Discovering the Filipinos in Switzerland

MANILA, Philippines - Like most Filipinos, when I think of Switzerland, only the following come to mind: Rolex watches, Swatch watches (and more watches), Swiss chocolates and the Swiss Alps. Had I not made my recent visit, I would not have learned so many basic things about this beautiful and very rich country (per capita income is among the highest and life expectancy is among the longest in the world) such as 1. It only has around 7.6 million citizens (wow!) and foreigners comprise 20 percent of the resident population (while we are 90 million plus Filipinos and still counting!); 2. It became a full-fledged member of the United Nations only in 2002 (when way back in school we knew Geneva as the seat of the second biggest UN center, next only to New York City); 3. In spite of it being known for its Swiss Army knife (required of all Swiss soldiers to have at ready), the Swiss Army, because of Switzerland’s adherence to the principle of neutrality, is not allowed to make alliances and cannot take part in armed conflicts in other countries; 4. In spite of the fact that German (spoken by 65 percent), French (18 percent) and Italian (10 percent) are the three major languages in Switzerland, it is not a member of the European Union!; 5. The Red Cross was founded there in 1863 (which explains why the flag of the Red Cross is essentially the Swiss flag with colors reversed); 6. The Matterhorn ride in Disneyland refers to a snowcapped mountain in Switzerland; 7. William Tell is the national hero who was forced to shoot an apple off his own son’s head, the boy’s life being spared in the end (I honestly swear I did not know William Tell really ever existed and is a national hero at that); 8. Democracy is so strong that all laws (except the budget) can be reviewed by popular referendum; 9. The main reason for its becoming one of the most prosperous nations in the world (despite the dearth in natural resources and its small size — Mindanao is bigger than Switzerland) is the well-developed institutional framework characterized by the rule of law, an efficient judicial system and high levels of transparency and accountability within public institutions.

Now let me test your knowledge of European geography? What is the capital of Switzerland? Hmmm, I am sure you would have said Geneva, or Zurich the way I would. Well, we are both wrong.   Bern, (and not Geneva nor Zurich nor Davos nor Lucerne), is the national capital of Switzerland where the imposing Federal Palace (which houses both the executive and the legislative councils) is located and where the ambassadors from different countries are situated. Here you find even the highest government officials going to and from work either by tram or by train. (I should have added in paragraph one a fact unknown to us, that Swiss people are the keenest rail users in the world.) Extremely health conscious and pro-environment, men and women even in their sixties and seventies can be seen with backpacks, biking or simply walking for their day-to-day business. (Isn’t this a good idea for Baguio City? Build huge parking lots for the cars of visitors and just let people walk or use mountain bikes in the busiest roads like Session Road?) The City, like other places in Switzerland, is very clean, is heavily active in recycling and strictly enforces anti-littering regulations.

It was indeed our good fortune that the ambassador of the Philippines to Switzerland is a former UP Law schoolmate, Ma. Theresa Lazaro. By another stroke of good luck, we arrived in Bern on a Sunday when the ambassador was quite free to spend time with us. It was she who gave tips on how to get to Jungfraujoch, the “Top of Europe” tourist destination, which is one of the best in Switzerland (with its Ice Palace and other offerings). She advised us to take the Grindelwald route going back to Bern with all the scenic views of snowcapped mountains, picturesque lakes and dazzling waterfalls. It was also she who gave us the tip about the Bally outlet at Aarau where Bally leather shoes were selling with up to 70 percent discount and where Filipinos were buying like there was no tomorrow to the surprise of the salesladies and cashiers.

As my husband Paul and I always make it a point to find out how Filipinos are doing in other countries, it was very heartening to hear from the ambassador herself that the Philippine Embassy in Bern in cooperation with the Filipino-Swiss Community in Zurich was then preparing for a fashion show of creations by well-regarded Filipino designer Nono Palmos that would showcase Filipino ingenuity and creativity. Upon my return to the Philippines, the first thing I did was to find out what happened to the show and I learned it was highly successful with about 350 guests composed of distinguished officials from the Swiss government, business circles and the media who were all welcomed by Ambassador Tess Lazaro. They were able to see for themselves Philippine indigenous fabrics such as piña, gaddang, yakan and patadyong (also a Philippine fabric from Iloilo). The event was a big boost to our indigenous weavers as promoting the fabrics to the international market would definitely bolster production and augment the income of Filipinos in the countryside. The show was well-appreciated by the audience with inquiries on where to get the Philippine fabrics. Well, this is one fact I did not know about Switzerland and the Filipinos in Switzerland that really made me very happy. Congratulations to the Filipino-Swiss Community and to the Philippine Embassy in Switzerland. I sincerely hope other embassies will follow the lead.

(E-mail me at [email protected] or text 0927-5000833. Help build houses for the poor through the Gawad Kalinga by calling 718-1738 to 41 or text 0917-5239777.)