For Pinoys in Shanghai, there’s no place like home
May 4, 2002 | 12:00am
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Since Filipinos became the No. 1 export of their country, they can be found in almost every nook and cranny of the world.
But who would have thought that while touring this huge country, we would meet up with four such adventurous modern-day troubadours in a small Chinese city like Suzhou (population: 800,000) located in the outskirts of Shanghai. The four – lead singer Rainell Lachica, pianist Nueraldin Beri, second singer Ingrid Sumilhig and keyboard/guitarist/singer Jaime Genato are the entertainment regulars at the Ramada Plaza (Bamboo Grove Suzhou), popular tourist hotel and watering hole of the small core of foreigners who work in this picturesque "Venice of Asia."
"Naku, Ate," exclaimed Rainell, whose tiny frame belies a full-bodied, Streisand-like voice, "I’ve been singing for 10 years now. Matanda na ako."
Ingrid, on the other hand, was at the Sheraton Hotel (also in Suzhou) when she was invited by Rainell to replace the latter’s singing partner, who had been claimed in marriage by an American businessman, and taken back to the States. Ingrid has also been singing in foreign places for the past eight years.
Jaime and Nueraldin (nicknamed Tanda by the impishly funny Rainell) are also veteran performers with 45 years of combined experience under their belts. Like most musically-inclined Pinoys, the quartet (they call themselves the Sensation Band) is up-to-date with current top tunes. Amazing to most western foreigners, but not to us touring Filipinos who know Pinoys are the best musicans anywhere.
The four are provided living quarters in the hotel. When they want to eat Filipino dishes, they sneak in ingredients and a stove to cook adobo or kare-kare. They are not really lonely or homesick; they are used to the nomadic life of overseas workers. Besides, Rainell is married to Nueraldin and Ingrid lives in with Jaime, until they can get married. They have each other.
"Kailangan kumayod habang puwede," Rainell said, explaining why they can’t start a family yet. Like most OWs, they support parents and siblings in the Philippines who are depending on their income. With their savings, they have been able to build a house in Santa Rosa, Laguna from their earnings, Rainell proudly added.
Now used to living in hotels, the two pairs sleep off their night’s work till late in the morning and spend the rest of the day either just lazing around, rehearsing or visiting.
Their big day, however, is Sunday when they take the train to Shanghai to hear Mass at a Catholic church and mingle with the few kababayans (many of them musikeros like themselves) in the area. Shanghai is an amazing, huge metropolis reminiscent of New York or Chicago. Unlike Beijing where the shadow of communism and bureaucracy looms large and threatening, this city has retained its mercantile spirit and international ambience. There are ancient European emigres, American Sino-philes and aging white jazz musicians at the legendary Peace Hotel who have remained in Shanghai through the turbulent revolutionary years, unfazed by the upheavals around them.
To Filipinos like Rainell and Ingrid and their partners, Shanghai is a veritable shopping paradise and a gourmet’s delight. After Mass and chatting with friends, they take off for the shopping districts where they can bargain for almost everything. China-made goods – whether they are pure silk ties from Suzhou or faux Guccis that look so authentic from Hangzhou – are very cheap and well-manufacturerd. After shopping and dinner, it’s back to their hotel/home to prepare for the night’s work.
The Sensation Band has its own niche at a cocktail lounge adjacent to the Ramada lobby. There, for a few hours at least, they create a musical haven for tourists, resident-foreigners and locals alike, who crave just a little soul, a bit of rock, a tinge of Broadway, a taste of cha-cha and some of their own native songs, to make life a little bit brighter.
All over the world, our Filipino overseas workers are making life not only a little bit brighter for the people they serve but also for the people back home who depend on them for their every meal.
Few are as lucky as Rainell, "Tanda," Jaime and Ingrid. Unlike their compatriots in, say, the Middle East, theirs is a relatively peaceful, safe work environment. Still, their common, ultimate goal is to return to the Philippines to their loved ones and friends. The poverty of their homeland forces them to seek livelihoods in every nook and cranny of the world.
But there’s no place like home.
But who would have thought that while touring this huge country, we would meet up with four such adventurous modern-day troubadours in a small Chinese city like Suzhou (population: 800,000) located in the outskirts of Shanghai. The four – lead singer Rainell Lachica, pianist Nueraldin Beri, second singer Ingrid Sumilhig and keyboard/guitarist/singer Jaime Genato are the entertainment regulars at the Ramada Plaza (Bamboo Grove Suzhou), popular tourist hotel and watering hole of the small core of foreigners who work in this picturesque "Venice of Asia."
"Naku, Ate," exclaimed Rainell, whose tiny frame belies a full-bodied, Streisand-like voice, "I’ve been singing for 10 years now. Matanda na ako."
Ingrid, on the other hand, was at the Sheraton Hotel (also in Suzhou) when she was invited by Rainell to replace the latter’s singing partner, who had been claimed in marriage by an American businessman, and taken back to the States. Ingrid has also been singing in foreign places for the past eight years.
Jaime and Nueraldin (nicknamed Tanda by the impishly funny Rainell) are also veteran performers with 45 years of combined experience under their belts. Like most musically-inclined Pinoys, the quartet (they call themselves the Sensation Band) is up-to-date with current top tunes. Amazing to most western foreigners, but not to us touring Filipinos who know Pinoys are the best musicans anywhere.
The four are provided living quarters in the hotel. When they want to eat Filipino dishes, they sneak in ingredients and a stove to cook adobo or kare-kare. They are not really lonely or homesick; they are used to the nomadic life of overseas workers. Besides, Rainell is married to Nueraldin and Ingrid lives in with Jaime, until they can get married. They have each other.
"Kailangan kumayod habang puwede," Rainell said, explaining why they can’t start a family yet. Like most OWs, they support parents and siblings in the Philippines who are depending on their income. With their savings, they have been able to build a house in Santa Rosa, Laguna from their earnings, Rainell proudly added.
Now used to living in hotels, the two pairs sleep off their night’s work till late in the morning and spend the rest of the day either just lazing around, rehearsing or visiting.
Their big day, however, is Sunday when they take the train to Shanghai to hear Mass at a Catholic church and mingle with the few kababayans (many of them musikeros like themselves) in the area. Shanghai is an amazing, huge metropolis reminiscent of New York or Chicago. Unlike Beijing where the shadow of communism and bureaucracy looms large and threatening, this city has retained its mercantile spirit and international ambience. There are ancient European emigres, American Sino-philes and aging white jazz musicians at the legendary Peace Hotel who have remained in Shanghai through the turbulent revolutionary years, unfazed by the upheavals around them.
To Filipinos like Rainell and Ingrid and their partners, Shanghai is a veritable shopping paradise and a gourmet’s delight. After Mass and chatting with friends, they take off for the shopping districts where they can bargain for almost everything. China-made goods – whether they are pure silk ties from Suzhou or faux Guccis that look so authentic from Hangzhou – are very cheap and well-manufacturerd. After shopping and dinner, it’s back to their hotel/home to prepare for the night’s work.
The Sensation Band has its own niche at a cocktail lounge adjacent to the Ramada lobby. There, for a few hours at least, they create a musical haven for tourists, resident-foreigners and locals alike, who crave just a little soul, a bit of rock, a tinge of Broadway, a taste of cha-cha and some of their own native songs, to make life a little bit brighter.
All over the world, our Filipino overseas workers are making life not only a little bit brighter for the people they serve but also for the people back home who depend on them for their every meal.
Few are as lucky as Rainell, "Tanda," Jaime and Ingrid. Unlike their compatriots in, say, the Middle East, theirs is a relatively peaceful, safe work environment. Still, their common, ultimate goal is to return to the Philippines to their loved ones and friends. The poverty of their homeland forces them to seek livelihoods in every nook and cranny of the world.
But there’s no place like home.
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