Pinoys in crisis-hit Spain hope for better 2015

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

BARCELONA – Filipinos in Spain still hope that the economic situation in the country will turn around in 2015.

The southern European country has been in crisis for more than seven years with 25 percent unemployment rate, forcing Spaniards to look for greener pastures abroad.

Businesses closed due to Spain’s sluggish economy

Teresita Pascual, who migrated to Spain and has been selling roast chickens and prepared food for more than 20 years in Barcelona, had to lay off two of her employees due to decreasing sales.

Pascual is positive though that the economy will pick up and business will be rosier this year.

“Nag-hohope ako na talagang magbabago pa rin kasi lahat naman yan eh daraan at daraan. Ang hanapbuhay ko naman ay pagkain so alam kong ang mga tao magugutom so karaniwan bibili at bibili,” she said.

Pascual’s Pollo Al’Ast (Roast Chicken) business thrives despite crisis.

Estela Estrada’s grocery business, meanwhile, had to close down, so she decided to seek employment anew as a cook.

Estrada shared the sentiments of many EU-based Filipinos on weakening value of euro against Philippine peso. Ten years ago, a euro was pegged to almost P70 but now it’s only equivalent to P54.

The salary in Spain, she added, is becoming more and more like in the Philippines.

“Hindi pa dumarating ang sweldo, naiutang mo na. Ang sweldo mo dadaan lang sa kamay mo para pambayad sa mga bills lalo na pag may mga pinag-aaral ka pa. Nag-rerent ka ng bahay… Tumataas lahat ng bilihin, mas mababang sweldo, mahirap pa ang trabaho, mahirap pang humanap ng trabahong permanent,” she said.

Estrada is less optimistic—the situation is not expected to change so more and more Filipinos are migrating to London, Switzerland and some would even go back to the Philippines.

There are 4,512,116 unemployed according to Spain’s Ministry of Employment as of November 2014.

Rossel Addatu, who owns an employment agency, said that there is an increasing demand for workers.

“Medyo umaahon na ring konti, tsaka marami na ring humihingi na naman ng (domestic helpers) Bumaba ng konti ang sweldo pero bumabalik…maraming trabaho din ngayon,” she said.

Aside from domestic work, Filipinos in Barcelona also work in hotel and restaurants.

Filipinos in Barcelona working in a Mediterranean restaurant.

Philippine Honorary Consul to Barcelona Jordi Puig, who happens to be one of the owners of a chain of restaurants and hotels that hires Filipinos, is also optimistic.

“We close this year in the business, better, it’s going up, it’s more work, the benefits of the enterprise…This made to think 2015 will be the end of recession, especially here in the area of Catalunya but much more in Barcelona,” Puig said.

Puig’s prediction is similar to what Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy year-end report had stated.

“2014 has been the year of recovery, 2015 will be the definite takeoff of the economy,” declared Rajoy in Spanish. ABS-CBNnews.com

Watch the related TV report aired on Balitang Global, TFC, ABS-CBN:

2 Pinoy boys join one of Europe’s oldest choirs

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

BARCELONA – Two Filipino boys in Spain successfully passed the auditions of the prestigious and oldest boys’ choir in Europe.

Jomari Chavez and Kevin Marquez, both 10, are now part of the l’escolania de Montserrat or the Montserrat Boys’ Choir.

Jomari Chavez Edan Galino, one of two members of Filipino descent of Montserrat Boys’ Choir

Kevin Marquez Lilagan singing at a benefit concert with the Montserrat Boys’ Choir.

They were part of the recently concluded benefit concert held at the Iglesia de San Agustin.

Aside from singing and learning to play musical instruments, they must also study elementary and high school at the Montserrat monastery.

The monthly tuition is more than 500 euros or about P27,000, but the two were granted financial support. They won’t have to spend education, food, uniform, fares, as well as expenses related to overseas concerts.

They will live in Montserrat and would be allowed to go home every weekend to their parents.

This kind of arrangement first made Malou Chavez hesitate to enroll her only son there. But the school’s security, quality of education and the disciple they instill in children put her at ease.

“Natutuwa yung amo ko kasi ang sabi niya kung pera ang batayan, maraming mayayaman ang mag-aaral doon. Ang batayan doon talaga ay boses,” said Mrs. Chavez.

For her part, Dolores Marquez fully trusted the institution as her eldest son, Mark Kenjie, had been a part of the boys’ choir.

Mark Kenjie was the first-ever Filipino member of the l’escolania de Montserrat.

“Maganda naman ang buhay nila doon pero talagang mahirap. Pero talagang maganda, para sa kanila, para sa kinabukasan nila. Sacrifice lang dahil mahihiwalay,” said Marquez.

Mark Kenjie is now a member of a popular Catalan choir, the Orfeo Catala.

“Alam na po nilang magbasa ng music, isang instrumento po kung mas maganda pag mayroon silang alam, tapos yung boses po pinaka-importante,” Mark Kenjie said to Pinoys aspiring to become choir members.

Mark Kenjie Marquez, the first Filipino member in the history of L’Escolania de Montserrat with his brother Kevin.

School prefect Fr. Sergi d’Assis Gelpi is happy with his Filipino students and urged more Pinoys to join the choir.

“We would love to have more Philippine boys because the experience we have with these families is so nice. They are very nice people, very catholic people. They love music. So if there’s any Philippine boy who has a good voice, it would be great to join our choir and to share with us the experience at Montserrat,” he said. ABS-CBNnews.com

Watch the related TV report aired on Balitang Global, TFC, ABS-CBN:

How Pinoy taekwondo champs got scholarships in Spain

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

BARCELONA – Two Filipino teens were given full scholarships to the prestigious center that trains Spain’s national athletes.

They were selected after the two received medals in local and national taekwondo championships in Spain.

Spain’s Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) is giving scholarship packages, including free high school education, food allowance
and top-notch taekwondo training to 14-year-old Jason Clark Saplaan Hidalgo and 15-year-old Cristian Elmer Benan.

“Masaya ako dahil nabigyan ako ng scholarship at magandang oportunidad at training ito,” said Saplaan.

Jason Clark Saplaan Hidalgo

“Masaya naman kasi nandito na lahat eh, may mga doktor kung may mangyari ba, may pagkain andaming pagkain, training masaya naman magtraining,” said Benan.

Cristian Elmer Benan

The Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) or High-Performance Center is a prestigious sports center as it trains young Spanish athletes from an early age in swimming, water polo, handball, gymnastics, taekwondo, tennis and football.

The campus in Sant Cugat, Barcelona, where the teens undergo training, is one of the three primary CAR centers in Spain that prepares athletes, including Olympians and world champions, for national and international competitions.

The two Pinoy teens are being trained by a world champion, Javier Agudo.

Their Filipino trainer Elmar Dimayuga, who owns Barcelona-based Sant Pau Jade Taekwondo D’Warriors, could not contain his happiness and pride for what his students have achieved.

“Nakakatuwa, nakakaproud na sila, sa pagsisikap nila at sa pagsisikap ko rin bilang trainer ay kumbaga nakukuha na natin yung fruits ng pagsisikap,” he said.

Dimayuga’s son 12-year-old Jade Mariele, who once represented Spain in an international taekwondo competition in Bucharest, and 13-year-old Christian Vincent Manalo Mañibo were also admitted to the center. However, they will be only given free training until they reach the required age.

Jade Mariele Dimayuga

Christian Vincent Mañibo

There are requirements to maintain the scholarships, such as no failing grades and continuous wins in competitions. Saplaan and Benan have to attend regular schooling provided by the center and after finishing their homework, they have to attend the taekwondo training and win tournaments.

“The objective is to increase the number of Catalans in the national team…to be champions in Spain or reach the podium, we (also) try to compete in two international open so they can have experience in competing in the international level,” said Argudo in Spanish.

Just recently, Saplaan won gold at the Campeonato de Catalunya Junior category. Benan bagged gold in the same competition, silver medal atCampeonato de España, and silver at Campeonato de Catalunya Senior category.

Dimayuga, who used to compete and also won medals in the Philippines, stressed the importance of support of family in realizing their children’s potentials.

He also praised the opportunities and support being offered by Catalan and Spanish government to athletes. ABS-CBNnews.com

Watch the related TV report in Filipino aired on Balitang Global, The Filipino Channel, ABS-CBN:

Cabalens bring art of parol-making to Spain

Apalit, Pampanga-native Jerry Santos proud of his Philippine flag-inspired Christmas lantern.

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

SPAIN – Pampanga is considered the Philippines’ Christmas lantern capital, as it produces the country’s most beautiful and colorful parols.

The symbol of Filipino Christmas is displayed in the homes of Filipino residents in Barcelona for quite some time, but for the first time Cabalens, they brought their creativity and craftsmanship to Spain as they made their first-ever parol.

“Ito ‘yung produkto ng Pampanga kaya kailangang ipresenta namin ‘yung maganda naming parol,” said Ramina Espinosa, president of newly formed Pampangueño association Kapampangan Abe Abe Tamu.

The giant parol, which resembles the Philippine flag, is made of gift wrapper, wooden sticks, paper and battery-powered Christmas lights.

In the future, they promised to bring materials from the Philippines so they can make parols like the ones found in Pampanga which are mainly made of capiz shells.

It took two weeks for Apalit, Pampanga-native Jerry Santos to finish the parol.

“Kailangan meron dating, parang tayong mga Filipino makita rin nila na may talent din tayo, hindi yung puros pinagpapasensiyahan lang, mabilisan, hindi ganun,” Santos said.

The parol was offered to the Filipino Personal Parish and is now on display, together with other parols made by Filipino associations, at Iglesia de San Agustin in Barcelona. ABS-CBNnews.com

Barcelona-based Pampanga association Kapampangan Abe Abe Tamu.

Pinoys keep Simbang Gabi tradition alive in Spain

Filipinos attend first Simbang Gabi mass at the Inmaculada Concepción y San Lorenzo Ruiz in Barcelona.

 

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

BARCELONA – Hundreds of Filipino faithful flocked to the Filipino Personal Parish Inmaculada Concepción y San Lorenzo Ruiz, or popularly known in Barcelona as Iglesia de San Agustin, to attend the first Simbang Gabi mass held in the evening of December 15.

There may be no puto bumbong and bibingka, but the 25,000-strong Filipino community has been carrying the Misa de Gallo tradition in the Catalan capital for more than two decades.

“Itong Simbang Gabi ay tradisyon na sa ating mga Pilipino at may malalim na itong ipinunla sa ating pananampalataya bilang mga Pilipino,” said Parish priest Fr. Tony Laureta.

Despite long work hours and complicated schedules, Filipino migrants find time to go to church or even spend their rest time attending the mass.

“Basta hindi kumplikado, pilit kong binubuo, kasi pag may trabaho ako hindi ako maka-Simbang Gabi,” said Barcelona resident Ellen Capus.

“Kung wala kang trabaho, why not come? I-celebrate mo ang pagpunta sa church, ‘yan ay once lang sa araw-araw nating pamumuhay ang ipakilala natin ang ating pagmamahal, ang ating pag-adore sa Panginoon,” added Urds Rioferio Ico.

Fr. Laureta also observed that most churchgoers complete the nine-day mass, which is considered a feat for Filipinos back home.

One reason, he explained, is the ‘worker-friendly’ schedule of the mass that starts at 8:30 p.m. when most Filipinos already finish work, so some of them will pass by the church before going home.

The church has also served as a refuge for migrants who miss their loved ones especially during the Christmas season.

“Wala naman mapupuntahan ang mga tao lalo’t higit sa kanilang pangungulila sa Pasko kundi ang simbahan,” he said.

“Isang aspeto pa siguro na every Sunday na nagsisimba sa iba’t ibang parokya, mga Spanish community, wala naman silang Simbang Gabi kayo halos sila ay pumupunta rito sa ating parokya,” he added.

Simbang Gabi is one of the legacies of Spanish colonization but in Spain, Misa de Gallo is celebrated only once — on Christmas Eve. ABS-CBNnews.com