PASA PINOYDECEMBER 2014 PLANET PHILIPPINES4PASA PINOY

columnCARMELITA ORGANO

“Making dreams come true in Brussels, Belgium”

Spotted on the FILIPINO

MAPRyan Tejero*

It was in 1995 when Carmelita fi rst arrived in Brussels, Belgium as a tourist. She fell in love with the city instantly! She recalled “Brussels is a

great city even before I came to know it in 1995. I left my husband in the Philippines chase my dream of going to a graduate school in Brussels. But after a month, that dream vanished because I found myself landing on a babysitting job. There was not much of jobs available for an undocumented migrant like me, house cleaning, dog sitting, and all other house chores kept on pouring, they were the kind of jobs available for us because of the language barrier.” Coming from a comfortable life in the Philippines, with plenty of household help, Carmelita said that she was hesitant to do all the manual work. But because money was fi lling her pockets twice more than what she earned in the Philippines, she chose to hang on to them. After some time, she was offered to work as a nanny for a Royal Family, and got excited because she heard that the family was a well-known community fi gure. Carmelita said that she moved to live closer to the family to keep her job.

In 1997, her husband came

to join her, but after a brief stay and work in Belgium, he was deported back to the Philippines. Carmelita said that she became very depressed, she struggled with loneliness, and her long distance relationship with her husband hit it so bad that she eventually had to end her marriage through annulment. Moving forward with her life, she enrolled herself in a language school to keep her occupied, as well as improve her communication skills.

Leaving her past behind,

and confi dently equipped with a much stronger spirit, Carmelita went out her way to meet friends. She said “one day I was invited to a religious community called the Couples for Christ (CFC). Good and trusted friends came along, they grew in numbers, and for the fi rst time I felt an empowering sense of belongingness. I turned myself into a happy soul, fi lled with joy. I was able to share my talent with my new-found friends.” Last October, Carmelita attended a national conference in Paris, Italy, with 11 countries participating. She became so proud when their team fi nished fi rst place at the National Food Festival. From CFC, Carmelita became actively involved as a volunteer for the groups: Answering the Cry of the Poor (ANCOP), which promotes Child Sponsorship Program in the Philippines, and the Las Damas de Rizal Belgium, which raises funds for different socio-civic projects in the Philippines. She soon realized that her circle of friends is widening. She got in contact with Philippine government leaders, politicians, and community leaders and advocates in Belgium. Her acquaintances with these leaders gave her an opportunity to grow as a community leader herself. Carmelita said that “last year, I attended a special course on Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program for Overseas Filipinos organized by the Ateneo University, and on February 2015, I will be joining the rest of the Knights of Rizal and Las Damas around the world in an International Assembly that will be held in the Heritage City of Vigan.” Just recently, Carmelita was involved in the offi cial visit of President Benigno Aquino III in Belgium. Presently, she is embarked on promoting Vigan City, her hometown, to be the next 7thWonder City of the World. She started her a campaign by soliciting support from other leaders

locally and abroad, speaking on interviews with Balitang Europe TV, and openly promoting it in all the venues that she gets invited as event host.

Since year 2000, Carmelita has been working

with her generous employers, who helped her stay in Belgium legally. In return, Carmelita said that she did her best to tend to their needs. She described her job as “working in their home, preparing their food, doing laundry, and making errands for the family. All these years that I worked with them, I poured out my hard-work, endurance, loyalty and honesty. They always appreciated me, they showered me with branded shoes, bags, clothes, but most of all, they gave me respect, and with that, I just sincerely give them back – love.” On Carmelita’s 40th birthday, her employers surprised with a pair of diamond earrings, and this year, on her 14th year of working with them,

Carmelita received a luxury wrist watch from them. She thanked God for her employers.

Carmelita has missed going home to the Philippines. She missed the beautiful

smiles back home. She refl ected on the attitude of the Filipinos who

remains happy, are able to laugh and smile even in the midst of life’s hardships or in times natural calamities. She also missed the morning sun that shines all day in the Philippines. She said that she does not often see the sun rising in Brussels. The last time Carmelita went home to the Philippines, she visited many places other than Manila and Ilocos. When in the Philippines, she balance her homecoming by doing mission work such as visiting ANCOP scholars and

stopping by a Home for the Aged in Ilocos Sur. Carmelita loves to

travel. In 2011, Carmelita explored the Holy Land, Jordan and Egypt,

with close to 300 Filipino pilgrims. In 2012, she was one of the few Filipinos

from Belgium to attend the canonization of

of Finance for overpaying my tax from last year.” Carmelita also brags about the effectiveness of Belgian transportation system, she said that she never got late in her appointments. Belgium as a tourist destination has lots of attraction, Carmelita identifi ed some popular ones: The Grand Place at the center of Brussels, the Atomium, The Lion that signifi es the Battle of Napoleon in Waterloo, Brugge, a world UNESCO heritage, Antwerp, which is known as the Diamond of the World where hundreds of diamonds are in display inside the shops.

Carmelita is so grateful to have been featured in this

column. She expressed that “What I learned from living here in Belgium is something that I want to share with Filipinos back home, and those who are living abroad. I want to tell the world about the lessons I learned as an immigrant, and that all of my struggles here in Belgium are all worth it. All of my experiences living abroad had defi nitely made me a stronger and better person.” She added that “No matter how far we have been, or what we have achieved in life, we have to keep our feet grounded, remain humble and be sensitive by touching the hearts of others. Let us continue to work with honesty, being patient and affectionate. In times of sadness or facing trials, let us keep God in the center of our lives. We should value our time, thus, live life to the fullest.”

the Blessed P e d r o

Calungzod in Vatican. To date, she has visited European cities that include Berlin, Dresden, Heidelberg, Lisbon, Fatima and Sintra. Later this year, she went to Croatia with a group of friends.

Carmelita continues to fall in love with Belgium as her second home. She shared the idea that even with the absence of a Prime Minister in Belgium, the country has remained peaceful and stable. She added that Belgians are very honest people, the government always think about the welfare of its people. She said “I love how they give attention when you enter a government building to seek for assistance. The government gives back what is due its taxpayers. In my case, I received 2Euros in my bank account from the Ministry

a Royal Family, and got excited because she heard that the family was a well-known community fi gure. Carmelita said that she moved to live closer to the family to keep her job.

In 1997, her husband came to join her, but after a brief stay and work in Belgium, he was deported back to the Philippines. Carmelita said that she became very depressed, she struggled

to keep her occupied, as well as improve her

Leaving her past behind, and confi dently equipped with a much stronger spirit, Carmelita went out her way to meet friends. She said “one day I was invited to a religious community called the Couples for Christ (CFC). Good and trusted friends came along, they grew in numbers, and for the

Carmelita received a luxury wrist watch from them. She thanked God for her employers.

Carmelita has missed going home to the Philippines. She missed the beautiful

smiles back home. She refl ected on the attitude of the Filipinos who

remains happy, are able to laugh and smile even in the midst of life’s hardships or in times natural calamities. She also missed the morning sun that shines all day in the Philippines. She said that she does not often

balance her homecoming by doing mission work such as visiting ANCOP scholars and

stopping by a Home for the Aged in Ilocos Sur. Carmelita loves to

travel. In 2011, Carmelita explored the Holy Land, Jordan and Egypt,

with close to 300 Filipino pilgrims. In 2012, she was one of the few Filipinos

from Belgium to attend the canonization of the Blessed

P e d r o

Carmelita with Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom of Luxembourg & Belgium, Her Excellency Victoria Bataclan on the occassion of Philippine Independence Celebration in Belgium, 2013.

Carmelita with Philippine Secretary Albert Romulo of the Department of Foreign Af-fairs during the recent visit of President Benigno Aquino III in Brussels, 2014.