MANILA, Philippines – Amid the posh and glamor of Los Angeles, California, are invisible Filipino workers who wish only to work hard and bring their families towards their dreams.
Except perhaps they aren’t always invisible. They could be nannies, or farm helpers, or service workers.
When human trafficking survivor and Filipina caregiver Amelia Barnachea describes herself when people ask how she is, she likes to use the phrase “Buhay na buhay (Alive and well),” even as her memory begins to fade.
Retired and caught up with papers that hinder her return home, Amelia rides buses in LA with nowhere to go. She waits for the day she can petition her children to join her.
Amelia’s journey as a Filipino labor trafficking survivor in America is one of two stories captured in Home of the Brave, a documentary by director Baby Ruth Villarama about the struggles of coming to the US as an undocumented immigrant worker.
The documentary was screened during the Cinemalaya film festival in Ayala Malls Manila Bay on Saturday, August 10.
Behind smiles, exploitation
In the documentary, Amelia strikes like a typical lola, ready to tell you what’s in her bag, and finds amusement in the variety in her reading choices — from an atlas of the Bible to eating for brain health. But behind her smiles was a long journey of working too hard and earning too little from a series of exploitative employers, on top of a shaky immigration status.
Much of Amelia’s background was explained by leaders of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) based in California, a non-profit which helps workers in trouble like her.
Villarama stitches together Amelia’s story with that of Lord Lattao, who entered America with his wife as tourists, and became attracted to the prospect of staying to earn dollars instead. Lord’s wife’s relative promised visa sponsorship in exchange for work.
As Lord’s marriage turned sour, viewers are guided into the interweaving struggles of maintaining a family while trying to stay in a country filled with opportunities. Tondo-raised Lord had nothing to return to in the Philippines.
The film illustrated how workers are sometimes left to rely on non-profit organizations like PWC and support from private volunteers amid what the film called “limited support” from the Philippine government, which has a consulate in Filipino-rich Los Angeles.
Once a caregiver herself, the aging Amelia now needed help with her own health, and it was volunteers who were supporting her. Lord also said in the film that if it was not for PWC, he may have been deported by now.
The vast difference in Amelia and Lord’s stories showed how undocumented Filipino workers are not a monolithic bloc. But even with different beginnings and circumstances, their common motivation was evident: a need to provide for loved ones relying on them.
Just a glimpse
In an open forum after the screening, Villarama, director of the award-winning Sunday Beauty Queen documentary set in Hong Kong, explained that there was a priority on trying to focus on the profiles, and to try to connect their story to the audience.
“We’re just looking into their lives. We’re just walking in and passing by… We just don’t want the audience to forget them. Forget me as a filmmaker, but remember them and know their story,” she said.
Being the daughter of a domestic worker with a background in journalism, Villarama hopes that the stories she tells through film can be enough to spark change and seek justice for the workers.
“We can sort of apply whatever magic tricks we have in the bag and tell their stories and encourage institutions and champions, especially decision-makers, to improve certain policies,” she said. – Rappler.com