Two years ago, I was invited by Philippine Airlines and Tourism New Zealand to visit Auckland. Barely four hours after landing in the city after a 10-hour flight from Manila, I was getting zipped up in an orange jumpsuit for a walk around the pinnacle of the 220-meter-high Sky Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
That same night, after successfully “conquering” the tower, we had ice cream the shape of the Sky Tower. For the ice cream cone’s creator Giapo Grazioli, the Sky Tower is symbolic of Auckland.
“Just looking at its height, it makes us feel more equal in example,” said Giapo. Italian-born, he fell in love with New Zealand almost two decades ago, brought his wife Annarosa with him, and decided to make Auckland their own ice cream cone.
I could not help but reminisce about my trip to Auckland, and the inclusivity I felt in its multi-racial society, when BBC’s Rico Hizon shared with me the news of the first Philippine-born member of the New Zealand Parliament, who happened to be once based in Auckland.
Last May 29, the first “KiwiNoy” Member of Parliament (MP) Paulo Garcia delivered his historical maiden statement in Wellington, the capital, in three languages — he started speaking in Te Reo Maori, then in Filipino, then in English. The devout Catholic KiwiNoy ended his speech with “Mabuhay.”
Garcia, a lawyer, delivered his first speech as an MP in front of other New Zealand MPs and a public gallery full of so called “KiwiNoys” and supporters. Garcia was sworn in on May 21 as the List Member of Parliament in New Lynn for the New Zealand National Party — marking the first time an MP of Filipino descent is holding the office.
Garcia receives a standing ovation from the Members of Parliament at the end of his maiden speech. Screengrab from New Zealand Parliament (vimeo.com/nzparliament)
The part of his speech spoken in Filipino was a prayer: “Nagmamahal na Panginoon, kami ay buong pusong nagpapasalamat na minarapat mong mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang inyong mga anak na makapaglingkod sa bayang New Zealand, hindi lamang sa mga nursing homes at ospital, sa mga dairy farms at mga construction sites, sa I.T., engineering at hospitality, at ngayon pati na rin sa larangan ng pambabatas.
“Pagkalooban ninyo po kami ng puso, isip at katawan na matatag upang maisatupad namin ang inyong layunin para sa amin sa bansang New Zealand.”
Before the other MPs could doze off, he then translated the same prayer to English.
Garcia is the former Consul-General of the Philippines in Auckland. In his speech, he acknowledged his mother, Anna, who took care of his father over the 10 years he suffered dementia until his death; his father-in-law, Rene, who took care of his mother-in-law as she was struck by ALS until her passing and — lawyer Lilia B. de Lima “for fearless integrity in doing what is right.”
At the end of his speech, he quoted his own daughter.
“I stand proud in the shade of a roof made for me, to raise it high by proclaiming I have a Spanish name, an American accent, and an Asian face and I have been welcomed in Aotearoa.”
Garcia received a standing ovation from the MPs at the end of his maiden speech, most of whom lined up to shake his hand after his speech. The public gallery was filled with KiwiNoys, Filipinos and New Zealanders who were singing and dancing to the song Pinoy Ako from the band Orange and Lemons. After a while, even the other MPs were seen clapping and dancing along. I don’t know if that was the reason the presiding officer shook his head with amusement and suspended session. Watching the online video, I thought he, too, wanted to at least snap his fingers to the catchy beat of Pinoy Ako.
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I have met balikbayans struggling to keep their American accent, even when you’re already speaking to them in Filipino or Tagalog. And here is a Filipino who is not ashamed to speak in the tongue of the country of his birth, in front of the citizens of the country he now calls home. Indeed it is a small world we live in.
Excerpts from the speech of Garcia, who makes every Filipino not just proud, but prouder:
I am Paulo Garcia, I am Catholic, I am a Filipino, and a New Zealander, and I am happy, excited, and blessed to be standing here before you. It is a privilege and an honor to work with all of you, and it is a testament to this great nation that migrants can become New Zealanders and represent this nation in our House of Parliament…
…That I am here tonight as the first member of the New Zealand Parliament of Filipino descent is a tribute to the National Party’s recognition of strength in diversity and the value that ethnic communities bring to New Zealand — a New Zealand that holds itself out as open to all, where people from the world over are able to live without fear in the practice of their faith and values, and in observance of their cultural norms. This makes for a multicultural and ethnically diverse New Zealand. There is not a day that I wake up without giving thanks for being in New Zealand. To be sure, not everything has been simple and rose colored. I have also experienced hatred. I have been slandered and have been ostracised. Yet, I do not have a monopoly on this experience. In reality, many of us do experience this as well in various forms on a daily basis, not just migrants but many of our displaced youth, who seek connection from gangs; emotionally isolated people who seek refuge in drugs, alcohol, and gambling; the old who live alone and die without seeing their family and friends and who may soon be encouraged to die without seeing family and friends.
Fourteen years ago, I was a struggling student at the University of Auckland law, taking papers and the bar exam. Those were tough times. We were a single income household of six, but now here I stand as a Member of Parliament of this great nation.
Many will say that I am living a dream. I disagree. This is not a dream; this is a Kiwi reality...
(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.)