De Buitenlandse Bruid -- part I
So, they aired this program on Talpa ( a dutch tv station ) where they focus on Dutchmen seeking brides from other countries.
I almost wept when they showed that video of the men who went to the PH. To see my fellow Filipinas pushed to make a choice they would not have made if economics had allowed it is heartbreaking.
More heartbreaking is the sharp comparison of how Dutchmen seeking brides from European countries treated their prospective brides as oppposed to the way the Dutchmen seeking brides in the PH treated their prospective mates.
The agency that brought the Dutchmen and the Philippine women together has been pronounced illegal once before, but somehow manages still to continue this business of selling our women. I say selling, and when you read on down, you'll understand why.
Take this sharp contrast: A videoclip of the Dutchman in the Philippines hanging onto two women. In the end, he settles his attention on the younger one, a girl who looks young enough to be his daughter. They proceed to a nightclub, escorted by an Asian Contact intermediary who tells off the other woman and makes her go away so the Dutchman can focus his attention on the younger one. In the club, the man looking for a bride proceeds to caress and kiss and cuddle the one he's made up his mind about. It was heartbreaking to look at this video, the look in the young girl's eyes had me crying out in outrage and pity.
Next videoclip: a young Dutchman looking for a partner in Kiev. The girl is a model, an educated woman who studies Economics at the University. They do not even hold hands, but talk to each other formally.
In fact, the girl is the one questioning the man about his background and his reasons for seeking a bride from another country. When she is interviewed later on, she says it's too early to make a decision. After all, she has just met the guy...and take note, the guy is a young man, good-looking, a traveller and educated.
Another videoclip: a Dutchman in another European country meeting his penpal for the first time, she is a Nurse. They keep the width of the sofa between them, getting to know each other formally.
The man is a Doctor and the woman is a Nurse.
Do you see the big difference that I see?
I find myself asking this question, why does our government condone things like these?
Judge for yourself what kind of "penpal" business the guy running this agency has:
In the interview, the owner of the agency introducing the Dutchmen to the girls in the Philippines refers to them as: speelgoed ( toys ). His exact words when he noticed the difficulty his client had in choosing a partner was: too many toys in the toy store.
Are you feeling as sick as I felt when I heard this?
In short, this fellow is a disguised pimp -- except instead of dealing in prostitutes, he deals in our girls. How come the government lets this operation just slip through their fingers?
I wonder whether these Dutchmen would behave the same way if they were in the Netherlands corresponding with girls from respectable families. I think not. The root cause still comes from knowing the poverty these girls come from...and I think this particular operation stinks because to my mind, a legitimate penpal agency has to take into consideration what the girl wants and not just what the man wants.
The subject of selling is also paired by the fact that the men are the ones paying the fees to meet the girl they want. When that cash transaction comes into play, everything turns all shades of gray.
On the Mutya Power blog Eileen talks about how the government and politicians have an implicated role in situations like these.
It's very hard to convince a people of their worth when they're so tired of dreaming of the sun. The economic and political vista of our nation has suffered too long under the shadow of corruption and the self-serving mentality of those in power. When it seems there's no way out, the only choice some people are left with is "kapit sa patalim".
I'm off to have a good cry ...
I almost wept when they showed that video of the men who went to the PH. To see my fellow Filipinas pushed to make a choice they would not have made if economics had allowed it is heartbreaking.
More heartbreaking is the sharp comparison of how Dutchmen seeking brides from European countries treated their prospective brides as oppposed to the way the Dutchmen seeking brides in the PH treated their prospective mates.
The agency that brought the Dutchmen and the Philippine women together has been pronounced illegal once before, but somehow manages still to continue this business of selling our women. I say selling, and when you read on down, you'll understand why.
Take this sharp contrast: A videoclip of the Dutchman in the Philippines hanging onto two women. In the end, he settles his attention on the younger one, a girl who looks young enough to be his daughter. They proceed to a nightclub, escorted by an Asian Contact intermediary who tells off the other woman and makes her go away so the Dutchman can focus his attention on the younger one. In the club, the man looking for a bride proceeds to caress and kiss and cuddle the one he's made up his mind about. It was heartbreaking to look at this video, the look in the young girl's eyes had me crying out in outrage and pity.
Next videoclip: a young Dutchman looking for a partner in Kiev. The girl is a model, an educated woman who studies Economics at the University. They do not even hold hands, but talk to each other formally.
In fact, the girl is the one questioning the man about his background and his reasons for seeking a bride from another country. When she is interviewed later on, she says it's too early to make a decision. After all, she has just met the guy...and take note, the guy is a young man, good-looking, a traveller and educated.
Another videoclip: a Dutchman in another European country meeting his penpal for the first time, she is a Nurse. They keep the width of the sofa between them, getting to know each other formally.
The man is a Doctor and the woman is a Nurse.
Do you see the big difference that I see?
I find myself asking this question, why does our government condone things like these?
Judge for yourself what kind of "penpal" business the guy running this agency has:
In the interview, the owner of the agency introducing the Dutchmen to the girls in the Philippines refers to them as: speelgoed ( toys ). His exact words when he noticed the difficulty his client had in choosing a partner was: too many toys in the toy store.
Are you feeling as sick as I felt when I heard this?
In short, this fellow is a disguised pimp -- except instead of dealing in prostitutes, he deals in our girls. How come the government lets this operation just slip through their fingers?
I wonder whether these Dutchmen would behave the same way if they were in the Netherlands corresponding with girls from respectable families. I think not. The root cause still comes from knowing the poverty these girls come from...and I think this particular operation stinks because to my mind, a legitimate penpal agency has to take into consideration what the girl wants and not just what the man wants.
The subject of selling is also paired by the fact that the men are the ones paying the fees to meet the girl they want. When that cash transaction comes into play, everything turns all shades of gray.
On the Mutya Power blog Eileen talks about how the government and politicians have an implicated role in situations like these.
It's very hard to convince a people of their worth when they're so tired of dreaming of the sun. The economic and political vista of our nation has suffered too long under the shadow of corruption and the self-serving mentality of those in power. When it seems there's no way out, the only choice some people are left with is "kapit sa patalim".
I'm off to have a good cry ...
posted by rcloenen-ruiz at 2:03 PM
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