Three women explain why so many leave their family and careers in the Phillipines for domestic duties in Canada

Carmela Roco smiles widely as she wipes the tears from her face. Memories of the Phillipines wash over her: a school full of joyous children. A challenging job as a principal. Two teenage sons she left behind.

A world away now.

For years, Roco’s life followed a predictable routine. Awake at 3 a.m., she would prepare meals for her two young sons for the day before making the long commute to the school in Negros Oriental, where she worked for 22 years. Class sizes usually exceeded 50 students at the school, and the children - some of the poorest in the country, would walk more than two hours in tattered clothes and mismatched slippers to attend. The landscape mimicked paradise on earth, with brilliant blue oceans and sun-kissed mountains - which in turn attracted rich Americans and Europeans in search of vacation getaways, transforming the reality of home ownership for many Filipinos into a dream. Homes in this region are comparable to Jasper prices - far out of reach for the average resident.

After a full day, which lasted until 7 p.m., Roco would return home to her children. She would repeat the process six days a week, and her day of rest was usually reserved for laundry. 

“The job was exciting and challenging,” Roco said. “But it was really a dilemma.”

For her time and dedication to her country’s education system, she made $500 dollars a month. Her husband did not work for 10 years, and the relationship became dysfunctional and unhealthy. Since there is no divorce in The Phillipines, she was stuck. That is, until she received a message in 2006 from her childhood friend, who was now living in Canada. It changed her life.

Roco’s story is not uncommon in Jasper. Since 2006, the number of Filipinos in town has grown from 25 to 400, as they often leave friends and family behind in order to find new opportunity in the service industry.

“In the Phillipines, when you become a mother, you forget everything for yourself and you think about the future of your family,” said Darlyn Dela Torre, a former restaurant manager in The Phillipines who is now a housekeeper at the Jasper Inn.

Every year, Filipinos make the difficult choice to leave their family and jobs, choosing difficult work so they can send a decent wage home to their families. In 2008, Filipinos around the globe sent $15.9 billion back to their home country.

But the choices extend beyond finances. 

“A lot of people ask me how come Filipinos can leave their family behind for so long. And here are the answers: They seize the opportunity to better their lives. They want to save up for a higher education for their children. They want to own a home,” said Edna Lising, who came to Canada in 1992 from the Phillipines and now works as a server at the Jasper Inn. 

Lising knew she wanted to live in North America since she was a teenager. She dreamed of a luxurious life in Micronesia or singing in Japan.

“I decided I was going to live in North America. If I had to marry a Canadian, I will,” she laughed.

In 1992, the only path to Canada was as a domestic worker, but she quickly discovered that path led through Hong Kong. She accepted a job in Hong Kong with a family, where she would work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day cooking and cleaning. 

“I had to ask the family to buy me a stool so I could stay awake while I did the dishes,” Lising said. 

She had earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in the Philippines (something her parents scrimped to pay for, as there are no student loans), but was now spending backbreaking hours cleaning, with limited contact with her family. She had asked her best friend in college - Roco - to join her in Hong Kong, but Roco decided to stay in the Phillipines.

She kept her resolve, and kept sending money home to her family.

In 1994, Lising was given a chance to come to Jasper. She was initially nervous to come, as she knew no one. However she calls the move the best decision of her life. Working as a server at the Jasper Inn, she is finished work by noon, frequently hikes and plays tennis, and was able to purchase a house in the co-op in town. She was able to help her sisters and friends make the same journey to Canada.

“It’s like a holiday every day,” Lising said.

In 2006, she re-established contact with Roco, and once again asked her to come abroad.

“This is your last chance,” Lising told Roco. “Come to Canada. You deserve to be happy.”

Fifteen years later, the decision was still difficult.

“I was really in a dilemma,” Roco said. “I came to Canada after serving the Phillipines for 22 years as a teacher (and principal). I left two sons there. Many people in the Phillipines are longing to come to Canada. It was wrong for us to refuse it – no matter what the position is.”

Just as Lising translated the opportunity into a home and opportunity, Roco was able to escape her marriage and begin a new life in Jasper. While she is not qualified to teach in Canada, she is happy with her decision and enjoys her job as a housekeeper, also at the Jasper Inn. She hopes to have her sons with her in two years.

While the decision took years for Roco, it proved easier for others.

“It was the best decision of my life,” Dela Torre said.

Despite leaving a four-year-old son at home, a management position at a restaurant and a loving husband in the Phillipines to become a housekeeper in Jasper, she has no regrets. The opportunity to escape poverty is strong. 

“I have a wonderful family, but I decided to move to Jasper for an opportunity for family growth,” Dela Torre said. “It was a 180 degree change in my life. In the Phillipines, I was the boss. Here, they boss me around but it doesn’t really matter. I am proud I’m working here and giving a better future for my family.”

Technology has also helped. Dela Torre sees her child every night on a Skype video camera – something she is grateful for. Her son asks if she has his ticket yet every week, and Dela Torre hopes to join her son in less than two years.

About 10 per cent of Filipinos work abroad in search of new opportunity. For women, the allure is particularly strong. There is a very small social safety net in the Phillipines - no welfare, no student loans - and domestic violence is still taboo. But in other instance, the country is ahead of its western counterparts. Women are in many leadership positions in the Phillipines, and have taken over many middle management jobs. The country has also elected two women presidents in the past 20 years - including Corazon Aquino, who helped restore democracy to the country by defeating Ferdinand Marcos.

The distance is most severe when there is trouble at home. Lising has two sick parents, and the Tsunami that flooded much of Manilla for six weeks last year only heightened the need for those abroad to send money. Roco also returned for a visit to her former school this year. Her bosses said she could return to her job as a principal, but Roco has too much she wants to accomplish in Canada. Her plan is to have her sons join her, and one day hike the Skyline trail.

But through distance and doubt, the women endure.

“No typhoon, not even the strongest one could dump the enthusiasm of the Filipinos. They always look up at the sky and when the panorama is dark, they raise hope that the sun will shine bright the next morning,” Lising said.