By Daisy Catherine L. Mandap
The recent police raid on a loan sharking syndicate
uncovered, yet again, the stark truth: that we have a tendency to borrow money,
for whatever reason, more than we can afford to pay.
Of the more than 200 passports, pieces of jewelry and smart
phones recovered, not one belonged to a non-Filipino. It was a sad reminder
that success is still a long way off in our multi-pronged effort to discourage
our workers’ heavy borrowing.
Often we blame greedy agencies that collect unconscionable
placement fees from our workers as the root of the problem. We also point the
finger at financial institutions that make it easy for anyone to borrow money,
but then make it hard for them to get out because of back-breaking interest
payments.
Both remain valid notions, but how do we explain the
Indonesian phenomenon?
Informal surveys by NGO, Enrich, showed that Indonesian
workers come to Hong Kong more heavily in debt
because of higher placement and training fees, but somehow manage to get out of
the tight fix much faster. As a result, they get to go back home earlier to resume
their interrupted lives.
The same survey showed that the Indonesians do not by choice
remain in Hong Kong longer than necessary.
They come here with a clear plan on how long they must stay, and so save up
enough for that day when they have to go back home, never to come back.
In contrast, we have a lot of workers who have been in Hong Kong for decades, with hardly any savings to show
for it. And so they continue to toil, until age or ailment forces them to
retire. Some do go home after some time, hoping to settle back in, but end up
returning because the little money they saved was not enough for them and their
family’s needs.
How do we explain the difference? For this, we could
reference our being too family oriented and our widely accepted concepts of
“hiya” (shame) and “utang na loob”(debt of gratitude). It is often difficult for Filipinos to say no when a friend
or relative approaches them for a loan. More so if they think the borrower is
someone they owe a debt of gratitude to.
If they don’t have the money, they would often take out a loan themselves, and make it big enough to cover their own imagined need. In a lot of cases, the friend or relative who got easy money
does not pay back as promised, leaving the worker to shoulder the loan herself,
and yet sadly, still none the wiser for it.
Thus begins the cycle of borrowing that often leaves our
workers enmeshed in debt for much of their work life in Hong
Kong .
The task would have been harder if not for the persistent
effort by some groups, notably Enrich, CARD HK and the Mission for Migrant Workers to teach our
workers the value of saving for a rainy day, and giving a firm no to those who
egg them on to spend more than they can afford.
Credit must also go those who endeavor to make the Philippines stick to its no-placement policy,
and Hong Kong to its 10-percent rule for agency fees, for
newly arrived Filipino domestic workers.
This is not an easy task as it goes
against the long-ingrained thinking among the workers themselves that they must
pay for the cost of deployment. Thankfully, there have been encouraging signs
recently pointing to a shift from this attitude among workers, recruiters and
even employers.
The Consulate’s move to restrict the issuance of replacement
passports to tighten the lid on those who use their documents as collateral for
loans should also be commended, especially as it involves the delicate task of
balancing public interest with individual rights.
Through these efforts, some headway has been made to make our
workers realize that borrowing money should be avoided at all cost, and that
they should have a definite plan on when they should go back home for good.
But the task ahead remains difficult. As has been said, the
root of the problem dwells deep within most of us. It is time we cast aside our
giving nature, of giving until it hurts, or because we don’t want to lose face.
We work hard to provide a better future for our family. Let
that be our guide in staying away from debts and saving up so we can go back to
them fast.
