency, competen-cy and a culture of rules and laws - pre-sumably the hallmarks of modernity- in contrast with a culture that is satisfied with mediocrity, puede na, personal con-tacts and relationships, pakikisama, and bending the rules to one’s advantage. EDSA did not do much in changing these attitudes.”

- Dr. Zosimo Lee, former Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy,

UP Diliman

“The 1986 EDSA Revolution is also dubbed as the People Power Revolution. For me it is a testament of what the Filipi-no people can do when we unite towards a common goal. It proved to the world that the Filipinos do care...and have a voice. This happened when I was in Grade 6 in a Catholic school. Back then, the concept of the church playing a role in the gov-ernment was only a concept that I read in books...but when the EDSA Revolution happened...I became a witness of what the Church can do to make or break the government.

Likewise, the EDSA Revolution also in-troduced me to a new concept of the word ‘hero’. Kasi dati, when you say hero...ang alam ko nun sila Rizal, Bonifacio, et.al. But with EDSA 1 the word hero evolved and

made me realize that there are living he-roes among us.”

- Lorie Ramirez, 34, Writer

“May nagbago ba? Wala naman. Ang re-bolusyon para maging rebolusyon dapat nawa-la or nasira ang kung ano man ang batayan ng mahirap at mayaman. Ang mayaman naman mayaman pa rin at ang mahirap, lalo pa ring humihirap pagkatapos ng unang EDSA. May bago na ngang Aquino sa Malacañang pero ga-nun pa rin ang lahat.

Ganun pa man, nag-martsa rin ako nung unang EDSA kasi ang pinaglalaban noon de-mokrasya. Kalayaan natin ‘yun. Naging maka-Marcos din naman ako noong una pero nang umabuso siya, aba ‘di na puwede ‘yun. Ba-bye na sa iyo. ‘Yun naman ang nakakamangha sa EDSA. Kahit anong sabihin mong nangyari pagkatapos, napatalsik natin ang isang dikta-dor na wala tayong mga baril. Dapat ipagya-

bang natin iyun.”- Carlitos de la Cruz, 50, Messenger

“The EDSA Revolution has come to symbolize, for me, a people’s triumph at what perhaps was the ultimate test of cour-age and strength. While this was by no means the first revolution in the world to overthrow a dictator, it was a shining ex-ample of an oppressed country rising up--

and winning--against the forces of evil. If I could sum up the event in one word,

it would be “fearlessness.” After Ninoy’s assassination and the failed snap elec-tions, something in the Filipino people just snapped, and they knew they had had enough of Ferdinand Marcos. The fear we had of him all those years simply was not there anymore, and was replaced with an indignation that could not be extinguished until he, his family, and his cronies had been driven away, far, far away.

Sadly, I doubt if the same sentiments continue to be expressed about the Mar-coses today. They are everywhere again--Bongbong in the Senate, Imee in the House of Representatives (Editor’s note: Imee is presently Ilocos Norte governor) , and Imelda flitting away here and there like a vain old butterfly, lapping up all the atten-tion from the media. Do we have that short a memory? Or are we just really a nation of wimps that forgive way too easily? Oh, boy. The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

- Rose Galvez, Chocolatier

For someone like me who was too young to fully grasp what the 1986 Revolution actu-ally meant at that time, it has become a golden nugget of history. By that, I mean it is an in-stance of reality that has fossilized to symbol-ize a period of highly contrasting emotions and ideas—hope and fear, peace and chaos, freedom and strife. Just like any emblem of the past, it carries within it a certain power, the power to learn from past mistakes and to build on the ide-als that made the 1986 EDSA Revolution pos-sible in the first place. n

The People Power Monument on EDSA depicts the historic stand of ordinary Filipinos against a despotic regime.


A L A C A -ÑANG, for the first time in history, is a bachelor’s pad.

Bradge-lina (Brad Pitt & An-gelina Jolie)

and Tomatey (Tom Cruise & Katey Holmes) don’t hold a candle to President Noynoy Aquino’s love life. People from as far as Japan and the US are interested in his ro-mantic soirees. It seems he can’t escape the media’s all-seeing lens.

Let’s dig in the past and men-tion a few names which have been connected to our dear leader. For a while, we thought he would set-tle down with TV reporter Berna-dette Sembrano. And before she became Mrs. Mar Roxas, Korina Sanchez was in a serious relation-ship with her current hubby’s presidential candidate. But it all came to naught.

When PNoy was running for the post of the most powerful man in the land, he was with Valenzuela City Councilor Sha-lani Soledad. That’s when his love life caught the media’s at-tention. Sadly, even as he won the polls with a burst of yellow ribbons, he didn’t get to keep the lady. He broke off with her in late September.

Since then, Shalani has for-ayed into showbiz. As the co-host of Willie Revillame, it was only a matter of time before her name was linked to Willie. Last July, Willie supposedly proposed to our would-have-been First Lady in a -- where else -- love boat. Most likely, it is all just a publicity stunt for their new TV show. However, the thought that we can say our President’s name in the same sen-tence as Willie Revillame’s is re-ally disturbing.

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE 214:

AFFAIRSOF

THEHEARTAll we know now is that Noynoy is being

linked to a seemingly endless string of ladies. They are all lovely, educated, and all targets for the frenzy that has

overshadowed even his infamous baby sister’s romantic liaisons.

BY KC M. ABALOS

This picture of PNoy and Len Lopez in a private function appeared in the Philippine Star. It is the only photo of the couple that has landed in the media so far.

KORINA SANCHEZLIZ UY

SHALANI SOLEDAD

BERNADETTE SEMBRANO

Since PNoy stepped into office he has dated more girls than he has signed laws.

Who gets to be “First Girlfriend”? All we know now is that

Noynoy is being linked to a seem-ingly endless string of ladies. They are all lovely, educated, and all targets for the frenzy that has overshadowed even his infamous baby sister’s romantic liaisons.

Before he went on a business trip to Vietnam last October, our most eligible bachelor was sup-posedly “target practicing” with

shooting champion Mary Grace Tan. It turns out though that he never “hit the bull’s eye”.

Remember Patricia Ann Roque? Yes, the former child star who is now a television news reporter was also linked to the leader of our land but both parties squashed the issue even before any buzz was made of it.

And, of course there is Liz Uy. Liz is a stylist who is part of the team that ensures Noynoy is posh and presentable all the time. Former sweetheart of actor John Lloyd Cruz, Liz got the brunt of the paparazzo’s merciless zoom lens. PNoy admitted that they were indeed dating for a period of time. Shortly after though, Kris Aquino talked to the press and said that big bro Noy and her girl-friend Liz remain friends despite the fact that their fling didn’t last long.

But now, the grapevine is abuzz with a new bachelorette. PNoy is supposedly checking out the assets of stockbroker Len Lopez. However, this love team didn’t get much press time. Before we got to know the juicy details, the other women in Noynoy’s life stepped in.

Sisterly adviceDuring this time, big sister

Ballsy Aquino-Cruz implored the general public to leave her brother’s lovelife or lack thereof alone. She even said this was her family’s Christmas wish. On the question of whether it will be a cold Christmas for Noynoy, the sisters chose to keep mum. Even Kris, who has been known to act as Press Secretary to her Kuya’s more personal side, said that she wasn’t allowed to comment or give advice to him anymore after she received a presidential rebuff for squealing her brother’s ro-mantic jaunts with Len.

So yes, since PNoy stepped into office he has dated more girls than he has signed laws. When he went to the US in September, he may have found investors trans-latable to hundreds of jobs. But when he arrived, we do not talk about the accomplishment. In-stead we wonder whom he was texting across the Pacific while he was away.

Why are we so fascinated with our favorite bachelor’s love life? Maybe it is the dash of politics and showbiz all rolled into one juicy gossip column that makes it so interesting. Maybe the en-tire nation is concerned that the only son of a pair of heroes look-ing on from a 500-peso bill could find happiness. Maybe it is simple “usi-ness”-- the Filipinos’ need to know the intimate details of each other’s lives. For whatever reason, we must realize that our med-dling is not really helping our 50-year old bachelor President find his soul mate. n


BY PEPPER MARCELO

I have been married for five years and have a three-year-old daughter. We are doing okay but dream of having our own home and traveling. My auntie in the Dubai has offered me help in getting a job there but I am worried about leaving my family behind. I have heard of other stories of how marriages have broken up because the long-distance. What should I do?

- Farah of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, posted on www.ofwonline.net

OR MANY of the estimat-ed 10 million overseas Fili-pino workers (OFWs), coping with life abroad is a stressful, sometimes ter-rifying expe-

rience. For those who have spouses and children left at home, severe homesickness could lead to mental stress and psychological illness. The family left behind can be negatively affected as well.

It is sad to note that while the government constantly harps on the contributions of the OFWs in propping up the national econ-omy, it has miserably failed to provide adequate services to ad-dress the physical, emotional and psychological needs of OFWs and their families. What makes the situation doubly pathetic is that even the basic and simple need of OFWs to communicate with their families has been totally neglected by authorities. One would ex-pect that the Overseas Work-ers Welfare Administration, with the millions of pesos it collects from OFWs, would tap cheap technology such as the Internet to provide counseling and communi-cation services to the work-ers and their families.

Thankfully, there are a few non-governmental orga-nizations that attempt to al-leviate the miserable situation of our migrant workers. One such private initiative addresses the

need for a Help Line for OFWs and their families where they can seek counseling and expert advice.

“That’s where we come in. We tend to be the social support for OFWs who feel they cannot talk to friends or family,” says Dr. Regi-na Hechanova-Alampay, founder of OFW Online, a 24-hour free on-line service for overseas Filipino workers and their families.

An organizational psycholo-gist who has done significant re-search relating to the psychology of the Filipino within a work en-vironment, Alampay has trained employers, managers and workers on how to become more effective in their work. She is currently an associate professor at the Psychol-ogy department at the Ateneo de Manila University and the Execu-tive Director of the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development (Ateneo CORD).

With 20 years experience as a hu-man resources consultant in organi-zations both in the Philippines and in the US, Alampay has taught com-panies to be culturally relevant and globally competitive in an industrial and corporate setting. “Basically, our role is to ensure that workers are happy, well and productive,” she says. “At the same time, we also as-sist groups and organizations in be-coming more effective, competitive and sustainable.”

In award-winning publications that she has written, such as The Way We Work: Research and Best Practices in Philippine Organizations, Leading Philippine Organizations in a Changing World and For the People, With the People: Developing Social En-terprises in the Philippines, she calls attention to the cultural difference between how work is viewed and treated by Filipinos and the rest of the world, particularly Western society.

Based on her extensive experi-ence, Alampay knows first-hand how difficult life is for the OFW, particularly the psychological toll of living abroad for extended pe-riod of time on both the worker and the family left behind.

Dr. Regina Hechanova-Alampay

FEBRUARY 2011 Calgary EditionPLANET PHILIPPINES16The idea for OFW Online was

born in 2007 while Alampay was attending a conference on Informa-tion Communication Technology for Development (ICT for D). “They were showcasing how technology was being used to address social problems. I was the only psycholo-gist in that conference and it made me think, ‘Why can’t we harness technology to help OFWs’?”

She said that it took some time to obtain funding for the project. She credits the Singapore Internet Research Centre (funded by the International Development Re-search Center of Canada) for sup-porting the website.

OFW Online currently has 18 professional counselors who offer their services seven days a week from 9:00 am to 12:00 midnight. The counselors provide free consultation according to their specializations, such as marital issues, personal development, family matters, work issues and cultural adjustment.

The website has three primary features: Counseling which allows users to chat online with a coun-selor in a set amount of time, usu-ally one hour (although follow-up sessions can be scheduled); Family Chat which allows OFWs to talk privately with family members; and Forums, where OFWs and their families can post messages.

To date, the website has had more than 25,000 visitors, with coun-

Dr. Hechanova-Alampay (4th from left) poses with President Aquino and other TOWNS awardees in Malacañang.

seling exclusively done through chat or email. Asked whether not being able to personally interact with their client one-on-one has its drawbacks, Alampay admits that Internet communication has its ad-vantages and disadvantages.

“On one hand, the anonym-ity is liberating for some users who would not ordinarily seek face to face counseling,” she says. “On the other hand, this kind of counseling is not appropriate for people with clinical disorders or suicidal tendencies.”

She says the most prevalent problems she and her colleagues

are most often faced with are issues relational in nature, i.e., problems with marital relationships and par-ent-child relationships. “The sepa-ration from family is really tough on both the worker and those left behind. It is difficult to maintain in-timacy and communications across the miles and that is often the source of difficulties,” she explains.

Alampay emphasizes that there are social costs to migration and a decision to work abroad needs to be thought out very carefully beyond monetary gain. “When possible, I would suggest trying to keep the family together

to avoid the difficulties that arise from prolonged separation.”

If one needs more assistance than the internet can provide, she suggests that they seek out a professional counselor in their location. “Sometimes, this can be found in the churches (as in Hong Kong) or nonprofit organizations that may be able to refer them to someone who can help them.”

For her significant contribu-tions to public service, Alam-pay was named one of 2010’s “The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service” (TOWNS). The award is presented by the

TOWNS Foundation to outstand-ing Filipino women ages 21 to 45 years old who have contributed positively to strengthening na-tional capability and in shaping the nation’s future and served as catalysts for economic, social, and cultural development by providing pro bono their time, talent and resources to govern-ment, business media, the arts, the academe, sports, and non-government organizations.

“I feel extremely grateful for the acknowledgment but at the same time humbled because the work isn’t just mine,” she says. “OFW Online was my idea and I got it started but there are many other people who are involved in this and it is in their behalf that I accepted the award.”

For more information about OFW Online, check out its web-site at www. ofwonline.net. n

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