The alarm rings sharply at 6:30 am. Albert wakes up to another wintry day in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. After a quick shower and breakfast consisting of tapsilog or cereals, he dons his coat over his suit and leaves for work. He catches the fast train at 7:39, 7:50 or 8:15 am to Redfern, a district about 40 kms away from Hornsby. The fast train takes half an hour to reach Redfern where he works for a software company.
His officemates are multicultural: naturalized Koreans, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Filipinos, Kiwis and Irish. After eight hours of work as a computer analyst, Albert rides the fast train for home. Weekends are devoted to his family, household chores, Sunday mass, sightseeing and social visits to Filipino homes in the north shore area.
Albert is one of the growing numbers of Filipino IT professionals who migrated to Australia. In 1999, the Australian software and services sector is estimated to be growing at an annual rate of 13 percent. A computer analyst can earn from 45,000 Australian dollars to 100,000 Australian dollars annually depending on his qualification and work experience. That’s a substantial amount next to what they can earn in Manila despite the higher standard to living in Australia.
And how are they finding their host country Australia?
“The Aussies are friendly,” relates Albert. At the stores, they greet customers with a “g’day” or “how are you” and you’d have to return the greeting or you’ll be considered rude. Filipinos pick up local expressions like “Ripper!” (Ang galing) quickly enough. Store hours, however, are like office hours. Stores open between 8 and 9 am and close between 5 and 6 pm daily; there is usually late shopping on one night of the week.
The overseas worker must be at his best at work. He or she works hard to meet deadlines, then enjoys weekends or vacations. Weekends are a sacred institution in Australia. They are spent outdoors, at the beach, the national park, at sports events or barbecue parties.
For the average Filipino worker, the outdoor lifestyle brings new experiences in their lives. Beaches, for instance, are abundant and open to the public free of charge. With 36,000 kms of coastline, Australian beaches are wide and clean, with surging waves that are great for surfing. There is the tale of a modest Filipino who went to the beach wearing a two-piece swimsuit. She noticed that almost everyone on the beach was either topless or naked. After much hesitation, she decided to go topless, too. Guess what happened? She was so disappointed because no one looked at her! No worries.
Australia has about 28.2 million hectares of land reserved for national parks and nature reserves. How about visiting a park in Victoria where parrots abound, or a park in New South Wales where wallabies (small kangaroos) dwell, or a park in the Northern Territory where the saltwater crocodile is the attraction? Then there is the thrill of catching a variety of fish from beaches, bays, coastal rivers and lakes. Feasting on grilled breams, catfish or tailor afterwards is a double treat for a beginner.
Whether it is the strangeness of a cricket game in summer, rugby and Australian football in spring, or just a friendly encounter with rabbits running around a train station, Australia offers a whole new way of life to the Filipino migrant. More than the pristine environment is the effectiveness and efficiency of the system in the country that is obvious to the migrant. The system “works for everyone, not for a favored few.” This is the perception among the Filipino overseas workers. There is dignity of labor and a sense of equality.
The middle class in Australia is sizeable and Filipino overseas workers pay income taxes, private health insurance and superannuation (pension) charge to the Australian government. Taxes are quite high compared to taxes in the Philippines. However, these tax payments are translated into a clean, safe and efficient environment. 무료스포츠티비