Spoken Word, Topic 3: Slavery

MAID FOR MORE

This is a shout out to my girl Flor Contemplacion,

the Filipino maid who was framed for murder in Singapore.
Her death created a legacy of protests, but still her government sent more,
declaring that women like her are the heroes of the population
cuz their wages pay the debt for the entire nation.


Everyday from Manila Airport, thousands of women like her leave,
their broken bodies return as cargo, their broken villages grieve.
From Dubai to Shanghai, they're hired by middle-class families;
they're called stupid cuz they don't speak any Arabic or Chinese.
But they understand abuse in every language; they learn fast
that being a migrant ain't much different from being an outcast.


Another is getting ready to go, she don't know how long
she'll have to support her family from all the way in Hong Kong.
She's got to give her baby to an aunt, leave love behind
cuz work at home is impossible to find.


She's got a degree in civil engineering,
but with no job the bills remain unpaid.
Her suffering ain't what the IMF's interested in hearing
so she'll work abroad as a housemaid.


She signs a contract, says she will commit
to strict body regulations -
cropped hair and a cotton maid's outfit -
the marks of domestic subjugation.


All day she raises somebody else's child, misses her own,
imagines how much her baby must have grown,
All day she scrubs long rows of floor tile,
does her best to be obedient and docile,
And once she's finally done with every demanded chore,
her mistress rolls her eyes and gives her more.
After a 15-hour work day,
she rushes to the bank to wire home her pay.


She thanks God because even though life is rough,
she has faith that what she earns will be enough
for her family to escape poverty,
for her country to regain economic sovereignty.


She knows what it's like to sacrifice,
in this life she's already paid her price,
for her child she left her nation -
like Jesus, she suffered without hesitation.



"Indeed, we are degraded, humiliated and discriminated against .. Be proud then to be Filipino. Let's prove that we are not here to disgrace our country but to work and earn money ... let's life our hands to God, for God is mightier than anything. Through Him, we can find assurance, guidance and care." - a domestic servant (Padua 1991)

"What is wrong with being a domestic helper anyway, or shall I use the word servant or muchacha? From Christ's point of view these are the people who will become great because they humble themselves to serve others." - "Mommie Jingco," a missionary who writes a column for a magazine circulated among domestic servants in Hong Kong