Brain Drain.

I could picture Philippines abandoned by Filipinos themselves, who have grown tired of protecting the country’s beauty and wealth. They have stepped away, leaving the archipelago desolated with rubbles of emptiness and despair. They thought that this nation is a piece of junk, that it has no chance of survival against bankruptcy and economic collapse. Nothing mattered. The future happened somewhere away from here.

I could picture those coconut trees swaying lazily as the sun sets, and millions of Filipinos would thrive everyday at airports. Showing their tickets, getting flights to the Middle East, to U.S. and Canada, to Europe. Philippines would soon run out of patriots. These so-called traitors (a shallow-minded point of view) would leave the country and dig for gold in other continents, looking for a nice virgin soil and be a slave of those foreign races.

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Our school-service driver happened to talk about migration. His whole family planned to go with their relatives in Saskatoon, some mountainous place in Saskatchewan, Canada.

My former teachers were now teaching in Texas.

Our neighbor’s mother was still in Jordan, despite the past few years of terrorist attacks that scared the family she left – she remained tough.

A certain blogger plans to have his own job at Singapore, crossing his fingers for great offers, and a nice wife.

My Dad’s officemate resigned from his five-year job, and went straight to Dubai to hunt more sacks of wealth.

Mom and my two sisters were in New York, generating dollars for my education (and the luxury, I won’t deny that). And for the house, and for my future car and condo and stuff.

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In a small-scale survey – almost everyone encountered someone who happened to be an OFW. They balance the peso-dollar exchange rate. They are the modern-day heroes of our country – enduring years of constant working just to send something to their loved one. For them, they’ve thrown all the cards. No options, no choice.

As of now, people are still craving for money. Practicality says it all; rather than to die a martyr begging for cents in a church sidewalk – use your talents, get buffed up, and proceed to the airport. Buy a ticket. Go away from the Philippines and find your luck in some uncharted place, as long as it’s not Philippines and that it’s a perfect spot to get a job. Most of the college students dream not of true service and loyalty to their motherland, but to work somewhere in Canada or Austria.

Over the next generations, I hope that Filipinos would soon go back to their tinubuang lupa.

Are you next in line?

~ by utakgago on January 8, 2007.