Pinay ‘Cinderella’ in Japan vows to give back

TOKYO – Abby Watabe’s life is a real-life Cinderella story.

She was the youngest of seven children of a laundry woman and a carpenter from Tarlac. Having no chance to go to school, she dreamt of going to Japan to make money and uplift the life of her family. Her chance came when she was able to fly to Japan to work as an entertainer.

In 2005, she met a man inside an elevator, who later became her husband. She didn’t know that he was a rich man, although he told her that he owned a building and other businesses.

Abby said she thought that he was just taking her for a ride.

“I married him without knowing he had money,” she said.

After their marriage, her husband asked her to stop working at the night club, where he had visited her everyday. He then sent her to a Japanese school and provided for everything. He also taught her how to handle their businesses and help others.

Abby said her husband wanted her to show everyone what Filipinas were capable of doing.

“My husband did not just love me, he loved the whole Philippines,” she said.

He urged her to be good in their businesses so every Filipino would be treated with dignity and respect.

For every business opening, she said 300 to 400 Filipinos would be invited and given VIP treatment.

Abby said Filipinos only needed opportunity and they would shine, but that some are lazy, easy-go-lucky and always late, contrary to the Japanese culture of punctuality.

However, she told the Japanese that Filipinos have a better side and no one among her staff would treat Filipinos badly.

“Because they know I am a Filipino,” she said.

Abby said her husband gave all-out support to survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“He said nobody must look down on other people because they would not be poor forever,” she said. “Give other people a chance. Whatever your situation in life, be good to other people because you don’t know that the person in front of you now might become richer than you.”

Donation boxes were placed in the 135 branches of their various businesses, she added.

Her husband asked her to send groceries and build a classroom in her hometown.

Abby attained her dreams – including her own office desk – but she never rested on her laurels. She studied personality development, etiquette and the various jobs in their businesses so she would know how every employee would feel.

Abby said the lifeline of their businesses was people, and they must be given importance.

“I thought happiness was material  things – Hermeses, bags,” she said. “But once you have them, happiness is temporary. My joy is different when I am able to help others.”

Ambassador to Tokyo Manuel Lopez said more than 200,000 Filipinos are in Japan, but that the number of entertainers had gone down.

“The Japanese government has become quite strict in allowing entertainers to come in,” he said.

“You can come in as an entertainer but have an approved working permit, a contract. There are still entertainers but the numbers have been reduced drastically. Because Japan observed there was a lot of exploitation of many of these entertainers in the past when they were coming in big numbers, they were taken advantage of either by employers or agents. Now with stricter requirements, (it’s) more under control. It’s more difficult now.”

President Aquino first met with the Filipino community upon his arrival in Japan yesterday to attend the 40th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Commemorative Summit.