8 OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY June 1 - 15 , 2018
Tinig Migrante
By E . Maestro
Our condolences to the family and community that Leticia Sarmiento left behind .
Tinig Migrante includes the remembering piece by Migrante BC member Beth Dollaga which is reproduced below . Our condolences to the family and community that Leticia Sarmiento left behind . Last year , Beth Dollaga shared Leticia ’ s struggle as a Filipino migrant worker at a Vancouver forum that helped grant one of Leticia ’ s last wishes which was to go home to the Philippines . Leticia was frail but expressed her thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible .
The truth is , we thank Leticia for allowing us to share and support her courageous struggle . In the end ,
A Face with a Name : Leticia “ Letty ” Sarmiento ( March 17 , 1973 - June 5 , 2018 )
Jollibee to open in Vancouver soon
we are all better people for having known Letty .
Letty passed away at 5:40 pm at St . Michael ’ s Hospice in Burnaby , British Columbia . The Celebration of Life to honour Letty will be on June 17 , 3pm to 6pm at St . Barnabas Anglican Church at 1010 5th Avenue , New West Minster . For more info , please contact Beth at 604-616-3015 ; her daughter Mika at 778-522-5503 or her friend Harevie at 778-838-7221 .
A Face with a Name : Leticia “ Letty ” Sarmiento March 17 , 1973 - June 5 , 2018 Margaret Atwood , a celebrated Canadian author once wrote : “ You don ’ t tell a story only to yourself . There is always someone else . A story is like a letter ... Dear YOU , I ’ ll say . Just YOU , without a name . Attaching a name attaches you to the world of facts , which is riskier , more hazardous . Who knows what the chances are out there , of survival , YOURS ? I will say YOU , YOU like a new story , an old story . YOU can mean more than one . YOU can mean thousands .”
In August 2010 , in one of Migrante BC ’ s community outreach , I met a stranger who became a friend . I am attaching a name to my story , Leticia Sarmiento or Letty to many of her friends . She was a daughter , a sister , was then a young-bride but soon to find herself fighting to free herself from an abusive relationship . She was a mother , a worker , a woman of courage , a friend .
Letty was one of the 1.5 million Filipinos leaving every year to work in over 230 countries in the world . Massive unemployment , landlessness , poverty and globalization have been forcing Filipino people to migrate .
In 2000 , Letty left her three young children in the care of her mother to work as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia . She worked there for four years and moved to Lebanon in 2004 . In 2006 , she fled Lebanon on foot along with other nationalities , trekking on the desert for safety . She and other compatriots felt they were neglected by the Philippine government at a time they were fleeing the war . They were at the mercy of the Italian government service for rescue . Letty said she was lucky to make it home . Unfortunately , having made it home alive from bombs and bullets , she was now faced with bullets of unemployment and economic hardship . Again , Letty mustered the courage to leave the country and endure once more the emotional tragedy of separation from her family to provide their basic needs . She left for Hong Kong in 2006 as a domestic worker and was brought to Vancouver , Canada by her employers in 2008 .
Leticia was a victim of human trafficking from Hong Kong to Canada , and her case led to the first conviction under Canadian law for such . Her traffickers eventually had these two landmark and serious convictions overturned at an appeal by her employers . Migrante BC helped her resettle in Vancouver where eventually her two young-adult children Mika and Mark were reunited with their mother .
It is not enough to tell stories . It is not enough to know someone else ’ s story . The story must weave with the stories of struggles of the people around the world . In the midst , there are people who know what it means to love and to care , to dare to take a step in an organized action , and fulfill the promise of a better tomorrow for everyone .
Letty , kabsat , sister , thank you for the opportunity to know you and to learn from you . Thank you for being part of my personal journey . REST IN POWER and in PEACE !
Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee Food Corporation plans to open 100 stores in Canada within the next five years .
The company says it is eyeing the wave of new locations because the country is a key growth market and a big part of its North American expansion plans .
Jollibee attracted long lines of customers when it entered the
Canadian market in 2016 , opening two Winnipeg locations and a store in Scarborough , Ont . over the last three years .
It hopes to expand further in Ontario , but is also exploring stores in Edmonton , Calgary and Vancouver .
Its aggressive expansion comes as international interest in Filipino food is rising and as Canada is attracting an increasing number of restaurants serving such food .
Jollibee ’ s Filipino fare includes spaghetti in a sweet sauce , crispy chicken , burgers and peach mango pies . ( Vancouver is awesome )
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