Moonlighting in “The Land of the Rising Sun”

(As we witness the damage and loss of life in Japan after a devastating earthquake, I can’t help but think of our kababayans in Japan who have chosen to make the Land of the Morning Sun their adopted land. Below is my tribute to these Filipinos, some of whom have been my closest friends.)

(July 20, 2006) I HAVE nothing against our Filipino women wanting to help their families, or even their own selves, by taking the risk of going abroad and working as domestic helpers or even as entertainers. While in the beginning they may have felt like they would be facing some form of ridicule because of the kind of work they have chosen to do, they would soon realize that suddenly, or ironically, they would turn out to be “heroes” in the eyes of the public who clamor for dollar remittances. 

In the early 80s, even before the Marcos regime was brought down, we’ve seen our neighbors, especially the “girls-next-door type” disappearing. In my baranggay, my friend’s sisters, some of whom used to be our “dreamgirls” were gone, and reportedly among the “lucky ones” to have been able to go abroad and work there. It was as if they were “special” or they possessed special skill or talent that allowed them to leave and work someplace else. A few I’ve seen years later. At least one sister of my compadre, who has her own family back home, I never had the chance to see again before immigrating to the U.S.

They had a special skill alright – it was “entertaining.” Either they were good dancers, or singers, but they had one striking similarity – at least in my own point of view – they had a “pleasing personality.” Though I don’t want to called a “sexist”, but they were the pretty breed of young women, at least from where I grew up. I knew them personally, you know, and I can think I can describe which ones are pretty.

Sadly, I learned that some who were “employed” as “entertainers” ended up in the hands of what we coined as “Mama Sang,” which, to my recollection, is more of a pimp, who peddles women to customers looking for good time. Soon more names – denigrating as they may seem – cropped up, including the most humiliating, japayuki.  From the Internet’s Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, japayuki means “prostitution in Japan.” Though most of us didn’t mean that to be, we verbally abused the word and referred to the women whom we knew who went to Japan as “entertainers” as this  – mga japayuki.

During the my stint at the airport in the late 80s, I would see hordes of young Filipino women – some I knew who were supposed to come from more prominent families and unfortunately some I knew were the young girls running in my neighborhood – arriving at the airport, boxes in tow, lining up for customs inspection. They may have had decent work, but there was a stigma that came along with their being from Japan, which is the most advanced country on earth, in tech terms.

Expatriates in Japan, I believe, are supposed to be engineers, even if they have many of this professionals, or trainees sent by tech industries from the Philippines, and admittedly band members who did make waves in the “Land of the Rising Sun”, where people spoke little or no “engrish,” let alone sing Western songs.  It really is a “Lang of the Rising Sun” because our kababayans work overnight and get to rest only in the daytime. Instead of being greeted by sunrise, they get blinded by such daily occurrence.

Personally, I couldn’t even say hello to the ones I knew, or whose brothers or sisters I knew then when they arrive.  There was always a lump in my throat that I always tried to overcome with the thought of their personal, albeit universal, reason of “entertaining” Japanese customers in karaoke bars, lounges, and God forbid, prostitution dens for a few “lapads” (one lapad, which means wide because of its size, is worth Y10,000). And even if I hated to turn a blind eye when I see them, things got worse when our very own kababayans continued to prey on these hapless young women. It was a trade unworthy of a country which boasts of being the only Christian nation in Asia.

Now comes this latest story that “Japan will accept entertainers — POEA.” The story says that “Overseas Employment Administration chief Rosalinda Baldoz (has) expressed optimism Japan will still accept Filipino entertainers because of the measures the government is pursuing to rationalize and fine-tune the deployment of overseas performing artists to that country.”

Even if it carried a warning that such arists called “OPAs” not to enter Japan without valid working visas, the report states that “other schemes” to enter Japan “have proliferated,” that results in flesh trade.

I think this is just dumb. While we try to prevent more victims ending up in white slavery, we seem to be promoting the idea that yes, you can still go to Japan and entertain. Such jobs of course normally require wearing costumes, if not skimpy skirts or very revealing leotards, and gyrating to the delight of “hardworking” Japanese customers – leaving nothing to the imagination of some sex-hungry paying patrons.

The report says that according to Ms. Baldoz, “The use of tourist visas, temporary visitor visas, and spouse or children of Japanese National visas have gone up...Under these visa categories, Filipino entertainers are able to work in Japan but without protection under Philippine or Japanese laws.”

Protected? I’m not sure about that.

Hopefully, the government of Japan, through two decades of PHL supplying entertainers to its citizens, has set in place ways and laws to really protect our kababayans. Or, have they?

We know why they go to Japan. Sadly, we still produce millions of college graduates who will not be hired

as they wished to be employed. The future is still not bright. Going to Japan as entertainers will never make it

brighter.(RFL)