Uod – Delayed Reaction

Uod – Melamine

Into the strips again

Back in 1998, there’s this local comics that was created by Pol Medina Jr. called Pugad Baboy. It was so hilarious that it started to boom into popularity for its unconventional punchlines and political satire. Much like our version of The Simpsons or South Park but with less cussing.

Because I love to draw, I started doing a comicstrip for fun where the main character is “Uod” (Tagalog for worm). That was the time when Dennis Rodman was so popular that the Worm often bests His Airness as the most talkabout show in Chicago.

I use to draw on our org’s logbook (The CPS Triangle) the Uod comicstrips for fun. Often in between classes. And now, coming to our org’s 20th anniversary, a dear friend of mine asked me if I can run a weekly comicstrip of the characters I drew 10 years ago to hype our orgmates for the coming celebration.

I thought to myself that I won’t be able to come home for the celebration, so might as well contribute in this small way. So, here’s the first strip I did last week starting off with Uod and some new characters named Ampao and Daface.

Some folks thought it was nice so my friend asked me if I can do more, meaning more strips per week. So I said ok to that because I often put jokes I see everyday into drawings. You know, 10 years of funny things I’ve seen and heard are a lot of materials.

But then, I thought to about the audience who’s going to read these strips. You see, I’m drawing these stuff for people 10-15 years younger than I am. So, what I find funny might not be for them. Just like this one.

God bless Photoshop for helping me rewrite the punchline.

Well, the strip ends by November 20. Hopefully there’s much more to this. Enjoy =)

Who Insulted Whom

Today, I received this forwarded email (have to remove the name’s and other details though):

Subject: FWD: talent for ch 5

From: Maria
Date: Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 12:53 PM

Hi P____!

Need your help in disseminating info for anyone who is interested to do some acting on Ch5. It’s for the upcoming drama on TV. They need the person to audition first. She has to be about 30 to 40 yrs, looks experienced working as a maid, because it’s a maid role; can speak good English because she’ll be required to say some lines.

The shoot is on Oct 3 (friday)- whole day, and Oct 4 (saturday) – 2pm to 7pm only.

Kindly ask the person to send me an sms or call at 9——-.

Thanks and regards,

Maria

So, I thought of doing a kind thing of forwarding the email to a bunch of Filipinos through this Yahoo! Group I belong to. I thought that someone might be interested in that opportunity to earn a couple of bucks and who knows, probably instant fame.

Type.. type.. type.. copy-paste.. click send… and there you go.

Shortly, a bunch of Filipinos replied to that email. I thought they’re asking of who the contact is or something. Next thing I know, I was reading emails of these people who took offense to the forwarded email saying..

It may appear humiliating but why look for Filipinos to act as maids in the TV shows? I really don’t buy that. I am not against Filipinos being maids because that’s reality. Pero yung coming to us because they need somebody to act as maids??

and..

I agree sir!!! bakit naman maids ang role???

So I went back to my email and read it over again.. and again.. and again. Just to find out what’s wrong with it. I found none. So I replied to them..

the forwarded message was meant for those who want to try out for the role.

pero mawalang galang na sa mga nag-react, may masama ba sa pagiging isang maid?

Of course I was expecting someone to reply, and got this..

Ok, hindi naman masamang trabaho ang maid..

pero gusto mo bang lahat ng lang ay nakatingin sa lahi natin bilang
katulong… hindi ba tayo nag aasam na maitaas ang dignidad ng mga kababayan
natin?

nasa IT Sector kayo at hindi ninyo nararanasan ang hirap ng mga nakakausap
kong mga katulong dito… kung paano sila tina trato at kung mag kano ang
natatanggap nila… oo walang masama sa pagiging maid… pero tulungan
nating itaas ang dignidad ng mga kababayan natin na naabuso dito sa lupain
ng singapore…

at di iilan na ang nakausap ko na asawa ng local dito… asawa na ha… ano
reaksiyon ng mga kaibigan nila pag nakikita nila ang asawa ay pinoy..
karaniwang tanong.. “is that your maid?”

masarap po bang pakinggan? Ultimo yung Singaporean na asawa natutulig sa
nadidinig eh…

Kayo po?

and..

Bossing, I believe they meant NO harm at all. I agree with what ____ said about our very own “selling” the idea that we Filipinos are maids. Yun yung nakakainis. Ganun na nga ang mindset tungkol sa atin, ni hindi man lang tayo ipagtanggol ng mga kinauukulan

WTF?!? Now they’re also after the ones who originally sent the email.

So I stopped a couple of minutes from my work to think of how I will reply their emails (good thing it was still lunch time then). I drafted something but I knew that it was out of anger. So.. I discarded the email.

I did another email.. but was still angry. So I scrapped that one too. And again.. and again. Until I thought to myself, why the hell am I spending much time trying to defend what I did to these kind of people.

I came up with this one instead..

point taken pero pasensya na sir, yung simpleng forwarded email
meant to give those who are interested to tryout for the role ay
ginagawa natin debate kung ano ang connotation ng word na “maid”.

pati yung magandang intensyon ng taga-embassy ay pinagdududahan din.

kung may negative implication ang word na “maid” sa atin dahil sa
personal experiences is beyond anyone’s control except sa sarili na lang.

gusto ko man makipag-debate sa topic na ito ay hindi ko na gagawin.

kung interesado sa role, kausapin na lang yung contact.
kung hindi naman, maghintay-hintay na lang sa mas angkop na opportunities.

yun lang po, mga ginoo at ginang.

I mean, what am I suppose to say? I just wanted to help out, not fight off a pointless matter.

Would they have reacted differently if the role was for, say, the Prime Minister of SG?

The truth here is that it wasn’t about the email. It wasn’t about the role. It is about the fact that the word “maid” has a strong connotation of distaste particularly to Filipinos.

You see this guy trying to say that there’s nothing wrong with the profession of being a maid and that he knows a lot of Filipina maids and their sad stories. Telling us that we it’s offensive to degrade Filipinos by labelling us of being “maids”. Preaching that we should do something about it to change the way locals perceives us.

I say bullsh*t!

The problem does not lie on how the world sees us Filipinos. The problem lies on people who associate the word “maid” negatively.

Do you even know what maids do? Beyond cleaning your house and other people’s garbages, maids are the ones whom people employ to look after the safety of their children while they are away. They are the ones whom we entrust our households. They are the ones who cook your food to eat every day. They are the ones who care for you even when you treat them like shit.

And for what? For chump change.

You see, hundreds of thousands of people back home would kill for the chance to escape the hardships over there. They would jump for the chance to get low-income jobs because no matter how low it is for you, the might of the Philippine Peso always justifies the means.

People back home, educated or not, will become your bus drivers, your garbage man, your mailman, gasoline boy, and yes, even maid. So however you may joke about Filipinos being maids, it doesn’t matter. These kind of professions give us hope to eat a square meal everyday.

So why take offense when other people of any race labels you as a maid?

Dear sir, nobody insulted anyone until you brought it up. Out of the hundreds of Filipino members in that Yahoo!Group, only a handful of people reacted the way you did.

In fact, you even insulted people like me saying I can take this matter lightly because I didn’t went through a hard-knocked life. Kind sir, that’s why I am in Singapore working my ass off.

You guys even took offense when the person whom I got this email from (someone who’s working in the Philippine Embassy) even perpetuated the idea that it is ok for us to take on the acting role of a maid when all the person was trying to do is to help out anyone who’s interested to get a small acting job.

And here again you guys keep saying that we should lift our dignities from such labels and “sell” the idea that Filipinos are more than how the world see us.

Selling the idea is one thing. Getting the actual deal is another story. With the way you reacted to the subject, just goes to show how you personally perceive our Kabayans not only in Singapore but in general. Where’s the value that you’re trying to shove in my face?

I understand your frustrations over this, believe me. But for me, it’s all just stick and stones.