Of beauty queens and nannies

By now – because most Filipinos were clueless on the night Precious Lara Quigaman was crowned 2005 Miss International – everybody knows that the Philippines has produced another beauty queen of international stature. Quigaman’s crown is such a fete for a country whose proclivity for pageants is always at a fever pitch. (Beauty contests are a dime a dozen in the Philippines. From the most uppity village to the most rural community, Filipinos’ penchant for "beauty search" is participated in by the young ones and the once young. Not only that, Quigaman, in fact, has already been aped by one contestant in a gay beauty contest in Laguna recently.)

The hunt for the "most with the most-est" is not complete without the Q&A portion. For wit is integral in the total beauty package, a sound answer to a simple or tricky question is needed by a contestant to bag the proverbial crown.

Recently, the winning "answer" of Quigaman in the 2005 Miss International competition held in Tokyo, Japan has made a round in the Internet. Here goes:

Question: "What do you say to the people of the world who have typecasted (sic) Filipinos as nannies?"

Answer: "I take no offense on being typecasted (sic) as a nanny. But I do take offense that the educated people of the world have somehow denigrated the true sense and meaning of what a nanny is. Let me tell you what she is. She is someone who gives more than she takes. She is someone you trust to look after the very people most precious to you – your child, the elderly, yourself. She is the one who has made a living out of caring and loving other people. So to those who have typecasted (sic) us as nannies, thank you. Being a nanny is a testament to the loving and caring culture of the Filipino people. And for that, I am forever proud and grateful of my roots and culture."

With this answer, I could hear the resounding applause in the gallery. But this Q&A has no basis – an Internet hoax – said a Binibining Pilipinas insider, when The STAR Entertainment editor Ricky Lo asked her about the veracity of this e-mail that has been circulating in the net.

Whether or not that Q&A can authentically be attributed to Quigaman, the "answer" to the "question" is a good read because it leaves the reader a sense of pride and dignity. More than anything else, it is a boost to those people who work as part of the household and a reminder to the bosses of the sacrifices their yayas give them.

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Dignity of labor is something not many Filipinos have. Many people look down on blue-collared workers not realizing that without this workforce, the economy will be affected. Like an insult to injury, however, the least paid of employees in the Philippines are the ones who excavate in the middle of the street, the glass cleaners who risk their lives cleaning the façade of multi-storied buildings, the nannies who cook and clean and keep the house and the children safe from harm when the amos are far away.

Can you just imagine if the Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong, Singapore, United Kingdom, Ireland and in other parts of the world will do an exodus? For sure, the economic situation in those countries will be gravely affected. The chairman of the board of a multi-national company cannot bring a crib in the boardroom and give his baby a pacifier while conducting a board meeting. What if each member of the board brings his or her baby to the workplace, will they still conduct a power meeting or celebrate a children’s party? I bet you, the economies of many countries will not prosper without the help of the nannies.

Our very own economy will also suffer tremendously should these nannies among other overseas Filipino workers decide to come home and embrace wholeheartedly the great unknown awaiting them in the Philippines. Of course their exodus is simply wishful thinking and I doubt if the government, let alone their respective family, will be happy with the all-at-once return of the more than 7.5 million OFWs to their homeland.

Let it be said, the OFWs (plus the other Pinoys residing abroad) remitted $8.5 billion to the nation’s coffers last year. If this is not enough to help make our economy afloat, add to this the $4 billion the OFWs sent through the informal padala system.

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If you want to know the person, ask not his colleagues but the members of his household. One can fake one’s emotions when facing people of the same stature but one cannot fake one’s sentiments when in front of the people who serve one.

Household members are often taught that they cannot bite the hands that feed them. Tell this shogun rule to Dorine, the highly-opinionated maid in Tartuffe, a play written by French dramatist Moliere, and she will surely give you a piece of her mind. (The word Dorinic was coined to refer to a household member who always gives her catty solicited or unsolicited opinion.) Paying the maid to wash the clothes and look after the house does not give the master the blanket authority to maltreat a household member. This is elementary knowledge that many people have forgotten or deliberately overlooked. Sure, you cannot bite the hands that feed you but what if these are the same hands that leave bruises in your body? Oh well, that’s another story.

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By and large, a nanny is a beauty queen in her own right. Her scepter is the broom which she uses to clean the house. Her cape is the curtain that she constantly changes every two weeks. Her throne is the home where she dutifully gives her service. Her prize is her dignity to do her job to the best possible way she can. Her bequest will last a lifetime because "she gives more than she takes."

Granting that nannies earn a living out of loving and caring for other people, each of them deserves a monument in our hearts. Sadly, their efforts, among others who do unskilled yet tedious jobs, are not noticed by award-giving bodies who give trophies only to those people who live a glossy life.

Here’s to the nannies, the living testament to the "loving and caring culture of the Filipino people."

(Thank you for all your encouraging words and beautiful letters. For your new beginnings, please e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. You may also snail mail me at The Philippine Star c/o The Allure section, R. Oca Jr. cor. Railroad Streets, Port Area, Manila.

Have a blessed Sunday!)